Early-stage
Singapore to launch $76m IP commercialization vehicle
Singapore will support local start-ups through a S$100 million ($76 million) intellectual property (IP) commercialization fund, with Temasek Holdings set to provide at least half the capital.
Dell Foundation in $13.5m round for Indian edtech start-up
Indian education technology start-up IMAX Program has received a $13.5 million funding round from a group of venture investors including the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (MSDF).
India's HealthifyMe gets $12m Series B
Sistema Asia Fund, a VC unit of Russian conglomerate Sistema, has led a $12 million Series B funding round for Indian fitness lifestyle app operator HealthifyMe.
Sinovation seeks $500m for China fund
Chinese early-stage venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures is looking to raise $500 million for its fourth US dollar-denominated fund.
Vivo leads $55m round for China’s Innocare
Sino-US healthcare specialist Vivo Capital has led a $55 million round of funding for Beijing Innocare, a biopharmaceutical company that develops treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases.
NAB Ventures backs $4.6m round for Australia's ActivePipe
NAB Ventures, a unit of National Australia Bank (NAB), has invested A$5.9 million ($4.6 million) in ActivePipe, a Melbourne-based software supplier for the real estate industry.
Sailing invests $30.6m in China-US biopharma player
Sailing Capital has invested $30.6 million in Cellular Biomedicine Group (CBMG), a China and US-based biopharmaceutical company focused on immunotherapy cancer treatments.
VCs back New Zealand supercomputing company
A group of VCs including Tokyo-headquartered East Ventures has completed an $8.5 million Series A round for New Zealand big data computing company Nyriad.
VCs back $41m investment in Japan's WealthNavi
Japanese financial technology company WealthNavi has raised JPY4.5 billion ($41.3 million) through a combination of domestic venture capital funding and loans from financial institutions.
EDBI joins $100m Series B for flying taxi start-up
Singapore’s EDBI has joined a group of venture investors in a $200 million Series B round for US-based Joby Aviation, a developer of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft envisioned for use as taxis.
Baidu Ventures makes $318m first close on AI fund
Baidu Ventures, an independent VC firm set up by Chinese internet player Baidu, has achieved a first close of more than RMB2 billion ($318 million) on its second renminbi-denominated fund that focuses on artificial intelligence (AI).
China’s Legend Star closes $127m VC fund
Legend Star, the early-stage investment arm of China’s Legend Holdings, has closed its third VC fund at RMB800 million ($127 million).
NSI in $13m round for Singapore's Love Bonito
NSI Ventures has taken part in a $13 million Series B round of funding for Singapore-based lifestyle brand Love Bonito.
Chinese auto financing site raises $92m Series B round
Meliche Jinrong, the online auto finance subsidiary of Chinese consumer loans site Meili Jinrong, has raised a $92 million Series B round led by local agribusiness player New Hope Group.
Asia VCs invest $10m in US-Singapore biotech player
A group of VCs led by China’s 6 Dimensions Capital and Sino-US investor Danhua Capital (DHVC) has committed $10 million to US and Singapore-based Engine Biosciences.
Japan Post entities form joint PE investment unit - update
Japan Post Bank and Japan Post Insurance have agreed to form a joint asset management company that will make direct private equity investments, mostly in partnership with GPs.
Vertex leads $5m round for Malaysia's StoreHub
StoreHub, a Malaysia-based business that helps retailers digitize their operations, has raised a $5.1 million Series A round of funding led by Vertex Ventures.
VCs back Singapore's Bluzelle in $19.5m ICO
A group of venture capital firms specializing in blockchain technologies, including Hong Kong’s Kenetic Capital, has joined a $19.5 million initial coin offering (ICO) investment in Singapore-based database provider Bluzelle.
Unilever invests in online India grocery market
Unilever Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Unilever, has committed $3 million in pre-Series A funding to Indian grocery delivery start-up Milkbasket.
Atinum leads $9m round for Korean fintech player
Korean venture capital firm Atinum Investment has led a KRW10 billion ($9.4 million) funding round for domestic financial technology company Tera Funding.
China fintech: Follow the consumer
A crackdown on cash loans has undermined investor confidence in China’s fast-growing online consumer-lending market. However, VC players are confident that start-ups can find other angles
Southeast Asia logistics firm Ninja Van secures Series C
Ninja Van, a Singapore-headquartered last-mile logistics services provider with regional presence, has completed a Series C round of funding.
Profile: IvyCap Ventures' Vikram Gupta
Vikram Gupta, founder of IvyCap Ventures, helped shape India’s scholarly start-up ecosystem by interweaving a passion for entrepreneurialism with his roots in scientific academia
Joy leads $20m round for Chinese e-commerce site
Joy Capital has led a $20 million round of funding for The Good Stuff, an e-commerce start-up that uses online influencers to sell products.