Articles by Larissa Ku
China drug developer BoomRay gets $43m
Chinese drug developer BoomRay Pharmaceuticals has raised a CNY300m (USD 43m) Series A round led by Sequoia Capital China.
China cell therapy developer Neukio raises $50m
Shanghai-based cell therapy developer Neukio Biotherapeutics has raised USD 50m in the first tranche of a Series A round led by medical technology-focused CD Capital. Other new investors include Alwin Capital and Surplus Capital.
China EV player Leapmotor targets Hong Kong IPO
LeapMotor has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong, putting it on course to become the fourth of China's "new force" electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to go public.
China chip designer Yige raises $42m angel round
Suzhou Yige Technology, a China-based semiconductor chip designer also known as EagleChip, has raised a CNY 286m (USD 41.5m) angel round led by Matrix Partners China, Redpoint China, Sequoia Capital China, CTC Capital, and Vlight Capital.
Vertex leads Series A for Singapore's Propseller
Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India has led a USD 12m Series A for Propseller, a Singapore-headquartered property technology start-up Propseller that is looking to disrupt the traditional agency model.
Qiming leads Series C for China 3D dental printing start-up
Prismlab, a China-based 3D printing company specialising in dental applications, has raised CNY 200m (USD 29m) in Series C funding led by Qiming Venture Partners.
Korea's Gentle Monster backs China AR player Nreal
Nreal, a Chinese manufacturer of augmented reality (AR) glasses that resemble normal sunglasses, has received USD15m from South Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster.
Renminbi GPs wary of government guidance funds as LPs
Chinese government guidance funds represent a potentially rich source of capital for managers in the renminbi-denominated space, but some are reluctant to take it, the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's (HKVCA) China forum heard....
Baidu-backed autonomous truck developer raises $67m
DeepWay, an intelligent driving solutions provider for trucks established by Baidu, has raised a Series A round of CNY 460m (USD 67m) led by Qiming Venture Partners.
China's Whale Capital achieves first close on food fund
Chinese consumer-focused VC firm Whale Capital has reached a first close of undisclosed size on its latest renminbi-denominated fund, which will specialise in the food industry. The target is CNY 500m (USD 73m).
Winreal hits $150m first close on China tech fund
Winreal Investment, a China-based venture capital firm established by a former chief engineer at domestic telecom equipment provider ZTE Corporation, has reached a first close of CNY 1.3bn (USD 150m) on its latest renminbi-denominated fund.
Mobility: Batteries and beyond
The electrification of transportation has created a wealth of opportunities in energy saving and storage. Investors across Asia – led by China – are looking at batteries and other technologies
China e-commerce SaaS player Dianxiaomi raises $150m
Chinese e-commerce software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Dianxiaomi has secured a USD 110m Series D round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Sequoia Capital China.
Energy transition case study: Axilone
Energy accounts for a relatively small portion of cosmetics packaging producer Axilone’s overall costs, but rising prices in Europe prompted owner Trustar Capital to accelerate transition efforts
China investigates Sino IC Capital executives
Several executives at Sino IC Capital, which manages China's largest semiconductor-focused investment fund, are under investigation for suspected serious legal violations.
Sequoia launches China accelerator
Sequoia Capital China has launched an accelerator programme under the Yue brand, which will provide systematic training and resources for entrepreneurs at the angel and Series A stages.
China's Insilico Medicine gets another $35m
Insilico Medicine, a China-based artificial intelligence-driven drug discovery company, has closed the second tranche of its Series D round on USD 35m, with Prosperity7 Ventures taking the lead.
Chinese investors back emerging markets e-commerce enabler
Jet Commerce, an e-commerce enabler that helps brands sell into emerging markets, has raised over USD 60m in Series B funding led by Jinqiu Capital, Hidden Hill Capital, and Zhejiang SilkRoad Fund.
China logistics robotics player Geek+ raises $100m
China’s Geek+, a manufacturer of robots used to move merchandise around warehouses, has raised USD 100m in Series E funding at a valuation of about USD 2bn.
Hong Kong's Gly Capital closes debut mobility fund
Gly Capital Management, which is majorly owned by a Chinese automaker, tapped external investors for the first time in raising USD 163m for global investments in smart cities and smart cars
Fund focus: Insignia takes two months to scale up
Insignia Venture Partners received subscriptions to its third fund amounting to twice the size of the final corpus, underlining the appeal of Southeast Asia. The GP is keen to leverage China’s talent exodus
China's Black Sesame completes Series C with $500m haul
Black Sesame Technologies, a China-based chipmaker specializing in autonomous driving applications, has closed a Series C extension led by SummitView Capital. This brings the size of the overall round to USD 500m.
Gaorong, Tsing Song back China CDMO IntellectiveBio
Gaorong Capital and Tsing Song Capital have led a CNY 500m (USD 74m) Series C for IntellectiveBio, a China-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO).
China biotech company GluBio raises $22m
China and US-based GluBio Therapeutics, which develops targeted protein degradation (TPD) drugs, has raised an extended Series A round of USD22m led by Qiming Venture Partners.