Early-stage
Deal focus: Haihe's biotech out-licensing ambition
Warburg Pincus picked Haihe Pharmaceutical as its first bet on innovative drug development in China, having been convinced by the company's mature portfolio and international expansion plans
WI Harper backs Hong Kong financial services player
WI Harper Group has led a $20 million Series B round for Hong Kong financial services provider EMQ.
Eurazeo backs UK, Singapore-based Thought Machine
Eurazeo Growth, a joint venture between French GPs Eurazeo and Idinvest Partners, has joined a $125 million Series B round for UK and Singapore financial technology player Thought Machine.
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
Australia's Square Peg backs Singapore wealth manager
Australian VC firm Square Peg Capital has led a $16 million Series C round for StashAway, a Singapore-based digital financial services provider focused on retail wealth management.
Deal focus: DRX wants e-sports to surf the Korean wave
Investors are backing DRX to generate international buzz for e-sports in Korea, following in the footsteps of K-pop, K-food and K-beauty. Overseas interest is already mounting
Warburg Pincus leads Series B for China's Haihe Pharmaceutical
Warburg Pincus has led a RMB1.2 billion ($171 million) Series B round for Haihe Pharmaceutical, a Chinese cancer drug developer that currently has four treatments in stage-three clinical trials or beyond.
Korean strategic, financial investors back industrial AI start-up
MakinaRocks, a Korean artificial intelligence (AI) start-up that helps manufacturers achieve production efficiencies through the application of deep learning technology, has raised KRW12 billion ($10 million) in Series A funding.
Q&A: Novo Holdings' Amit Kakar
Having spent the past three years on healthcare buy-and-build platform Everlife Asia, Amit Kakar’s is joining life sciences investor Novo Holdings as regional head. He explains why now is the time to bet big on Asia
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?
Indian agritech VeGrow secures seed funding
Indian agricultural technology start-up VeGrow raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Ankur Capital and Matrix Partners India.
Blackbird joins $18m round for Australia's Propeller
Blackbird Ventures has joined a A$26 million ($18.3 million) round for Propeller Aero, an Australian data analytics provider focused on drone surveying at industrial worksites.
China biotech player Antengene raises $97m Series C
Fidelity Investments has led a $97 million Series C round for Chinese hematology and oncology biotech developer Antengene.
Korea e-sports player DRX secures $22.5m
Korean e-sports organization DRX has raised $10 million from a group of local investors. It coincides with a separate $12.5 million commitment from e-sports specialist ATU Partners.
Sequoia leads Series B for Chinese intelligent sales player
Tungee, a Chinese sales-focused software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, has raised RMB120 million ($17 million) in a Series B round led by Sequoia Capital China. Qiming Venture Partners also took part.
Chinese biotech company Arctic Vision raises $32m
China-based ophthalmology therapy provider Arctic Vision has raised a $32 million Series A round led by Morningside Ventures.
Google commits $10b for India digitization effort
Google will launch a INR750 billion ($10 billion) fund to make equity, operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments that seek to increase the pace of digitization in India.
Quan leads $80m Series A for China biotech player
Healthcare-focused VC firm Quan Capital has led an $80 million Series A round for Citrine Medicine, a Chinese biotech developer set up by Eight Roads, F-Prime Capital, and Vivo Capital.
China’s Harbour BioMed raises $103m Series C
Chinese biotech start-up Harbour BioMed has raised $102.8 million in Series C funding. It comes four months after it closed an extended Series B round of $75 million.
Corporate VC in Asia: Moment of truth
Cutting non-core operations is the standard corporate response to an economic downturn. Companies in Asia must decide whether the long-term benefits of exposure to new technologies outweighs short-term pain
Software vs non-software: Digital distractions
Venture capital investors gravitate towards software start-ups, attracted by dynamic founding teams and readily scalable propositions. But should they be devoting more time and resources to hardware and biotech?
Deal focus: Soil Carbon’s nascent climate fix
Australian start-up Soil Carbon is developing microbial technology that can be used to limit carbon emissions from crops. Horizons Ventures has provided financial support for the project
Medical devices: Proceed with caution
Medical devices has become a difficult place to invest but potentially all the more rewarding for those willing to take the plunge. Asia is in a prime position globally
Lightspeed leads round for Singapore mapping software player
Lightspeed India Partners and Falcon Edge Capital have led a $7 million Series A round for Nextbillion, a Singapore-based provider of artificial intelligence-enabled mapping software solutions.
