Articles by Justin Niessner
Singapore BNPL player Pace gets $40m Series A
Singapore’s Pace Enterprise, a one-year-old start-up in the fast-growing buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) financial services niche, has raised a $40 million Series A round from a pan-Asian mix of VC firms.
India e-commerce industry financier raises $20m
Velocity, an Indian start-up that provides growth capital to e-commerce brands, has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures, a firm set up by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Airwallex adds $100m to Series E at $5.5b valuation
Hong Kong-based cross-border payments provider Airwallex has received a $100 million Series E extension led by Lone Pine Capital at a valuation of $5.5 billion.
Singapore's Leo Capital targets $125m for third VC fund
Singapore-based early-stage venture capital firm Leo Capital has launched its third fund focused on India and Southeast Asia with a target of $125 million.
Value-add needed to navigate consumer boom – AVCJ Forum
Investors are targeting consumer brands with strong fundamentals or overlooked expansion angles as part of efforts to avert spiking valuations, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
Energy transition to dominate private equity – AVCJ Forum
Energy transition, including innovation in power and transportation, will be the biggest investment theme in the decades to come, industry veterans told the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum.
Kejora, Sunway launch $25m Malaysia VC fund
Indonesia-based Kejora Capital and Malaysian conglomerate Sunway Group have established a $25 million VC fund focused on early-stage start-ups in Malaysia.
COVID-19 validates sector lens strategies – AVCJ Forum
COVID-19 has reinforced the argument for developing sectoral expertise that spans geographies, industry leaders told the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum.
Going green is delicate, incentives-driven work – AVCJ Forum
The integration of sustainable practices into private equity firms and portfolio companies is a "diplomatic process," investors told the AVCJ ESG Forum.
Indonesia's Ula extends Series B to $110m
Indonesian B2B e-commerce player Ula has extended its Series B round to $110 million with a $23.1 million investment from Tiger Global Management and Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart.
China's Bits x Bites closes second food tech fund at $100m
Bits x Bites, a Chinese VC firm focused on agriculture and food technology such as alternative protein, has closed its second fund at $100 million, beating a target of $70 million.
Japan's Olympus launches VC unit, $50m fund
Japan’s Olympus Corporation has launched a medical technology-focused venture capital unit, Olympus Innovation Ventures, with an initial commitment of $50 million for its debut fund.
India's MyGlamm raises $150m Series D
Good Glamm Group, operator of Indian direct-to-consumer beauty marketplace MyGlamm, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Warburg Pincus and Prosus Ventures.
Google backs Korea edtech player Mathpresso
Google has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Korean education technology provider Mathpresso, bringing total funding to around $105 million.
Indonesia’s Alpha JWC closes Fund III at $433m
Indonesia’s Alpha JWC Ventures has closed its third fund at $433 million, beating a target of $250 million. It is said to be the largest early-stage VC fund targeting Southeast Asia.
East backs Singapore food surplus marketplace
East Ventures and Amasia have jointly led an $11 million Series A round for Singapore’s TreeDots, a company that describes itself as Asia’s first food surplus marketplace.
KKR signs up India financial services veteran as advisor
KKR has appointed K.V. Kamath, described as a pioneer of India's modern financial services sector, as an advisor.
Potentia exits Australia SaaS provider to UK strategic
Australia’s Potentia Capital has exited compliance software-as-a-service (SaaS) supplier CompliSpace to UK-based Ideagen for about A$110 million ($81 million) after a less-than-two-year hold.
Hong Kong's Qupital secures $150m Series B
Hong Kong B2B financial technology provider Qupital has raised a $150 million Series B round led by Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund.
North Asia IPOs: Welcome eruptions
A steady rhythm of small and mid-sized IPOs in North Asia is now being punctuated by globally noticeable events. Valuations are up, but Korean and Japanese investors are game
Southeast Asia IPOs: Opportunity knocks
A breakthrough offering in Indonesia and regulatory progress in Singapore highlight Southeast Asia’s growing viability as a tech IPO market. It’s unclear how well this is being communicated globally
HNWIs & private equity: The road to retail
From B2C aggregation platforms to nascent blockchain-based products, solutions that bring alternatives to the mass market are emerging. Providers prefer to be labeled enablers than disrupters
Singapore audience data business sold to trade buyer
US data and analytics services provider Dun & Bradstreet has agreed to acquire Singapore audience data business Eyeota, setting up exits for several private equity investors.
VentureTech, SBI launch $18m Malaysia fund
Malaysian government investor VentureTech has teamed up with SBI Ventures Malaysia to launch a MYR75 million ($18 million) technology co-investment fund.