Early-stage
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
India's Convergent invests $49m in Puma sportswear spinout
Convergent Finance, a private equity firm founded by former Fairfax India head Harsha Raghavan, has invested INR 4bn (USD 49m) in Agilitas Sports, a local spinout of German sportswear giant Puma.
Singapore coffee chain raises $50m Series B
US-based VC firm White Star Capital has led a USD 50m Series B round for Singapore's Flash Coffee, an app-driven coffee chain.
Fireside leads $40m Series B for India's Ripplr
Fireside Ventures has led a USD 40m Series B round for India-based distribution and logistics platform Ripplr. The round comprised USD 28m in equity funding and USD 12m in debt.
IDG leads $59m Series A for China’s Taichu Biotech
Shanghai Taichu Biotechnology, a China-based outsourced drug developer focused on novel treatments, has raised a serious A of CNY 400m (USD59m) led by IDG Capital.
India EV player BluSmart raises $42m
India’s BluSmart, an integrated electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing and charging business, has raised USD 42m in a funding round featuring BP Ventures.
East leads $20m Series A for Indonesia's Praktis
East Ventures has led a USD 20m Series A round for Indonesian logistics technology start-up Praktis with support from Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV).
Temasek impact unit backs UK cleantech player
Singapore’s ABC Impact, a unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a GBP 20m (USD 25.2m) Series B round that will support an Asian expansion by UK-based cleantech company Polymateria.
China's Energysingularity raises $58m
China-based nuclear fusion start-up Energysingularity has raised a pre-Series A round of CNY 400m (USD58m) from investors including new energy-focused venture capital firm Yunhe Partners and local gaming company miHoYo
India's Iron Pillar leads $30m round for logistics SaaS company
Iron Pillar and Uncorrelated Ventures have co-led a USD 30m investment in Pando, a US-headquartered logistics software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider with an India-based development team.
India's Ace Turtle raises $34m Series B
India’s Ace Turtle, an omnichannel platform used by lifestyle and fashion retailers such as Wrangler and Toys R Us, has raised USD 34m in Series B funding featuring Singapore’s Vertex Ventures.
VCs positive on SE Asia's fundamentals, strategic positioning - AVCJ Forum
Venture capital investors remain bullish about Southeast Asia's prospects despite a sharp decline in activity this year, noting that the region is strategically well placed amid the US-China tensions.
Japan e-scooter maker raises $33.7m
Japanese e-scooter maker and urban shared micro-mobility developer Luup has raised a JPY 4.5bn round led by local VC firm Spiral Capital.
Eight Roads leads $38m round for China biotech player Adcentrx
China and US-based biotech company Adcentrx has raised USD38m in an extended Series A round led by Eight Roads Ventures, with participation from F-Prime Capital, ABio-X, Delta Capital, and Trinity Innovation Fund.
Deal focus: Excavating the lithosphere
Australia’s Investible is helping lithium processor Novalith clean up one of the dirtiest links in the electric vehicle supply chain. The science appears sound, but can it stay clean as it scales?
CTC Capital leads $72m round for China substrates specialist
Chinese semiconductor industry investor CTC Capital has led a first tranche of Series A funding of more than CNY 500m (USD 72.5m) for AaltoSemi, a local manufacturer of chip packaging substrates.
Japan VCs back hair colouring chain
A group of Japanese VC investors including Global Brain have provided JPY 1.1bn (USD 8.4m) in Series A funding to Fast Beauty, operator of hair colouring shop chain Fufu.
US, India cybersecurity player gets $50m Series B
US and India-based cyber risk management software-as-a-service platform Safe Security has closed a USD 50m Series B round led by Sorenson Capital.
US climate VC leads round for Australia lithium player
Lowercarbon Capital, a US-based VC firm specialising in climate, has led a AUD 23m (USD 15.5m) Series A round for Australian lithium production services company Novalith Technologies.
Deal focus: Bibo puts the smart into chassis
Tsinghua University spinout Bibo has stolen a march on its local rivals in developing a specific electric vehicle component that has a large addressable market and serves as an import substitution play
Q&A: Vitalbridge Capital’s Jinjian Zhang
Jinjian Zhang, founder of Chinese VC firm Vitalbridge Capital, on addressing domestic turbulence, getting investors to reengage on China, and where he sees opportunities in Southeast Asia
Nio Capital, Xiaomo back China 4D radar start-up Sinpro
Sinpro, a China-based developer of hardware sensor products, has raised a Series A amounting to several hundred million renminbi led by Nio Capital and Xiaomi.
Australia's Milkrun winds down, founder defends business model
The founder of Australian grocery delivery business Milkrun, which announced that it would shutter last week amid challenging market conditions, has defended the start-up’s business model and claimed that its impact on the industry will be long-lasting.
China automotive parts supplier Bibo raises $29m
Nio Capital and Hangzhou-based Orient Jiafu Asset Management have led a CNY 200m (USD 29m) Series A round for Bibo, a China-based automotive parts supplier.