Early-stage
CDH leads Series B for China RPA player 1data
1Data, a China-based robotic process automation (RPA) company, has raised close to CNY 200m (USD 29.2m) in Series B funding led by CDH Investments.
Samsung backs Korea autonomous delivery start-up
Samsung Venture Investment has invested in Korea’s Neubility, a robot maker aiming to “automate urban sidewalks” via autonomous rolling boxes capable of on-demand deliveries.
China pool cleaning robot start-up gets $29m angel round
GL Ventures, Shunwei Capital, and Source Code Capital have participated in a CNY 200m (USD 29m) angel round for Xingmai Innovation, a China-based developer of robots that clean swimming pools.
China energy storage player Weview raises $87m
Weview, a China-based battery manufacturer, has raised a Series A of CNY 600m (USD 87m) led by two state-backed investors - Guohe Xinli, which is a fund under the State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC) and Zhuhai-based Da Heng Qin Group.
Singapore electronics marketplace Reebelo extends Series A to $50m
Singapore electronics marketplace Reebelo has lifted its Series A round to USD 50m with a USD 29m commitment led by Cathay Innovation.
Malaysia's Khazanah launches start-up programme
Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional has launched a VC collaboration and start-up investment programme with an initial MYR 180m (USD 40m).
China generative AI player LangBoat gets pre-Series A
LangBoat, a China-based generative artificial intelligence (AI) company, has raised a pre-Series A round led by Beijing Zhongguangcun Science City. Eight Roads and Sinovation Ventures re-upped.
China cell therapy developer Neowise raises $29m
Chinese cell therapy company Neowise has raised an extended Series A round of CNY200m (USD 29m) from a group including Oriza Seed Fund Management and Marathon Venture Partners.
Deal focus: Glimmer in a dormant Pakistani ecosystem
Pakistan’s Trukkr quietly spent a hardscrabble pre-seed period building infrastructure while competitors leveraged a short-lived VC boom to grow quickly. The patience appears set to pay off
Deal focus: K-wave media savvy explores new markets
Korean audience interaction technology provider Bemyfriends hopes a sizeable Series A round led by Cleveland Avenue, a lifestyle-focused VC firm in the US, will jumpstart a global expansion
Deal focus: Mapping malls and metaverses
Mapxus sees indoor maps of high-traffic areas in high-density cities as the last piece of infrastructure to digitalise. The Hong Kong start-up has won corporate and VC backing to expand region-wide
China artificial heart developer raises $100m
China-based medical device manufacturer Evaheart has raised a Series A of close to USD 100m led by Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac.
Qiming, Ince invest in China, US biotech start-up
Qiming Venture Partners and Ince Capital have led a USD 50m Series B round for China and US-based oncology and autoimmune diseases treatments developer Allorion Therapeutics.
Korea audience engagement platform Bemyfriends gets $29m
Korea’s Bemyfriends, an audience engagement platform for brands and creators, has raised USD 29m in Series A funding, with the latest tranche provided by US-based VC firm Cleveland Avenue.
Deal focus: Qiming backs Chinese GPT pioneer
Frontis.ai is a Chinese start-up founded by local entrepreneur who helped laid the groundwork for ChatGPT in the US. Qiming Venture Partners was won over by its product conception capabilities
US, UK VCs invest Pakistan logistics start-up Trukkr
US-based Accion Venture Lab and Sturgeon Capital of the UK have led a USD 6.4m seed round for Pakistan’s Trukkr, a financial technology provider for the trucking industry.
Deal focus: Tiamat innovates around words and pictures
Tiamat originated from a Chinese college student’s experimentation with nascent text-to-image artificial intelligence technology. DCM China and VitalBridge Capital believe it will cut through the industry hype
Deal focus: Digital marketing piggybacks e-commerce boom
Malaysian digital marketing specialist Involve Asia is making hay as regional e-commerce shows no signs of slowing. Fresh VC support will guide inorganic expansion amidst erratically trendy user behaviour
Japan construction software supplier gets $8.5m
Japan’s Ballas, a software provider focused on metals procurement for the construction industry, has raised an approximately JPY 1.2bn (USD 8.5m) round led by Global Brain.
Qiming, Matrix back Chinese AI start-up Frontis
Chinese artificial intelligence generated content (AIGC) start-up Frontis.ai has raised a round of hundreds of millions of renminbi led by Qiming Venture Partners with support from Matrix Partners China.
Premji Invest leads $26m round for India's SpotDraft
India’s Premji Invest has led a USD 26m Series A round for local contract lifecycle management and legal work automation supplier SpotDraft.
China vaccine developer Immorna raises $100m
Immorna, a China-based biotech start-up focused on RNA-based therapeutics and vaccines, has raised about USD 100m across two Series A extensions.
China VCs back local automotive chip developer
SiEngine Technology, a China-based developer of chips for smart cars, has raised CNY 500m (USD 73m) in an extended Series A round featuring several local VC firms.
Northstar leads pre-Series C for Singapore's Una Brands
Northstar Group had led a USD 30m pre-Series C round for Una Brands, a Singapore-based brand agglomeration platform that operates across Asia.
