Articles by Larissa Ku
China's Deepexi raises $100m Series B
Deepexi, a Chinese start-up that provides digital transformation solutions to enterprise customers, has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Guotai Junan Securities and an investment arm of China Industrial International Trust Asset...
China gas station platform Newlink raises $308m
Newlink Group, operator of a platform that helps drivers in China locate the best value gas stations and charging piles, has raised RMB2 billion ($308 million) led by China Merchants Capital.
China vaccine developer Abogen raises $700m
Suzhou Abogen Biosciences, a Chinese vaccine developer targeting COVID-19, has raised $700 million in Series C funding featuring Temasek Holdings, Loyal Valley Capital, and Lilly Asia Ventures.
China's PatPat gets $160m in Series D extension
PatPat, a Chinese-founded children’s wear brand, has raised $160 million from Softbank Vision Fund in a Series D round extension.
Start-up profiles: Infrastructure, insurance, data, payments
Singapore’s Fireblocks tokenizes traditional banks; India’s PolicyBazaar mulls the future of insurance; China’s Rong360 diversifies through data; Cambodia’s Clik targets a payments frontier
Start-up profiles: Digital banking, embedded finance, crypto banking
The Philippines’ Tonik breaks ground in neo-banking; India’s YAP finds new ways to connect banks with their customers; Singapore’s Matrixport scales fast with decentralized finance
Start-up profiles: Transfers, risk, marketplaces
Singapore’s Thunes rethinks remittances for an enterprise clientele; China’s IceKredit brings data privacy to credit scoring; India’s OfBusiness gravitates towards a healthy loans segment
Blockchain: Going mainstream
The most disruptive technology in financial services is also the most esoteric and misunderstood. As a long, speculative uptake phase unfolds, investors are coming to terms with the future
Inspiration Capital hits first close on debut China fund
Inspiration Capital Partners, a China-focused private equity firm established by investment professionals from Vivo Capital and Goldman Sachs, has reached a first close of approximately $65 million on its debut US dollar-denominated fund.
Chinese AI diagnosis player Shukun raises $108m
Shukun, a Chinese developer of artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in medical imaging diagnosis, has raised RMB700 million ($108 million) from Goldman Sachs, Primavera Capital Group, Sequoia Capital China, Marathon Venture Partners, and Sage...
Sofina, CDH wealth platform lead round for China's Petkit
Petkit, a Chinese manufacturer of smart devices for pets such as water and food dispensers, has raised $50 million in a Series D round of funding led by Sofina and CDH Investments' wealth management platform.
Guotai leads $66m Series B extension for China's Innovusion
Innovusion, a Chinese developer of LiDAR technology used in autonomous driving, has raised $66 million in an extended Series B round led by the private equity investment arm of Guotai Junan International.
Boyu, Janchor back China medical finance start-up
MediTrust Health, China-based healthcare payments and insurance platform, has raised RMB2 billion ($309 million) in Series C funding led by Boyu Capital and Janchor Partners.
China's Miaoshou Doctor raises $231m Series F
Beijing Yuanxin Technology, operator of China-based online healthcare services platform Miaoshou Doctor, has raised RMB1.5 billion ($231 million) in Series F funding featuring Sequoia Capital China.
China education: Opportunity erased?
Private equity investors have pumped billions of dollars into Chinese online education platforms, notably in the K-12 space. A regulatory crackdown has left them wondering how they can get their money back
CPE leads $150m Series B for China CDMO
Joinn Biologics, a China-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has raised $150 million in Series B funding led by CPE.
Primavera pursues China online education take-private
Primavera Capital Group has submitted a $33.3 million take-private bid for Liulishuo, a China-based operator of an English language learning app. The company's stock has struggled following a recent crackdown on online education platforms in China.
China AI drug developer BioMap raises $100m
GGV Capital has led a $100 million Series A round for BioMap, a China-based biological computing platform. It marks the first time the company has sought external funding.
China autonomous driving start-up Inceptio raises $270m
Inceptio, a Chinese autonomous driving technology provider focusing on line-haul trucking, has raised a $270 million Series B round led by JD Logistics, Meituan, and PAG.
Deal focus: ShareChat makes hay in TikTok's absence
The Indian social networking platform has seen its valuation grow more than fourfold in the past year, helped in no small part by the rise of short video offering Moj as an alternative to TikTok
China's Vitalbridge reaches $200m first close on Fund II
Vitalbridge Capital, a China-based venture capital firm that spun out from Trustbridge Partners, has achieved a first close of $200 million on its second US dollar-denominated fund.
CMC invests $93m in China liquor brand
Forty-Nine Union, a Chinese liquor brand, has raised a Series B round of RMB600 million ($93 million) from CMC Capital Group. There were no other participants in the round.
Sequoia China leads $100m Series B for Bota Biosciences
Sequoia Capital China had led a $100 million Series B round for Bota Biosciences, a China-based biotech company that has developed a next-generation platform for manufacturing high-performing industrial compounds.
GIC invests $240m in Arctic Green Energy
Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC has committed $240 million to Arctic Green Energy (AGE), an Iceland-based geothermal energy developer that has already received substantial Chinese backing.