Expansion
Temasek, Hillhouse lead $150m round for China’s Aiwujiwu
Aiwujiwu, a Chinese rental and second-home listings portal, has completed a Series E round of funding worth $150 million round led by Temasek Holdings and Hillhouse Capital.
IFC to invest $7m in VC-backed CL Educate
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) will invest $7 million in India's CL Educate, an education services company backed by Gaja Capital.
Sailing supports securities JV in Shanghai Free Trade Zone
Sailing Capital, a private equity firm backed by Shanghai International Group, has agreed to invest in a joint venture securities company based in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone.
Indonesia's Bhinneka gets $22m from Ideosource
Indonesia-based venture capital firm Ideosource has committed $22 million to online electronics retailer Bhinneka.
Tencent leads $31m round for Chinese online grocer
Tencent Holdings has led a RMB200 million ($31 million) for Miss Fresh, a Chinese online grocery retailer.
SAIF in $6m round for India's Chef's Basket
SAIF Partners has participated in a $6 million Series A round for Indian start-up Fizzy Foodlabs, which operates the Chef's Basket packaged food brand.
Deal focus: KKR eyes Asia content
KKR teams up with The Chernin Group to create Emerald Media, a growth investment platform dedicated to Asia's media and entertainment industry
Tiantu leads Series C round for China cosmetics retailer
China consumer-focused GP Tiantu Capital has led a Series C round of funding for Meilapp, a mobile portal devoted to cosmetics and skincare.
Tsing Capital in $22m round for US-based QD Vision
China's Tsing Capital has co-led a $22 million round, with BASF Venture Capital, for QD Vision, a US-based display technology developer with sizeable exposure to Chinese manufacturers.
China Q&A platform Zhihu raises $55m
Tencent Holdings has led a $55 million Series C round of funding for Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to US-based Quora.
PE firms target China services sector liberalization - AVCJ Forum
The liberalization of China’s services sector represents a significant opportunity for private equity, although investors must think carefully about targeting appropriate areas and finding the right partners.
Taiwan AI start-up Appier raises $23m
Taipei-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Appier has raised $23 million in a Series B round of funding from UOB Venture Management, Sequoia India, Jafco Asia, TransLink Capital and MediaTek Ventures.
Southeast Asia cleantech: Shifting priorities?
Cleantech has struggled to establish itself in Southeast Asia due to lack of prioritization from both the public and private sectors. But investors can make headway if the projects appeal on a pragmatic basis
Q&A: Creador's Brahmal Vasudevan
Creador targets mid-market investments in Southeast Asia and India. CEO Brahmal Vasudevan explains why he sees limited competition outside of India, and why he’s excited about the Philippines
KKR commits $300m to Asia media investment platform
KKR has committed $300 million to a Emerald Media, an investment platform that will target media and entertainment opportunities across Asia. The Chernin Group is participating as a minority co-investor in the deal.
PE investors see opportunity amidst volatility - AVCJ Forum
Asian private equity is experiencing some volatility – driven in part by macroeconomic concerns and public markets turbulence – but investors told the AVCJ Forum that they are still finding ample opportunities.
Bain, Baring lead the way at AVCJ Awards
With four investments, four partial exits, two IPOs and a string of dividend payments over the past 12 months, Bain Capital was named firm of the year at the 2015 AVCJ Private Equity and Venture Capital Awards.
Oriza, Tencent, Alibaba join CMC investment platform
Oriza Holdings, Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group have jointly committed RMB10 billion ($1.6 billion) to CMC Holdings, a new investment platform launched by Ruigang Li, founder of Chinese media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners.
Tsinghua Unigroup buys 25% stake in Taiwan’s Powertech
Tsinghua Unigroup, an investment arm of China’s Tsinghua University, has agreed to pay $600 million for a 25% stake in Taiwan’s Powertech Technology, becoming the largest shareholder in the chip testing and packaging company.
Canada's Fairfax ups stake in ICICI Lombard
Canada-based Fairfax Financial Holdings has agreed to buy an additional 9% of ICICI Lombard General Insurance from ICICI Bank for approximately $234 million.
China cross-border e-commerce platform raises $30m
Bolome, a Shanghai-based cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised a $30 million Series B round of funding from Chinese and South Korean investors including search engine Baidu, LB Investment, Share Capital and Chengwei Capital.
Japan female-focused video ad network raises $6.6m
Jafco, TBS Innovation Partners and strategic investors iStyle and Excite Japan have invested JPY800 million ($6.6 million) in Open8, a Tokyo-based start-up that a video ad platform targeted at women.
Lilly Asia commits $15m to China cancer drug developer
Lilly Asia Venture has provided a Series A round of funding worth $15 million for MabSpace Bioscience, a China-based company focused on developing cancer therapies.
Indonesia’s restaurant discovery app secures $8m
Qraved, an Indonesia-based online restaurant booking platform, has secured an $8 million Series B round of funding co-led by US-based Richmond Global Ventures and China-based Gobi Partners.