Articles by Larissa Ku
Eastern Bell closes first US dollar fund at $365m
China’s Eastern Bell Capital has closed its first US dollar-denominated fund at $365 million, exceeding the target of $350 million.
VCs set for exit as Alibaba buys IDsManager
Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing unit of Alibaba Group, has agreed to acquire IDsManager, a Chinese cloud-based ID management platform backed by Qiming Venture Partners and Fortune Capital.
Chinese antibody drug developer raises $150m
Akeso Biopharma, a Chinese biotech company specializing in antibody drugs, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Loyal Valley Capital and Sino Biopharm.
Chinese fresh produce retailer raises $14m
Maison Capital has invested RMB100 million ($14 million) in Sungiven Foods, a Chinese fresh produce retailer looking to replicate the model of US-based Trader Joe's.
ESR raises $1.6b in up-sized HK IPO, gains on debut
Pan-Asian logistics and fund management platform ESR gained 5.4% on its first day of trading in Hong Kong after completing Asia's second-largest IPO of the year.
China car finance player targets US IPO
Meili Auto, a Chinese car financing platform, has filed for US IPO. Its backers include Gaorong Capital, China International Capital Corporation (CICC), and Lingfeng Capital.
China's Danke raises $190m, files for US IPO
China-based long-term apartment rental platform Danke has filed for a US IPO. It comes a fortnight after the company raised $190 million in Series D funding from CMC Capital Partners and Primavera Capital Group.
PE-backed bitcoin mining company files for US IPO
Canaan, which claims to be China’s leading manufacturer of bitcoin mining equipment has filed for a US IPO. This follows failed attempts to list in Hong Kong and complete a reverse merger in Shenzhen.
Deal focus: China's XTransfer fills missing link in fintech
XTransfer has won backing from Alibaba and a string of venture capital investors to provide a bridge to payment services that so many small businesses in China are still forced to go without
Chinese VC in Africa: Cultural barriers
Chinese investors recognize the long-term potential in fostering technology-enabled business models in Africa, but reluctance to engage local stakeholders and develop local knowledge is holding them back
Hillhouse wins battle for China electronics player Gree
Hillhouse Capital has secured a 15% interest in Gree Electric Appliances, China's leading manufacturer of air conditioners, beating a consortium led by Hopu Investment.
Qiming leads $21m Series C for Chinese lingerie brand
Neiwai, a Chinese lingerie brand, has achieved a valuation of more than RMB1 billion ($142 million) following a RMB150 million Series C round led by Qiming Venture Partners.
L'Oréal makes LP commitment to Cathay VC fund
L’Oréal will support the second fund being raised by Cathay Innovation, the VC affiliate of Cathay Capital Private Equity. The company wants to build ties to the beauty tech start-up ecosystem in China, its second-largest market.
Huaxing, Hillhouse lead $50m round for China's Hetao 101
Hetao 101, a Chinese online education platform dedicated to computer programming for children, has raised $50 million in Series B funding.
Chinese online-offline retailer KK Group achieves unicorn status
Chinese retailer KK Group - formerly known as KK Guan - has raised a $100 million Series D led by an Alibaba Group-backed fund. N5 Capital, Matrix Partners China and Black Algae Capital all re-upped.
Portfolio: China Everbright and Terminus
China Everbright has turned a sub-scale consumer-facing smart door lock manufacturer into an internet-of-things platform catering to enterprise customers. Terminus is now building out its product base
Chinese enterprise software player Ekuaibao receives $50m
Ekuaibao, a Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in corporate reimbursements, has raised $50 million in an extended Series C round.
Alibaba-backed positioning service provider raises $141m Series A
Qianxun Spacial Intelligence or Qianxun SI, a high-precision positioning services provider, has raised RMB1 billion ($141 million) in a Series A funding round, taking its valuation past RMB13 billion.
Chinese healthcare software provider raises $212m
Taimei Technology, a Chinese cloud-based software provider that serves pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations (CROs) has raised RMB1.5 billion ($212 million) through an extended Series E round of funding.
Chinese investors lead round for US influenza specialist
Ansun BioPharma, a US-based drug developer led by a former executive at healthcare-focused VC firms Caduceus Asia Partners and OrbiMed, has raised $80 million in Series B funding from a predominantly Chinese investor base.
Chinese renovation materials trading platform raises $18m
Little Bear, a Shanghai-based B2B platform that matches buyers with suppliers of renovation materials, has raised RMB130 million ($18 million) led by Immensus Capital, with participation from Matrix Partners China and Yunqi Capital.
Legend joins $70m round for China pet food producer
Gambol, a Chinese pet food producer has secured a RMB500 million ($70 million) Series B from Legend Capital and Industrial Bank.
China apartment rental platforms: Illogical letting
Qingke, a Chinese long-term apartment rental operator, is looking to go public at a time when many of its peers are going out of business. Pursuing scale at the expense of sustainability is the core problem
Chinese medical SaaS platform raises $14m Series B
Mingyi Zhonghe, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform serving China’s rural clinics, has secured a RMB100 million ($14 million) Series B round led by Sinovation Ventures. Existing investor Yijing Capital re-upped.