Early-stage
Deal focus: Australia’s ENA hits COVID-19 in the nose
Australian investors see hope in ENA Respiratory, a nasal spray specialist aiming to complement global COVID-19 vaccine programs with an immune system-boosting product
Singapore gene therapy start-up closes $24m Series A
Nuevocor, a preclinical biotech company specializing in gene therapy for heart disease, has closed an oversubscribed Series A round with $24 million in commitments.
Fidelity backs $131m Series A for China citytech platform Venturous
Venturous Group, a Chinese smart city platform, has received $131 million in Series A funding from Fidelity, several family offices, and Benson Tan, founder of Venturous.
China's Nutshell Therapeutics raises $20m
Nutshell Therapeutics, a Chinese drug developer, has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Matrix Partners China.
India's FamPay gets $38m Series A
FamPay, an Indian start-up aiming to launch the country’s first digital bank for teenagers, has raised a $38 million Series A round led by Elevation Capital.
Insight, Tiger lead Series B for India jobs platform
Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management have led a $70 million Series B round for Apna, an Indian professional networking and jobs platform.
Australia COVID-19 nasal spray maker raises $25m
ENA Respiratory, an Australian biotech company developing a nasal spray for the prevention of COVID-19, has raised A$32 million ($25 million) with support from local venture capital investor Brandon Capital.
Q&A: Yunqi Partners’ Yipin Ng
Pre-pandemic, it was unclear whether China’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry could achieve monetization. Much has changed since then, says Yipin Ng, co-founder and managing partner of Yunqi Partners
US VCs lead $60m round for Indonesia's BukuWarung
US-based Goodwater Capital and Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have led a $60 million round for Indonesian financial technology start-up BukuWarung.
China gene sequencing company raises $63m
QitanTech, a gene sequencing start-up also known as Qitan Technology, has raised a RMB400 million ($63 million) Series B round led by Hillhouse Capital and a VC arm of CDH Investments.
Alibaba Cloud to invest $1b in Asia start-ups
Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing and artificial intelligence unit of the eponymous Chinese internet giant, has pledged to invest $1 billion in Asia Pacific start-ups over the next three years.
L Catterton leads $40m Series B for Singapore's Zenyum
L Catterton has led a $40 million Series B round for Singapore’s Zenyum, a company that makes 3D-printed dental products.
Pakistan’s Habib Bank backs digital SME lender
Habib Bank, the largest bank in Pakistan, has joined a $10.1 million Series A round for Finja, a leading local financial technology start-up and small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) lender.
Australia fintech start-up raises $19m Series A
Australian payments technology platform mx51 has raised A$25 million ($19.4 million) in Series A funding led by Acorn Capital, Artesian, Commencer Capital, and Mastercard.
China university start-ups: Campus creativity
From DJI to Ele.me, numerous successful start-ups have emerged from universities in Greater China. VC investors recognize the talent, but they are sometimes wary of the structures
China chip IP specialist Akrostar raises $78m
Akrostar, a Chinese chip designer established less than a year ago by a team that spun out from US-headquartered industry leader Synopsys, has raised RMB500 million ($78 million) in Series A funding.
Indonesia’s TaniHub secures $65.5m Series B
TaniHub, a platform that connects farmers with customers and other agriculture industry suppliers, has closed a $65.5 million Series B round led by MDI Ventures.
Lilly Asia leads $90m round for China's Duality Biologics
Lilly Asia Ventures has led a $90 million Series B round for Duality Biologics, a Chinese developer of oncology and autoimmune drugs.
Philippines digital bank Tonik raises $17m
Tonik, which claims to be the first digital bank in the Philippines, has raised $17 million in pre-Series B funding led by Singapore’s iGlobe Partners.
Hong Kong crypto start-up gets $40m Series A
Sequoia Capital China, Tiger Global Management, and Boyu Capital have joined a $40 million Series A round for Hong Kong cryptocurrency services provider Babel Finance.
Deal focus: The e-commerce agglomeration effect
Inspired by Thrasio buying up e-commerce brands in the US and using its resources to drive growth, Una Brands wants to do the same in Asia. The start-up has secured $40 million to kick-start this effort
Deal focus: Bibit lays claim to be Indonesia’s Robinhood
A couple of quickfire funding rounds for Bibit reflects global investor appetite for robo-advisory businesses and the Indonesian company’s rare double-headed product offering
Nordstar, Insignia back Asia Amazon marketplace consolidator
Southeast Asia has seen its second e-commerce aggregator investment in a matter of days, with Rainforest securing $36 million in seed funding from Nordstar and Insignia Venture Partners.
Asia brand aggregator raises $40m
Una Brands, an aggregator of e-commerce brands with a presence across Asia, has launched with A$50 million ($40 million) in seed funding from 500 Startups, Kingsway Capital, 468 Capital, Presight Capital, and Global Founders Capital.
