Articles by Justin Niessner
Korea's Envisioning Partners raises $64m climate tech fund
Envisioning Partners, a Korean impact venture capital firm set up last year, has raised KRW 76.8bn (USD 64m) for a climate-focused tech fund, beating a target of USD 60m.
Philippines digital bank Tonik raises $131m
Mizuho Bank has led a USD 131m Series B round for Philippines digital bank Tonik with support from Sequoia Capital India and Prosus Ventures.
Korea autonomous driving tech supplier raises $20m
Morai, a Korean autonomous vehicle simulation technology supplier, has raised USD 20m in Series B funding from investors including Korea Investment Partners and Hyundai Motor Group.
India virtual events platform gets $35m Series B
Airmeet, a US-headquartered and Asia-focused virtual events platform with extensive operations in India, has raised USD 35m in Series B funding featuring Sequoia Capital India.
India blockchain player Polygon gets $450m
Sequoia Capital India has led a USD 450m investment in Polygon, an Indian platform for building, scaling and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks.
India BNPL start-up Mintifi raises $40m Series C
Norwest Venture Partners and Elevation Capital have led a USD 40m Series C round for Indian B2B buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Mintifi.
KKR leads $180m round for Singapore's Livspace
KKR has led a USD 180m round for Singapore-based omnichannel home interiors renovation platform Livspace at a valuation of at least USD 1bn.
Deal focus: NPX adds tech to Korea’s culture thesis
NPX Capital is creating a US-based media platform to tap rising global appetite for Korean entertainment. Early acquisitions emphasise artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the metaverse
Affirma buys Singapore preschool chain
Affirma Capital has acquired Singaporean premium preschool operator Little Paddington for an undisclosed sum.
VCs invest in Japan sports analytics start-up
Global Brain has joined a JPY 770m (USD 7m) pre-Series B round for Japan’s Run.Edge, a sports video search and analytics platform.
India edtech player Scaler raises $55m
Lightrock India has led a USD 55m Series B round for Scaler Academy, an Indian education technology start-up that operates an upskilling platform focused on IT professionals.
India's Chargebee gets $250m, valuation more than doubles
Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital India have co-led a USD 250m round for Indian financial technology provider Chargebee, more than doubling its valuation in 10 months to USD 3.5bn.
India's Moglix raises $250m at $2.6b valuation
Tiger Global Management and Alpha Wave Global have led a USD 250m Series F round for India’s Moglix. It more than doubles the industrial B2B start-up’s valuation in the past eight months to USD 2.6bn.
Singapore's Fireblocks closes Series E, hits $8b valuation
Fireblocks, a US and Singapore-based blockchain services provider that aims to “help every business become a crypto business,” has raised a USD 550m Series E round at a valuation of USD 8bn.
Indonesia fishery app Aruna extends Series A to $65m
Indonesian fishing industry app Aruna has raised USD 30m led by Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India. It is described as an extension of a Series A round launched in mid-2020.
Square Peg leads $40m round for Singapore edtech player
Australia-based Square Peg Capital has led a USD 40m Series B round for Singapore-based education technology provider Cialfo.
GIC backs $525m Korea data centre program
Singapore’s GIC has teamed up with digital infrastructure company Equinix with a view to investing USD 525m in the development of two data centres in Korea.
Potentia joins round for Australia construction tender platform
Australia’s Potentia Capital has joined a AUD 35m (USD 25m) round for local construction tender and procurement platform EstimateOne.
KKR commits $45m to Philippines B2B e-commerce player
KKR has invested USD 45m in GrowSari, a Philippines-based company that helps micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) take their retail operations online.
WestBridge leads $29m Series B for India's Vyapar
WestBridge Capital has led an approximately USD 29m Series B round for Indian small business financial technology provider Vyapar. The company is now valued at around USD 118m.
Asia Alternatives fund-of-funds closes on $2b
Asia Alternatives has reached a final close of USD 2bn for its sixth private equity fund-of-funds and several related vehicles. It is the firm’s largest raise since its inception in 2015.
Portfolio: Affirma and Sunwoo Fresh
Affirma Capital is helping Korea’s Sunwoo Fresh discover new revenue streams overseas, online, and in adjacent links of the beef importing value chain. Aggressive M&A has accelerated the process
Invesco leads $700m round for India’s Swiggy
Invesco has led a USD 700m round for India-based on-demand delivery platform Swiggy at a reported valuation of USD 10.5bn.
GLP launches $1.1bn Vietnam logistics fund
GLP, a regional logistics platform that makes private equity investments in ancillary businesses and technologies, has launched its debut Vietnam fund with USD 1.1bn in commitments.