Early-stage
Asia lending start-ups: Bump in the road
Digital lenders in emerging markets need to survive a tricky year under the shadow of potential defaults, but the survivors might become significant players in a renewed financial landscape
India's Milkbasket raises $5.5m Series B
Inflection Point Ventures has led an INR420 million ($5.5 million) Series B round for Indian grocery delivery startup Milkbasket.
Deal focus: Yidui delivers love by video
Sky9 Capital and Xiaomi have thrown their support behind a Chinese video-dating platform designed for Generation Z, complete with virtual meeting rooms, live audiences, and mechanisms for crashing other people's dates
China logistics robot specialist raises $200m Series C
Geek+, a manufacturer of robots used to move merchandise around warehouses, has closed a Series C funding round, having raised $200 million across two tranches.
Deal focus: Indonesia’s GoPlay changes the channel
Golden Gate Ventures is backing GoPlay, a media streaming spin-out from Indonesia's GoJek, to tap an underserved Southeast Asian audience with local recreations of popular international TV shows
Japan’s Daiwa backs Vietnam cinema operator
Japan’s Daiwa Securities Group has invested $8 million in Vietnam cinema chain operator Beta Media via its private equity unit.
Deal focus: Korean start-up disrupts the laundry
Korean on-demand laundry service Laundrygo will use its Series B funding to widen coverage within Seoul and improve automation levels at its facilities to further boost margins
Chinese AI chip maker Biren raises $155m Series A
Biren Technology, a nine-month-old Chinese smart chip design company, has raised RMB1.1 billion ($155 million) in Series A funding led by Qiming Venture Partners, IDG Capital and Walden International.
Sequoia joins $21m Series A for Philippines digital bank
Sequoia Capital India and US-based Point72 Ventures have led a $21 million Series A round for Tonik, a Singapore-based digital bank launching initial operations in the Philippines.
BOC leads Series B-plus for Chinese AI player Shukun
Shukun, a Chinese start-up that develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, has raised RMB200 million ($28 million) in an extended Series B round led by BOC International and CCB International.
Chinese instant food brand Baijia raises $28m
Chinese instant food brand Baijia Food has raised RMB200 million ($28 million) in Series B funding led by GL Ventures, the venture capital arm of Hillhouse Capital.
Nexus leads Series A for Indian enterprise automation platform
Nexus Venture Partners has led an $18 million Series A round for Jiffy, an Indian software start-up that helps companies automate back-office processes.
Deal focus: DocsApp eyes more than appointments
Following a $20 million funding round and a merger with an industry peer, India's DocsApp is working towards a long-term vision that goes beyond online health consultations
Deal focus: Khatabook aspires to be shopkeeper’s best friend
Khatabook, which helps India's small business owners track their transactions, has accumulated eight million users in the last two years. A recent Series B round is intended to help the company reach 30 million
CPE, Mirae lead $100m Series B for China's JW Therapeutics
JW Therapeutics, a China cancer treatment specialist established by Bristol Myers Squibb-owned Juno Therapeutics and China’s WuXi AppTec, has received $100 million in Series B funding.
Gaorong backs China enterprise software player QuadTalent
Gaorong Capital has led a $20 million Series A round for Chinese enterprise software start-up QuadTalent at a post-money valuation of nearly $200 million.
Vietnam’s Propzy raises $25m Series A round
Gaw Capital and Softbank Ventures Asia have led a $25 million Series A funding round for Vietnamese real estate platform Propzy.
China chip design company Eswin raises $283m
Beijing-based chip design company Eswin Technology Group has raised a RMB2 billion ($283 million) Series B round led by IDG Capital and Legend Capital.
Golden Gate leads funding round for Gojek streaming service
GoPlay, the streaming service of Indonesian ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Gojek, has raised funding led by Golden Gate Ventures.
Geely EV rental spin-out secures $97m Series A
Xiaolinggou Chuxing, the electric vehicle (EV) rental unit of Chinese carmaker Geely Auto Group, has raised RMB688 million ($97 million) in a Series A funding.
Bessemer leads $20m Series B for India's DocsApp
Bessemer Venture Partners has led an INR1.5 billion ($20 million) Series B round for teleconsultation health platform DocsApp.
VCs commit $13.9m to Korean mobile laundry service
Laundrygo, a Korea-based on-demand laundry service, has raised KRW17 billion ($13.9 million) in Series B funding from Korea Investment Partners, Aju IB Investment, KT Investment, Samsung Venture Investment, and DS Asset Management.
Deal focus: Reworld turns gamers into creators
China's Reworld has a technology that lowers barriers to entry in online game design, allowing anyone to become a creator. Joy Capital is backing the company to take user-generated content to another level
Deal focus: GoBear builds financial menu for Southeast Asia
GoBear, a Singapore-headquartered financial services platform, believes it can create financial products suitable for consumers and institutional partners alike