Articles by Larissa Ku
Fund focus: Unicorn does the hard yards
Six-year-old Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest China VC vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million, proving there is demand for fund-of-funds that offer something different
CITIC entities commit $94m to China's Simcere Diagnostics
SimCere Diagnostics, the diagnostics arm of Hong Kong-listed SimCere Pharmaceutical Group, has raised RMB600 million ($94 million) in Series B funding led by CITIC Securities and CITIC Medical & Health Fund.
China renovation materials trading platform raises $400m
Chubby Bear, a Shanghai-based B2B platform that matches buyers with suppliers of renovation materials, has raised $400 million across two tranches of Series C funding.
Orchid Asia reaches $1.1b first close on Fund VIII
Orchid Asia has achieved a first close of $1.1 billion on its eighth fund, five months after launching the vehicle with a full target of $1.6 billion.
China's Oceanpine raises $312m for renminbi hard-tech fund
Chinese technology and healthcare investor Oceanpine Capital has closed its Hardcore Technology Investment Fund on RMB2 billion ($312 million). LPs include government guidance funds and fund-of-funds in Suzhou, where the new vehicle is based.
Unicorn raises $450m for VC fund-of-funds
China-focused venture capital fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million. The process took six months and the fund was oversubscribed
China SaaS provider Xforceplus raises $200m
Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Xforceplus has raised a $200 million round led by Silicon Valley’s Dragoneer Investment Group and Beijing-based MSA Capital.
Fund focus: Glory's deep-tech thesis gains traction
Having initially struggled to win over LPs with a strategy focused on capital-intensive deep-tech assets, Glory Ventures was helped by US-China technology decoupling and the rise of new infrastructure
China IPOs: Regulatory rumblings
China’s Star Market has seen a drop-off in IPOs as regulators call for heightened scrutiny of listing candidates – to the point of asking PE and VC investors to identify the LPs in their funds
Sequoia, Yunfeng lead $228m round for Chinese rice brand
Shiyuedaotian, a Chinese rice brand, has raised RMB1.45 billion ($228 million) in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital China and Yunfeng Capital. CMC Group and Taihe Capital also took part, as did existing investor GenBridge Capital.
China's Yingke closes renminbi, US dollar funds
Shanghai-based Yingke Private Equity has raised RMB10 billion ($1.57 billion) for its latest renminbi-denominated fund as well as an undisclosed sum for a third US dollar vehicle.
Glory raises $120m for second China venture fund
China's Glory Ventures has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund at $120 million, with VC-focused fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners serving as the anchor LP.
Shanghai broadens investment scope of QFLP
Shanghai is giving foreign investors better access to unlisted assets and private funds - under an expanded Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) regime - as part of efforts to establish itself as a global asset management hub.
China shipping tech platform Yunquna raises $100m
Yunquna, a China-based online logistics platform for the shipping industry, has raised $100 million in the first tranche of a Series D round. Its valuation now surpasses $1 billion.
China university start-ups: Campus creativity
From DJI to Ele.me, numerous successful start-ups have emerged from universities in Greater China. VC investors recognize the talent, but they are sometimes wary of the structures
China trucking player secures $200m Series E
For-U Smart Freight, a Chinese road freight logistics company, has raised a $200 million Series E round led by China Structural Reform Fund, China life Investment, and Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments.
China chip IP specialist Akrostar raises $78m
Akrostar, a Chinese chip designer established less than a year ago by a team that spun out from US-headquartered industry leader Synopsys, has raised RMB500 million ($78 million) in Series A funding.
China's Meridian raises $330m for renminbi fund
Chinese VC firm Meridian Capital has closed its sixth renminbi-denominated fund at RMB2.12 billion ($330 million) after four months in the market.
Ikea entity leads Series C for China EV rental player
Dishangtie Car Rental, a Shenzhen-based electric vehicle (EV) rental service, has raised a $100 million Series C led by Ingka Holdings, a holding company for most of Ikea's stores.
China distress specialist DCL targets $466m fundraise
DCL Investments, one of China’s first private equity firms to focus on distressed assets, is looking to raise RMB3 billion ($466 million) for its latest renminbi-denominated fund.
China snack maker Weilong raises $549m, pursues HK IPO
China’s leading spicy snack food company Weilong has raised a $549 million pre-IPO round at a valuation of $9.4 billion and filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
China HR SaaS player Beisen raises $260m
Beisen, China’s largest integrated human resources software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, has raised $260 million in Series F funding. It is said to be the largest-ever round in this segment of enterprise services.
China's WeRide closes Series C, hits $3.3b valuation
Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide has achieved a valuation of $3 billion on closing a Series C round of undisclosed size. It comes four months after the company raised $310 million in Series B funding.
FountainVest leads Series B for China's MyMRO
Shanghai-based B2B e-commerce company MyMRO, a spinoff of US industrial products supplier Grainger, has raised several hundreds of million renminbi in Series B funding led by FountainVest Partners.