Early-stage
Japan's iSpace raises $46m Series C
Japan’s Incubate Fund has led a JPY5.1 billion ($46.5 million) Series C round for iSpace, a local lunar exploration technology developer firming up an ambitious calendar of missions.
China AI drug developer BioMap raises $100m
GGV Capital has led a $100 million Series A round for BioMap, a China-based biological computing platform. It marks the first time the company has sought external funding.
Asia digital assets platform Matrixport hits $1b valuation
Matrixport, a two-year-old crypto financial services platform based in Singapore, has closed a $100 million Series C round at a valuation of $1 billion.
GA, Dragoneer lead $250m Series B for Vietnam's VNLife
General Atlantic and Dragoneer Investment Group have led a $250 million Series B round for Vietnamese financial technology provider VNLife.
India crypto platform raises $25m Series A
Indian cryptocurrency borrowing and lending platform Vauld has raised a $25 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Sequoia China leads $100m Series B for Bota Biosciences
Sequoia Capital China had led a $100 million Series B round for Bota Biosciences, a China-based biotech company that has developed a next-generation platform for manufacturing high-performing industrial compounds.
Riverwood leads $200m Series D for SE Asia payments player Nium
Riverwood Capital has led a $200 million Series D round for Singapore-based cross-border payments technology provider Nium at an approximately $1 billion valuation.
Q&A: IPV Capital’s Alex Banh
Semiconductors are a popular investment target in China on the back of US decoupling and a push for self-sufficiency. Alex Banh, a managing partner of sector specialist IPV Capital, shares his views
Asia Partners, Falcon Edge back Indonesia's GudangAda
Asia Partners and Falcon Eduge Capital have led a $100 million Series B round for GudangAda, an Indonesian online marketplace that targets wholesale and small-scale retailers.
Taiwan video SaaS start-up raises $16m Series B
Kdan Mobile Software, a Taiwanese software-as-a-service company focused on corporate video and design services, has raised a $16 million Series B round featuring WI Harper Group.
China beauty: Service with a smile
Beauty and wellness are at the vanguard of China’s fast-rising services sector. Investors see clear paths to growth, but size presents a plethora of problems in terms of standardizing service quality
Deal focus: Fujitsu Ventures updates ancient grains
Fujitsu is bringing blockchain to the rice industry with a ramped up corporate VC agenda. Digital transformation is the goal; food security and sustainable trade are the outcomes
Capital Today leads $35m Series B for China's XYZ Robotics
Capital Today China Group has led a $35 million Series B round for XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specializing in robotic hand-eye coordination.
China's Meiwei Dental raises $150m
China’s Meiwei Dental Group has raised a RMB1 billion ($150 million) Series B round from Fortune Capital, TFTR Investment, and local conglomerate New Hope Group.
AppWorks leads $12m round for Singapore's Tinvio
Taiwanese accelerator and VC investor AppWorks has led a $12 million round for Singapore-based enterprise services platform Tinvio.
Tech investment surges in India, SE Asia as China plummets
A drop-off in PE and VC technology investment in China in the second quarter of 2021 – widely linked to a multi-faceted regulatory crackdown on the sector – was to some extent counterbalanced by record levels of activity in India and Southeast Asia.
Sherpa Healthcare leads Series A for Paq Therapeutics
Sherpa Healthcare Partners has led a $30 million Series A for Paq Therapeutics, a Chinese-founded biotech company specializing in treatments based on molecules that enhance the degradation of disease-causing entities.
NewView leads Series B for Australia's Eucalyptus
Silicon Valley-based NewView Capital has led a A$30 million ($22.4 million) Series B round for Australia telehealth platform Eucalyptus.
Fujitsu VC unit backs rice trading platform
Fujitsu, one of Japan’s largest IT companies, is backing the world’s first digital global rice trading platform in the debut deal from its latest corporate VC fund.
GGV, Tiger Global lead $50m round for China bakery brand
Tiger Attitude, a China-based bakery brand, has raised a $50 million Series A round led by GGV Capital and Tiger Global. Both IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital China re-upped, having participated in a pre-Series A in January alongside Challenjers Capital.
Singapore’s Next Gen gets $20m for US push
Singapore’s Next Gen Foods, which markets the vegetarian chicken brand Tindle, has raised $20 million from VCs including GGV Capital, with a view to entering the US.
China's Crystal Stream backs Egypt e-commerce platform
Chinese VC firm Crystal Stream Capital has doubled down on a Middle East and Africa strategy with participation in a $40 million investment in Egyptian logistics start-up MaxAB.
Deal focus: LocoNav targets gap in fleet digitization
The rapidly modernizing fleet management industry has seen surprisingly little progress in terms of driver and dispatcher services. Global VCs see a solution in India’s LocoNav
China beauty: Traffic jam
The impact of China’s internet-oriented emerging consumer brands is arguably more pronounced in beauty than anywhere else. Gaining a foothold is one challenge, keeping it is another