Early-stage
Superfunds top-up Series B for Australia's Morse Micro
Five Australian superannuation funds have backed a AUD 30m (USD 20.4m) investment in local Wi-Fi chipmaker Morse Micro, extending a recent Series B round to AUD 170m.
AirTree, Greycroft back Australia's FrankieOne
Australia’s AirTree Ventures and US-based Greycroft have led a AUD 23m (USD 15.5m) investment in Melbourne-based fraud prevention platform FrankieOne, lifting its Series A round to AUD 45.7m.
Singapore insurance start-up Igloo lifts Series B to $46m
Singapore-based insurance technology start-up Igloo has added USD 27m to an initial USD 19m in Series B funding raised in March. Swiss impact investor BlueOrchard led the extension.
Vistara, QIC back Australian sports-tech player Vald
US-based growth-stage technology investor Vistara Growth has joined Queensland Investment Corporation in an AUD 36m (USD 25m) round for Vald, an Australian start-up that supplies performance-tracking technology to a host of professional sports teams.
East leads $13m round for Indonesia's TipTip
East Ventures has led a USD 13m Series A round for Indonesia’s TipTip, a marketplace that connects digital media content creators and their fans.
China's Ruiyun Cold Chain raises $28m
Ruiyun Cold Chain, a China-based cold chain services provider, has raised CNY 200m (USD 28m) in an extended pre-Series A round led by Mitsubishi and Mizuho Leaguer Investment Fund.
Government investors support Chinese EV player Letin
Chinese state-backed investors have pumped CNY 3.2bn (USD 447m) into local new energy vehicle start-up Letin amid reports that the company had run into financial distress.
Lightspeed backs China autonomous driving industry supplier Daisch
Lightspeed China Partners has backed Daisch, a domestic supplier of high-precision products for autonomous driving, as the sole participant in a Series A round.
Australia cultured meat start-up gets $49m Series A
Blackbird and Prosperity7 Ventures, a unit of Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, have led a USD 49.2m Series A round for Australian cell-cultured meat company Vow.
China automotive industry supplier Kasco raises $72m
Kasco, a China-based air suspension supplier for passenger vehicles, has closed a Series B round of CNY 510m (USD 72m) led by an investment arm of CRRC Group, China State-Owned Venture Capital Fund, Source Code Capital, and Shenzhen Capital Group.
India fintech player Lentra gets $60m Series B
India’s Lentra, a financial technology provider focused on cloud-based lending, has raised USD 60m in Series B funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners and SIG Venture Capital.
Singapore's Speeddoc gets $28m pre-Series B round
Bertelsmann Investments, Shinhan Venture investment, Mars Growth and Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India have participated in a USD 28m pre-Series B round for Singapore virtual healthcare platform Speedoc.
China AR start-up with celebrity founder raises $55m
Meituan investment unit Dragonball Capital has led a CNY 400m (USD 55m) angel round for Thin Red Line, a China-based start-up that provides operating systems for augmented reality (AR) glasses.
China to Singapore: A VC invasion
Chinese venture capital firms are establishing and expanding operations in Singapore in response to challenges at home and to address the Southeast Asian market. Do they have staying power?
GEF Capital backs India EV components supplier Electra EV
GEF Capital Partners, a spinout from Global Environment Fund, has invested USD 25m in Electra EV, an India-based electric vehicle (EV) components manufacturer controlled by Ratan Tata.
Singapore digital family office platform raises $90m
Arta Finance, a digital family office start-up established by Caesar Sengupta, the Singapore-based former head of Google’s Next Billion Users initiative, has raised USD 90m in Series A funding.
Australia recycling start-up Samsara Eco raises $34m
Samsara Eco, an Australia-based start-up that has developed enzymes capable of breaking down plastics into their core molecules so they can be reconstituted in new items, has raised AUD 54m (USD 34.6m) in Series A funding.
Q&A: China Creation Ventures’ Wei Zhou
Wei Zhou, founder of China Creation Ventures (CCV), on why local GPs are targeting Southeast Asia, working with Chinese entrepreneurs overseas, and the prospects for renminbi and US dollar funds
Deal focus: Reap looks beyond Hong Kong
Having proved its business model and build up a customer base in Hong Kong, small business credit specialist Reap will use part of its USD 40m Series A round to pursue international expansion
Hong Kong payments player Reap gets $40m Series A
Hong Kong-based financial technology company Reap has raised a USD 40m Series A - comprising equity and debt - led by Acorn Pacific Ventures, Arcadia Funds, and HashKey Capital.
Roc leads Series B for Australia carbon credits specialist
Australia’s Roc Partners has led a AUD 55m (USD 35.6m) Series B round for local carbon credits platform and sustainability advisory Viridios Group.
Axiom, Pavilion back Japan climate tech start-up Asuene
Axiom Asia and Temasek Holdings-controlled Pavilion Capital have joined a USD 20m Series B round for Asuene, a Japan-based climate technology start-up that helps companies track carbon emissions.
Hidden Hill leads $330m round for Geely's China NEV unit
Farizon Auto, a new energy vehicle (NEV) brand under Chinese automaker Geely, has secured USD 300m in pre-Series A funding led by Hidden Hill Capital, a private equity arm of local warehouse operator turned logistics and infrastructure investment manager...
Deal focus: Gamurs gears up for M&A boom
Gamurs claims to have carved a niche as the largest gaming news publisher in the English-speaking world on the back of 39 acquisitions in seven years. Its Series A will go towards more purchases
