Early-stage
Deal focus: Lyre’s opts for science instead of a still
Australia-founded beverages maker Lyre’s has raised $11.5 million in seed funding with a view to helping non-alcoholic spirits follow in the footsteps of alternative protein
China O2O medicine platform raises $150m
Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) medicine retailer Dingdang Kuaiyao has raised RMB1 billion ($150 million) in an extended Series B round featuring Dragon Gate Investment Partners.
Sequoia joins $22.5m round for Bangladesh's ShopUp
Sequoia Capital India and US-based Flourish Ventures have led a $22.5 million Series A round for Bangladesh B2B platform ShopUp. It is both firms’ first investment in the country.
Australia's V2Food raises $55m Series B
Australian alternative protein producer V2Food has raised a A$77 million ($55 million) Series B round featuring Sequoia Capital China and Temasek Holdings.
Vision Knight leads Series B for China education app
Shaonian Dedao, a Chinese education app for teenagers led by former CCTV host Quanlin Zhang, has raised RMB200 million ($29 million) in a Series B funding round led by Vision Knight Capital.
3H Health leads $67m Series B for China's EdiGene
China’s 3H Health Investment has led a RMB450 million ($67 million) Series B round for local genetics-based drug discovery and therapeutics developer EdiGene.
Deal focus: VR gaming comes of age
Japanese videogame publishing company Thirdverse believes the time is right to bring virtual reality entertainment to the masses. VCs with expertise in the sector are beginning to agree
Lee's Pharmaceutical spin-out gets $145m Series B
Hong Kong-based Zhaoke Ophthalmology Pharmaceutical (ZKO), a subsidiary of Lee’s Pharmaceutical, has raised a $145 million Series B round led by Hillhouse Capital and TPG Asia.
Jafco backs Japan VR game developer
Japan’s Jafco has led an $8.5 million Series A round for local virtual reality (VR) game developer Thirdverse.
Deal focus: Neuron finds clear roads down under
Having increased its Series A round to $30.5 million, Neuron Mobility is ramping up expansion of its e-scooter rental services, with Australia and New Zealand the immediate priorities
Japan voice AI player RevComm raises $14m Series A
RevComm, a Japan-based voice recognition artificial intelligence (AI) technology provider, has closed its Series A round at JPY1.5 billion ($14.2 million) with support from several local VCs.
Lee Fixel's Addition backs India news aggregation app
Inshorts, an Indian news aggregation app, has raised $35 million in funding led by Addition, an investment firm launched by Lee Fixel, who was previously involved in Tiger Global Management’s India deals.
Prosus leads $12m Series B for Pakistan's Bykea
Prosus Ventures, formerly a VC arm of South African media conglomerate Naspers, has led a $12 million Series B round for Pakistan ride-hailing and courier app Bykea.
Singapore e-scooter start-up gets Series A extension
Neuron Mobility, a Singapore-based e-scooter rental start-up, has secured $12 million in an extended Series A round as it accelerates expansion in Australia and New Zealand and prepares to enter the UK.
Deal focus: Green Monday finds mission-aligned investors
Green Monday, the Hong Kong plant-based food distributor behind the Green Common retail chain and OmniPork alternative meats, has raised its first institutional round of funding.
Lever invests five China alternative meat start-ups
Hong Kong and US-based food tech investor Lever VC has confirmed five investments in alternative protein start-ups from its recently launched China fund.
China's InventisBio secures $147m Series D
GL Ventures, the China venture capital arm of Hillhouse Capital, has led a $147 million Series D round for Shanghai-based biotech developer InventisBio.
China robotics player Cyclone gets $40m Series B
Matrix Partners China has led a $40 million Series B round for local robotics start-up Cyclone. Other investors include DCM, Lenovo Capital, Source Code Capital, and Renzhi Capital.
Japan gaming start-up raises Series A, hits $1b valuation
Playco, a Japan-headquartered mobile gaming start-up, has simultaneously formally launched operations and become a unicorn, raising $100 million in Series A funding at a valuation of $1 billion.
Deal focus: Airmeet rewires the conference circuit
As social distancing and travel restrictions play havoc with traditional conferences, Airmeet has seen a spike in demand for its virtual alternatives. A Series A round duly followed
Rise Fund, Swire back Asia plant-based food specialist
The Rise Fund, TPG’s impact investment vehicle, and Hong Kong conglomerate Swire Pacific have led a $70 million round for Green Monday Holdings, a Hong Kong plant-based protein provider.
Deal focus: Waresix builds Indonesia’s logistical lynchpin
Jungle Ventures and EV Growth lead $75 million round for Waresix, backing the company's integrated platform as a solution to Indonesia's logistics challenges
China drug developer Sumgen raises $32m
Addor Capital has led a RMB220 million ($32 million) Series B funding round for Hangzhou-based drug developer Sumgen Biotech.
Panacea leads $40m Series C for China's XWPharma
Healthcare-focused Panacea Venture has led a $40 million Series C round for China’s XWPharma, a neurobiology-focused biotech developer previously known as XW Laboratories.
