Articles by Winnie Liu
Singapore space junk start-up raises $7.7m Series A
Astronscale, a Singapore-based start-up that develops satellites to remove space debris, has raised $7.7 million in a Series A round of funding from JAFCO and nine entrepreneurs from Japan.
SAIF, Accion invest in India’s Aye Finance
SAIF Partners and Accion - a global non-profit organization - have invested $1 million in Aye Finance, an India-based lender that serves profitable micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Indian P2P rental property listings site NoBroker raises $3m
SAIF Partners and Fulcrum Ventures have taken part in a $3 million Series A round of funding for NoBroker, a Bangalore-based peer-to-peer (P2P) property listings site for renting homes.
Chinese K12 education site 17zuoye raises $100m
H Capital has led a $100 million Series D round of funding for 17zuoye.com, a Chinese K-12 online learning and teaching platform. Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, DST Advisors and Shunwei Capital Partners, also took part in the round.
NXP forms Chinese semiconductor JV with JAC Capital
NXP Semiconductors, a Dutch chip manufacturer listed in the US, has announced it plans to form a Chinese joint venture with state-owned private equity firm JianGuang Asset Management (JAC Capital).
Malaysia’s CMS Opus PE exits TriSystems Engineering
Malaysia’s CMS Opus Private Equity has completed a full exit from TriSystems Engineering, a domestic engineering firm which focuses on the oil and gas sector,for MYR22 million ($6 million).
Shunwei closes first RMB fund at $160m
Shunwei Capital Partners, a Chinese VC firm set up by Lei Jun, a founder of mobile phone maker Xiaomi, has closed its first renminbi-denominated fund at RMB1 billion ($160 million).
China manicure service app raises $50m Series C from VCs
Helijia, a Chinese mobile app for booking manicure appointments, has raised a $50 million Series C round of funding from several venture capital investors, valuing the start-up at approximately $300 million.
LP Interview: SunSuper's Michael Weaver and HOSTPLUS' Neil Stanford
Michael Weaver, private markets manager at SunSuper, and Neil Stanford, investment manager for private equity at HOSTPLUS, discuss portfolio composition and performance.
Australia VC: Policy permutations
Plans to reinstate tax breaks for Australian start-ups that issue share options to staff rather than pay sizeable salaries has cheered VC investors. They are generally positive about the government role in fostering innovation
China’s $40b Silk Road infrastructure fund goes to work
China has started operating its $40 billion Silk Road infrastructure fund targeting businesses in neighboring countries and regions.
Israeli Rainbow Medical raises $25m from Chinese investors
Rainbow Medical, an Israeli medical investment firm, has raised $25 million from a group of Chinese investors including Ping An Insurance and telecom giant ZTE Corporation,financial company Yongjin Group and undisclosed Chinese venture capital funds.
China’s two largest VC-backed taxi-booking apps to merge
Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, China's two largest venture capital-backed taxi-booking app start-ups, are planning to merge to create one of the largest companies of its kind in the world.
Warburg Pincus to invest $125m in Indonesia shopping mall JV
Warburg Pincus plans to invest $125 million into a joint venture (JV) formed with Indonesian property developer Nirvana Development to build shopping malls in the country.
Over 60% of Asia PE professionals expect 2015 salary hike – survey
Growth in the Asian private equity industry has led to higher pay expectations among industry participants, with 64% of professionals anticipating an increase in their 2015 base salary compared with 2014, a new report claims.
Australia drafts new rules for VC investor visa scheme
The Australian government plans to change the current rules for its Significant Investor Visa (SIV) program as part of efforts to boost the availability of capital for local start-ups.
Sequoia, Matrix commit $30m to Indian doctor search site
Sequoia Capital India and Matrix Partners have invested $30 million in a Series B round of funding for Practo Technologies, an Indian start-up that provides a search portal matching patients and doctors.
Japanese app monetization platform raises $36m Series C round
Metaps, a Japanese start-up that provides an app monetization platform using artificial intelligence (AI), has raised a $36 million Series C round of funding.
KIP leads $10m Series A round for China cosmetics review app
Korean Investment Partners (KIP), South Korea’s biggest venture capital firm, has led a $10 million Series A round of investment for Cosmeapp, a Chinese mobile app that provides cosmetics reviews.
Southeast Asia education: Top of the class?
With an emerging middle class willing to pay a premium for better services, Southeast Asian education has clear attractions. But investors seeking scale opportunities must pick their markets and strategies carefully.
China’s Heaven-Sent Capital invests $32m in media enterprise
Chinese private equity firm Heaven-Sent Capital has invested RMB200 million ($32 million) in Great Wall Movie and Television, a Shenzhen-listed television and movie producer.
SAIF, Innovation Works back China healthcare start-up
SAIF Partners and Innovation Works have provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing Dnurse Technology, a Chinese company that develops technology used to track sugar levels in the body.
Warburg Pincus exits China Tulip Media via trade sale
Warburg Pincus has fully exited Chinese outdoor advertising firm Tulip Media Corporation following an acquisition by Shanghai New Culture Media Group.
Japan messaging app Line launches $42m investment fund
Japanese messaging app developer Line Corporation has launched a JPY5 billion ($42 million) investment fund to invest in start-ups.