Investments
Deal focus: WayCool Foods pursues scale
WayCool Foods receives $32 million in funding to support an expansion of its agricultural technology proposition that removes middlemen - and boosts efficiency - in food supply chains
Q&A: Adamantem Capital's Anthony Kerwick
Anthony Kerwick, a managing director at Australia’s Adamantem Capital, on the coronavirus impact, helping capital constrained companies, and why he avoids using the term ‘proprietary’
Asia Partners leads $35m round for Hong Kong’s Snapask
Singapore-based Asia Partners has led a $35 million round for Hong Kong online education start-up Snapask. It coincides with the company’s relocation to Singapore.
Warburg Pincus invests in India's Apollo Tyres
Warburg Pincus will invest INR10.8 billion ($150.7 million) in Apollo Tyres, a multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in India.
Lightstone leads $19m Series C for India's Vogo
Indian scooter rental start-up Vogo has raised $19 million for fleet expansion in a Series C round led by LGT Lightstone Aspada.
Japan’s I-nest Capital raises $60m for debut VC fund
I-nest Capital, a Japanese VC firm set up last year by former Mizuho Financial Group employees, has raised JPY6.6 billion ($60 million) for its debut fund. The target was JPY6 billion.
Trustbridge backs Chinese storytelling start-up
Chinese children’s storytelling start-up Kaishu Story, also known as Kaishu Jianggushi, has raised $66 million in an extended tranche of Series C round led by Trustbridge Partners.
IDG leads $50m round for Chinese hot pot ingredients supplier
IDG Capital has led a $50 million Series B round for Guoquan, a Chinese hot pot ingredients supplier. Other investors include VKC Partners and Buhuo Ventures.
CDC leads $20m round for Indian data annotation firm
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group led a $20 million funding round for iMerit, a firm that helps train artificial intelligence (AI) processes.
GGV, BII lead $60m round for Indian gold loan start-up
Rupeek, an India-based online gold loan marketplace, has received $60 million in a funding round led by GGV Capital and Bertelsmann India Investments.
Chinese AI-RPA start-up Laiye raises $42m Series C
Lightspeed China Partners and its global affiliate have co-led a $42 million Series C round for Laiye Technology, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up that specializes in robotic process automation (RPA).
Partners Group targets $1.4b buyout of Australia's Healius
Partners Group has been granted a call option on Chinese conglomerate Jangho Group’s 15.9% stake in Australian healthcare services provider Healius, enabling the private equity firm to make a A$2.1 billion ($1.4 billion) bid for the entire business.
Japanese investors commit $856m to Grab
Singapore-based ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab has raised $856 million from Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and TIS Intec Group.
India’s BharatPe raises $75m Series C
BharatPe, a digital payment services provider for offline businesses, has raised $75 million to help fund a non-banking financial company (NBFC) that will issue loans to small businesses.
Blackstone buys Chinese Logistics business for $38m
The Blackstone Group has bought 80% interest in Guangdong-based Foshan Ruixin Logistics Management from Chinese conglomerate Dongbai Group for a tentative price of RMB269 million ($38 million).
Translink joins $94m round for Germany’s Volocopter
Translink Capital, a US-based VC focused on facilitating cross-border connections with Asia, has joined a EUR87 million ($94 million) for German flying car developer Volocopter.
IFC to invest $29m in India’s Future Lifestyle Fashions
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has agreed to invest INR2.1 billion ($29.6 million) in India-listed fashion retailer Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF).
Malaysia’s Socar gets $18m from Korean investors
Korea’s Eugene Private Equity and KH Energy have provided $18 million in Series A funding to the Malaysian arm of local car sharing company Socar.
Chinese cross-border e-commerce player raises $14m
Cathay Capital has committed RMB100 million ($14 million) in Series B funding to Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform OrderPlus.
Prosus leads $113m Series I for Swiggy
Swiggy, an Indian grocery delivery platform, has received $113 million in a Series I round led by Prosus Ventures, formerly known as Naspers Ventures and Food.
Sequoia leads Series C for Indian onboarding SaaS
Sequoia Capital India has led a $32 million Series C round for Whatfix, an Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm that helps enterprises increase digital adoption rates.
Globis backs two Japan marketing services companies
Japan’s Globis Capital Partners has invested in two marketing services providers in separate transactions, including web conferencing player BellFace and data-focused Flywheel.
GP profile: DSG Consumer Partners
A relentless curiosity about the Indian consumer’s journey has helped DSG Consumer Partners carve out a niche in the early stage investment space for companies with emerging local brands
China-focused online English teaching platform raises $14m
Whales English, a Chinese online language tuition business also known as Jingyu Peiyou, has raised RMB100 million ($14 million) in Series B funding led by Sino Ocean Capital. Hike Capital and Fresh Capital also participated.
