Early-stage
GGV, Soul Capital lead Series B for China's Yunmanman
Yunmanman, a cold-chain logistics start-up incubated by trucking platform Manbang, has raised a Series B round of several hundred million renminbi led by GGV Capital and Soul Capital. Xiang He Capital also took part.
Australia's Blackbird backs virtual football league
Blackbird Ventures has led a AUD 3m (USD 2m) pre-seed round for One Future Football (1FF), a Melbourne-based start-up that has launched an entirely virtual global football league.
Australia battery technology supplier raises $15m
Australian VC firm Artesian, Canadian GP Waratah Capital, and India's Himadri Speciality Chemical have co-led a AUD 22m (USD 15m) Series A round for Australia’s Sicona Battery Technologies.
Japan's LayerX lifts Series A to $59m
Japan’s LayerX, an enterprise billing and invoicing software provider, has lifted an ongoing Series A round to JPY 8.2bn (USD 59m) with support from several local VC firms.
China distributed power specialist PCG Power raises 70m
PCG Power, a Chinese energy management services provider incubated by property developers China Poly Group and Country Garden, has raised CNY 500m (USD 69.9m) in Series A funding.
GP profile: 500 Global
500 Global’s emergence as a preeminent seed investor in Southeast Asia has played out against the backdrop of a broader transformation from US accelerator into international multi-stage venture capital firm
Start-up banking: Filling an SVB-shaped hole
Silicon Valley Bank was arguably the only institution globally to comprehensively service the unique banking needs of start-ups. In its absence, a mix of players are rising to the challenge
CDH leads $52m round for China's Boss Digital
The venture-growth unit of China's CDH Investments has led a CNY 370m (USD 52m) round for Boss Digital Procurement Technology Development, a subsidiary of Shenzhen-listed Fujian Boss Software.
Q&A: Jafco Asia's Shahan Sud
Singapore’s Jafco Asia, a division of Japanese VC mainstay Jafco, hired Shahan Sud last year as its first in-country investment director for India. He explains a cross-border bridge long in the making
India satellite imaging player Pixxel gets $36m Series B
Google is one of several new investors in a USD 36m Series B round for Pixxel, an India-based satellite imaging provider targeting climate change use cases. The company has now raised USD 71m in private funding to date.
Deal focus: U Power wins backing for EV turnkey proposition
China’s U Power has developed an integrated chassis as a cost-effective foundation on which electric vehicle makers can build their own creations. Government and independent investors are piling in
Square Peg leads round for India payments start-up
Australia’s Square Peg Capital has led a USD 10.2m pre-Series A round for India-based payments technology provider XFlow.
China National Energy Storage raises $143m
Zhongchu Guoneng Technology (ZGT), also known as China National Energy Storage, has raised CNY 1bn (USD 143m) in Series A funding led by a China Development Bank Capital-managed fund and Xinda Kunpeng Equity Investment Management.
Singapore's BandLab raises $25m
Singapore-based social music creation platform BandLab has raised USD 25m from Cercano Management, formerly Vulcan Capital, a vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
China generative AI start-up Luchen gets Series A funding
Luchen Technology, a Chinese start-up specialising in artificial intelligence (AI) training, has closed a Series A round amounting to several hundred million renminbi.
Q&A: Gobi Partners' Thomas Tsao
Thomas Tsao, co-founder of Gobi Partners, on Chinese investors targeting Southeast Asia, the fallout from US-China tensions, fundraising and fund strategy, and what excites him about technology
China's Biomissile secures $28m Series B
Suzhou-based Biomissile has raised CNY 200m (USD 28m) in a Series B funding round led by Kequan Capital. Existing investor Fosun Health Capital re-upped.
Australia, US carbon reporting start-up raises $9m
Understory Ventures, an Australian environmental impact investor, has led a USD 9m Series A round for Australia and US-based carbon reporting technology provider Flintpro.
India's 360 One invests $28m in data analytics provider
India’s 360 One Asset Management, formerly IIFL Wealth & Asset Management, has invested USD 28m in local data analytics start-up Course5 Intelligence.
Singapore digital health start-up Ora raises $10m
Singapore-based digital health start-up Ora has raised a USD 10m Series A round led by TNB Aura and Antler. Other participants include Gobi Partners, Kairous Capital, and GMA Ventures.
Constantinople raises Australia's largest-ever seed round
Australia’s Square Peg Capital has led a AUD 32m (USD 21.3m) seed round for local banking software provider Constantinople. It is being called the largest-ever seed investment in Australia.
China investors see long-term positives in demise of Oppo's chip unit
Investors in China's semiconductor industry expect the closure of local mobile manufacturer Oppo's chip design unit to clear the way for start-ups operating in the space, despite a likely near-term hit to valuations.
Deal focus: Indonesia food delivery goes daily
Indonesia’s Uena claims to have penetrated an untapped corner of Indonesia’s booming app-driven food delivery space. Scaling shouldn’t be overly costly, but there are menu-level nuances to consider
Deal focus: Ace Turtle says so long to SaaS
Ace Turtle never wanted to be India’s answer to Amazon, but it has moved from software provider to supply chain coordinator while stepping back from international markets. Investors are not deterred