Articles by Winnie Liu
Chinese agricultural drone platform secures Series A round
Farm Friend, a Beijing-based agricultural drone services platform, has raised a RMB50 million ($7 million) Series A round led by Gobi Partners.
Hong Kong tech IPOs: Compromise solution
Hong Kong wants to reinvest itself as a destination for Chinese technology listings with a new board that would be open to companies that are pre-profit and have dual-class share structures. Will it fly?
GPs sell French crystal maker to Chinese investment group
Chinese investment group Fortune Fountain Capital has agreed to buy a controlling stake in French luxury crystal maker Baccarat from Starwood Capital and L Catterton Partners, in a deal worth EUR164 million ($184 million).
China cloud computing business Huayun Data raises $220m
Wuxi Huayun Data Technology Service, a Chinese cloud computing infrastructure provider, has raised RMB1.5 billion ($220 million) in a pre-IPO round from a group of domestic investors.
Warburg Pincus invests $300m in emerging markets TMT platform
Warburg Pincus has invested $300 million in Princeton Growth Ventures (Princeton GV), a telecom, media and technology (TMT) buy-out platform that seeks to acquire assets in emerging markets.
Chinese courier start-up gets $50m Series C-plus
Chinese intercity courier services provider Shansong has secured an extended Series C round of funding led by Shunwei Capital Partners and Chinese retailer Beijing Hualian Group.
China regulator relaxes exit rules for PE, VC firms
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has eased rules for private equity and venture capital firms by reducing their post-IPO lock-up period in an A-share listed companies from three years to one year.
Fund focus: Lyfe attracts a diversified following for Fund II
Having been supported by fund-of-funds when raising its first China healthcare vehicle, Lyfe Capital has added pension funds, endowments and family offices to its $420 million second fund
China P2P site Tuandaiwang raises $262m
Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Tuandaiwang confirmed it has raised a RMB1.8 million ($262 million) pre-IPO round led by China Minsheng Investment Group (CMIG).
Everbright-IDG joins Series C for Chinese electric car maker
Everbright-IDG Industrial Fund has invested an undisclosed sum in China-based smart electric car maker Nio - formerly known as NextEV - as part of a Series C round that is still in the process of being raised.
Deal focus: Chubao targets mass market appeal
Having built its business by licensing mobile software to smart phone manufacturers, China's Chubao has raised $100 million to bankroll a freemium model that will allow it to interact directly with users
Fund focus: Gree widens its regional scope
For its $67 million second fund, Gree Ventures has added India to its existing Japan and Southeast Asia coverage with a view to facilitating wider cross-border collaboration
China’s Lyfe Capital raises $420m for second healthcare fund
China-based healthcare specialist Lyfe Capital has raised more than $420 million for its second fund, which comprises parallel US dollar and renminbi-denominated tranches.
Partners Group confirms China restaurant chain investment
Partners Group has confirmed its investment in Green Tea Restaurant, having acquired a substantial minority stake in the leading Chinese casual dining chain for an undisclosed sum.
Warburg Pincus leads $120m round for China’s Yuanfudao
Warburg Pincus has led a $120 million round of funding for China’s Yuanfudao in what is said to be the largest-ever PE investment in the country's online tutoring industry.
Sequoia, Perfect World back China online bookstore business
Sequoia Capital China has co-led a funding round for online reading business Zongheng Literature, working in tandem with Perfect World, the Chinese movies-to-gaming company that controls Zongheng.
Tech investors leverage changing Chinese consumption patterns
The disruption caused by technology in China's consumer and business services sectors - and the change this brings to traditional business models - is generating increased deal flow for private equity and venture capital investors.
China's Bona Film forms $150m fund with US-based CAA
Chinese film distributor Bona Film Group, which is backed by a handful of PE and strategic investors, has teamed up with Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) to launch a $150 million film fund.
China automobile services platform Lechebang gets $44m
Lechebang, a Chinese online automobile services platform focused on after-sale services, has completed a RMB300 million ($44 million) Series B round led by Grand Flight Investment.
China genomics: Coded messages
Investors are looking to tap the massive potential of China’s genomic industry, with a particular focus on companies that leverage large amounts of patient data to support drug development and testing services
Japan’s Gree Ventures closes second fund at $67m
Gree Ventures, which was set up by Japanese mobile gaming company Gree, has closed its second early-stage VC fund at $67 million.
PE-backed UrWork, 5Lmeet get $116m from Beijing Xingpai
Chinese PE-backed co-working space operators UrWork and 5Lmeet – both of which were founded by Daqing Mao, formerly a real estate executive at China Vanke – have raised a total of RMB800 million ($116 million) from conglomerate Beijing Xingpai Group.
China biopharma player gets $25m Series B
CANbridge Life Science, a Beijing-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing Western drug candidates in China and North Asia, has raised a Series B round worth $25 million.
China mobile communication app Chubao raises $100m
Shanghai-based mobile communication app developer Chubao Technology has completed a $100 million Series D round co-led by CCB International, an investment unit of China Construction Bank, and China PE firm HG Capital.