Articles by Larissa Ku
ByteDance acquires Chinese medical platform for $72m
ByteDance, the PE-backed owner of TikTok and the Toutiao news aggregation service, has acquired VC-backed Chinese medical information platform Baikemy for RMB500 million ($72 million).
Chinese CRO player Yaoyanshe raises $86m
Yaoyanshe, a Chinese contract research organization (CRO) for novel drugs, has raised RMB600 million ($86 million) across two rounds in the past eight months.
China clean energy: Policy power
China’s aggressive renewable energy development targets are creating opportunities for investors in various points along the supply chain, but inconsistent regulation remains a concern
Chinese EV manufacturer Xpeng pursues US IPO
Xpeng Motors, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer backed by Alibaba Group and several PE and VC firms, has filed for a US IPO.
Chinese chip design company Brite raises $50m
Chinese integrated circuit (IC) design company Brite Semiconductor, has raised a RMB350 million ($50 million) Series D round led by Haitong Securities and sector specialist Sunic Capital.
Huagai leads $43m round for China antibiotics developer
China-focused private equity firm Huagai Capital has a led a RMB300 million ($43 million) Series D round for antibiotics developer MicuRX Pharmaceuticals.
Tencent leads $360m round for China fresh produce retailer
Chinese fresh produce retailer Yipin Shengxian has raised a RMB2.5 billion ($360 million) Series C round led by Tencent Holdings and Capital Today. Eastern Bell Venture Capital re-upped.
China's Sherpa closes debut US dollar fund at $200m
Sherpa Healthcare Partners, founded by former healthcare heads at Legend Capital, has closed its first US dollar fund at $200 million.
Chinese EV maker Xpeng raises another $300m
Alibaba Group has led a $300 million round for Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Xpeng Motors. It comes barely two weeks after the company closed an extended Series C round of $500 million.
Deal focus: Fave wins endorsement for ecosystem pivot
Having found online-to-offline services and mobile payments too crowded, Malaysia's Fave turned itself into a digitization guide for small businesses. Collaboration with India's Pine Labs should strengthen its offering
China launches $12b National Green Development Fund
China has raised an initial RMB88 billion ($12.6 billion) for the first dedicated environmental fund launched by the central government.
China's Li Auto gains 43% on debut after $1.1b US IPO
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Li Auto closed up 43% on its first day of trading on NASDAQ following a $1.1 billion IPO.
Chinese real estate platform Beike pursues US IPO
Beike, a Chinese online real estate platform backed by Tencent Holdings, SoftBank Vision Fund and Hillhouse Capital, has filed for US IPO.
GenBridge leads round for Chinese hot pot ingredients supplier
GenBridge Capital has led a $60 million Series C round of funding for Guoquan, a Chinese hot pot ingredients supplier. All the company's existing investors re-upped.
CDH leads round for China community group buying player
Shihuituan, a China-based community group buying platform also known as Nice Tuan, has raised $80 million in the second tranche of a Series C round led by CDH Investments.
China launches $1.4b semiconductor fund
Suzhou High-tech Zone has launched a RMB10 billion ($1.4 billion) integrated circuit (IC) fund with support from local government guidance funds, corporates, and financial institutions.
Chinese IT infrastructure player SmartX raises $28m
SmartX, a Chinese enterprise cloud services provider, has closed an extended tranche of its Series B round as well as a Series C round, raising RMB200 million ($28 million) in total.
Chinese online fresh produce retailer Miss Fresh gets $495m
Chinese online grocer Miss Fresh has raised $495 million in funding - said to be the largest private round ever seen in the country's fresh produce industry.
Deal focus: AIpark keeps an eye on the streets
AIpark founder Jun Yan claims there are five million street parking spaces in China's 100 largest cities that could use his car parking management system. A Gaorong Capital-led Series C round will help him reach them
Trustbridge spin-out Vitalbridge closes debut China fund
Vitalbridge Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm established by Jinjian Zhang, formerly of Trustbridge Partners, has raised $150 million for its debut fund.
Chinese insurers to invest more in equities
Chinese insurance companies will be allowed to increase their equities exposure to up to 45% of total assets - a move that is expected to benefit private equity.
China semiconductor: The chips are up
Excluded from US supply chains, China is looking to satisfy its semiconductor appetite from within. Domestic start-ups can command huge valuations, but are they sustainable?
PE-backed Cambricon becomes China's first listed AI chip maker
Beijing-based Cambricon Technology, which is backed by CICC Capital, Alibaba Group, and Lenovo, has listed on the Star Market. It is the first Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chip manufacturer to complete an IPO.
Hillhouse invests $1.5b in Chinese EV battery maker
Hillhouse Capital has invested RMB10.6 billion ($1.5 billion) in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL). It is part of a RMB19.7 billion capital raise by the Shenzhen-listed company.