Expansion
Data infrastructure: Steel and thin air
Wrongly dismissed as a mere communications upgrade, data infrastructure is a new asset sub-class unto itself. A growing field of investors is recognizing the evolving opportunity set
GA, Hillhouse lead $120m Series C for Chinese co-working space
MyDreamPlus, a Beijing-based co-working space provider, has raised $120 million in Series C funding led by General Atlantic (GA) and Hillhouse Capital.
Walmart, JD.com commit $500m to China grocery delivery business
US retailer Walmart and its Chinese online counterpart JD.com have led a $500 million funding round for Dada-JD Daojia, a Chinese online grocery delivery service.
India's Epiq closes first three investments
Epiq Capital, an India-focused private equity firm founded by Matrix Partners India co-founder Rishi Navani, has completed its first three investments in eyewear retailer Lenskart Solutions, financial technology company Mswipe, and online home rental...
Hong Kong's Klook gets $200m Series D
Hong Kong travel services company Klook has closed a $200 million Series D funding round from a group of investors including Sequoia Capital China, Matrix Partners, and Goldman Sachs.
Chinese P2P lending player Dianrong gets $40m
Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending business Dianrong has received $40 million in funding from Dalian Financial Industry Investment Group – a joint venture investment platform established by Orix Group and the Dalian city government – against a backdrop...
India's Shadowfax raises $22m Series C
Shadowfax, an Indian online-to-offline (O2O) logistics provider focused on hyperlocal delivery, has raised a $22 million Series C round led by Nokia Growth Partners (NGP).
GLP invests $58m in China's Wangjiahuan
GLP, a private equity-owned warehouse operator based in Singapore, has invested RMB400 million ($58 million) in Chinese agricultural products distributor Wangjiahuan.
VCs commit $22m to China laser developer
SDIC Fund Management, a GP under China’s State Development and Investment Corporation (SDIC), along with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Suzhou Chengxin Venture Capital, has invested RMB150 million ($22 million) in Everbright Photonics, a maker...
Legend Capital invests in talent agency CAA's China unit
Legend Capital has taken an equity interest in the China unit of Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA), having facilitated a merger with Momentum Sports, a sports marketing and consulting business in which it is an investor.
CVC invests $255m in China toll road operator
CVC Capital Partners has agreed to invest HK$2 billion ($255 million) in RKE International Holdings, a Chinese toll road operator and subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed property development and infrastructure conglomerate Road King Infrastructure (RKI).
Chinese electric car maker Xpeng raises $587m
Primavera Capital Group and Morningside Ventures have led a RMB4 billion ($587 million) Series B-plus funding round for Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng Motors, working alongside the company’s chairman and CEO, Xiaopeng He.
SE Asia's Grab raises $2b in Toyota-led funding round
Southeast Asia-focused ride-hailing business Grab has raised $2 billion in its latest round of funding led by Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation and involving a number of other global investors.
China’s 51Zhaoyou gets $150m in Series C funding
Chinese B2B oil trading platform 51Zhaoyou.com has raised $150 million across two tranches of Series C funding.
PE and tech investment: The late show
Private equity firms are participating in late-stage rounds in Asia’s technology space as they look to gain a toehold in start-ups with the potential to transform economies. But do the valuations make sense?
China's Kemei Biotechnology raises $294m round
Legend Capital and Huaxing Healthcare Fund – a private equity arm of financial advisor China Renaissance – have led a RMB2 billion ($294 million) investment in Beijing Kemei Biotechnology, a Chinese in vitro diagnostics business.
TPG leads $100m round for India's Five Star
TPG Capital has led a $100 million funding round for Five Star Business Finance, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) focused on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in south India.
Accel, Sequoia lead $100m round for US, India-based Freshworks
Freshworks, a cloud business software developer based in India and the US, has raised a $100 million funding round led by Accel Partners and Sequoia Capital.
IDG, Accel, Kalaari lead $120m round for India's CureFit
IDG Ventures, Accel Partners, and Kalaari Capital have led a $120 million Series C round for CureFit, a health and fitness app developer based in India.
Chinese cosmetic surgery app raises $50m Series D1 round
Hong Kong-listed photo editing and social networking app Meitu and a fund-of-funds managed by Shenzhen-based DH Fund have committed $50 million in Series D1 funding to Gengmei, a Chinese information platform that focuses on cosmetic surgery.
Singapore’s C88 gets $28m Series C round
Data and financial services company Experian has led a group of investors, including Monk’s Hill Ventures and Telstra Ventures, in a $28 million Series C round for Singapore’s C88 Financial Technologies.
Gaja invests $25m in India's Educational Initiatives
Gaja Capital has made a commitment of $25 million to Educational Initiatives (EI), an India-based developer of educational technology and assessment tools.
Singapore VC-backed hotel chain gains $15m strategic investment
Zen Rooms, a budget hotel operator and online booking platform based in Singapore, has raised a $15 million from Korean online-to-offline (O2O) local services platform Yanolja.
WeWork raises $500m for China unit
Trustbridge Partners, Temasek Holdings, SoftBank Group and the SoftBank Vision Fund, and Hony Capital have led a $500 million Series B round for the China branch of US-based co-working space operator WeWork.
