Early-stage
China agricultural services platform secures $29m round
Orchid Asia Group and China Growth Capital have jointly led a RMB200 million ($29 million) Series B round for Dafengshou, a Shenzhen-based agricultural supply chain service online platform. Existing investor Matrix Partners also participated.
Lightspeed leads $4m Series A for India's Darwinbox
Lightspeed India Partners has led a $4 million Series A round for Indian human resources (HR) services platform operator Darwinbox.
Southeast Asia tourism: Thinking small
Travel start-ups in Southeast Asia are attracting scattered but enthusiastic interest from venture capital investors. Success in navigating the sector’s early days will be a matter of niche targeting
China’s BeauCare Clinics secures $29m Series B
BeauCare Clinics, a Chinese plastic surgery clinic chain, has raised RMB200 million ($29 million) in a Series B round of funding led by GP Capital.
Canadian AI player raises $102m Series A for Asia push
China’s Tencent Holdings and Korea’s Hanwha Investment have backed a $102 million Asian expansion drive by Canadian artificial intelligence developer Element AI. It is said to be the largest Series A round ever raised by an AI company.
China C2C used car platform Guazi raises $400m
Guazi, an online consumer-to-consumer (C2C) used car trading platform that spun out from US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com, has completed a $400 million Series B round led by existing investor Sequoia Capital China.
KKR founders, Fosun join $22m round for Japan's Seven Dreamers
KKR co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts have joined a group of investors including Chinese conglomerate Fosun International in a JPY2.5 billion ($22.8 million) round for Seven Dreamers Laboratories, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal-use devices.
Sequoia leads $9m Series A for India's MoneyTap
Sequoia Capital India has led a $9 million Series A round for domestic financial technology start-up MoneyTap.
VCs in $15m round for China software start-up PingCap
PingCap, a Beijing-based start-up that provides database solutions for enterprise customers, has secured a $15 million Series B round led by China Growth Capital.
Intudo closes debut Indonesia-focused VC fund
Intudo Ventures, a newly-formed Indonesia-focused VC firm, has raised $10 million for its debut fund that will co-found and invest in early-stage companies.
Nexus, Founders Fund invest $7m in India's HyperTrack
Nexus Venture Partners and Founders Fund have committed $7 million in Series A funding to Indian location-tracking tool developer HyperTrack.
Japan technology: Light switch
OLED technology is seen as a quantum leap forward for digital panels, but VC investors are reluctant to get on board. Japan may have to overcome this hesitancy to maintain market share in high-end electronics
Australia's Rokt closes Series B at $26m
Australian digital marketing services company Rokt has closed a Series B funding round at $26 million led by Moelis Australia Asset Management.
Qiming’s US healthcare fund backs Harvard spin-out
Qiming US Healthcare Fund, a sector specialist vehicle launched by China’s Qiming Venture Partners, has led a $10 million Series A round for Platelet BioGenesis, a Harvard University spin-out that builds human platelets from stem cells.
Chinese agricultural drone platform secures Series A round
Farm Friend, a Beijing-based agricultural drone services platform, has raised a RMB50 million ($7 million) Series A round led by Gobi Partners.
Singapore's VC-backed MoneySmart gets $10m Series B
MoneySmart, a personal finance portal backed by Golden Gate Ventures, has received a $10 million Series B funding round led by Japanese shopping price comparison site operator Kakaku.
Qualgro leads $8m Series B for Singapore's Wavecell
Singapore-based cloud communications platform Wavecell has raised an $8.2 million Series B round led by Qualgro, a VC firm active in Southeast Asia and Australia.
Deal focus: IP Group targets tech commercialization
IP Group has built a business in the UK and US working with universities to turn academic ideas into investable business models. It has now raised $149 million for expansion in Australia and New Zealand
Gobi leads $6m round for Malaysia's Carsome
Gobi Partners has led a $6 million funding round for Malaysia-based online used car purchasing platform Carsome.
Q&A: Vertex Ventures' Ben Mathias
Ben Mathias, managing director and head of India at Temasek Holdings-backed Vertex Ventures, discusses the firm’s priorities for adding value to Indian start-ups looking to the global stage
Australian VCs invest $16m in domestic drug developer
Australian VC investors Brandon Capital and Uniseed have committed $16 million to Que Oncology, a clinical-stage drug development company established by the University of Queensland (UQ) and US-based Emory University.
OneVentures invests $7.4m in Australia’s Prota Therapeutics
Australia’s OneVentures has invested A$10 million ($7.4 million) in Prota Therapeutics, a domestic immunotherapy technology developer aiming to commercialize new peanut allergy treatments for children.
OrbiMed leads $19m round for Sino-US drug developer
OrbiMed Asia Partners has led a $19 million Series B round of funding for InventisBio, a pharmaceutical developer based in Shanghai with operations in China and the US.
Temasek, Telstra back $149m Australian innovation push
IP Group, which specializes in commercializing intellectual property, has raised a new round of funding from investors including Temasek Holdings and Telstra Super, and pledged to invest A$200 million ($149 million) in Australia and New Zealand.