Expansion
India's Grofers raises $35m Series B from Tiger, Sequoia
India-based online grocery marketplace Grofers has raised a Series B round of funding worth $35 million from Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital.
Accel, Recruit Holdings back Australia's 99designs
Australia-founded online design marketplace 99designs has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Recruit Strategic Partners, with existing investor Accel Partners also participating.
Dianping secures $850m pre-IPO round
Having raised $850 million - the largest disclosed round for a Chinese tech start-up so far this year – in a matter of months, Dianping is now thought to be nearing an IPO. The investment values the 12-year-old company, described as a Chinese version...
First quarter analysis: Slow start
Slower investment in the first quarter is either an historical norm or a worrying sign; fundraising flies by for the few, the majority still struggle; Asia’s exit bonanza comes to a sudden stop as trade sales weaken
Templeton leads $15m Series C for Vietnam restaurant operator
Vietnamese restaurant operator Huy Vietnam has raised a $15 million Series C round of funding led by Templeton Asset Management. Hong Kong-based firms Welkin Capital and Prosperous Alliance also took part in the round.
China's Renren leads $70m round for US mortgage marketplace
Chinese social networking platform Renren has led a $70 million Series C round for US-based mortgage marketplace LendingHome, bringing the total raised by the company to $109.3 million.
Dragoneer leads $10m round for India's ZopNow
Dragoneer Investment Group has led $10 million funding round for Indian online grocery retailer ZopNow. Existing investors Accel Partners, Qualcomm Ventures and Times Internet also participated.
India's Zomato raises $50m from Info Edge
Indian online restaurant and event guide Zomato has raised INR3.11 billion ($50 million) in a funding round led by existing investor Info Edge.
Sequoia, TR lead $50m Series C for India's Urban Ladder
Urban Ladder, which claims to be India’s leading furniture-focused online retailer, has received $50 million in a Series C round of funding led by Sequoia Capital and TR Capital.
India digital wallet app MobiKwik gets $25m Series C round
India-based digital wallet app developer MobiKwik has raised $25 million in a Series C round led by Tree Line Asia.
Ascendent seeks $500m for second China fund
China-focused GP Ascendent Capital Partners has set a target of $500 million for its second fund.
PE-backed film studio gets funding from China's Huayi
STX Entertainment, a Hollywood studio set up with support from Hony Capital and TPG Capital, has secured a three-year financing deal with China’s Huayi Brothers Media Corp. to release 12-15 movies a year by 2016.
India's AppsDaily raises 16m Series C from Zodius, others
Zodius Capital has led a $16 million Series C round for Indian mobile app developer and distributor AppsDaily, with participation by current investors Kalaari Capital, ru-Net Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
Mayfield, Kalaari back India-based travel itinerary site
Kalaari Capital and Mayfield have committed $3 million in Series B funding to Indian travel planning site TripHobo.
China exits: Liquidity lags
Despite the return of domestic listings, many China PE investors are struggling on distributions. Much rests on the success of IPO reforms, the ability to execute trade sales, and an unblocking of the secondary market
India microfinance: Acorns to oaks
Several large funding rounds – plus the birth of a new bank – have shown how far India’s microfinance institutions have come in just four years. But more is to come, and more VC backing will be required
China's middle market: Small is beautiful
What has become of China's middle-market GPs? Twelve managers reached final closes in 2014 of $301-750 million. All bar two of them were raising venture capital funds.
PEs seek a harvest in rural India
A tractor is one of the most versatile tools on a farm, but it is out of reach for many in rural India because they have no access to credit.
CDH participates in $483m round for Chinese P2P lending platform
CDH Investments has participated in a RMB3 billion round ($483 million) round of funding for Shanghai Lujiazui International Financial Asset Exchange (Lufax), a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform controlled by Ping An Insurance Group.
TA sees promise in YeePay's offline offering
China's third-party online market hit RMB8.08 trillion ($1.3 trillion) by gross merchandise volume (GMV) last year. Alipay, Alibaba Group's payment platform, is the dominant player with a 49.6% share, according to consultancy iResearch. Tencent Holdings'...
India's Premji and China's Tencent back US mobile OS start-up
Premji Invest, the family office of Wipro Enterprises chairman Azim Premji, led an $80 million Series C round for US mobile operating system developer Cyanogen.
CDH bets on Aver Asia's diversity
Southeast Asia-based equipment leasing business Aver Asia Corporation has no revenues or supplier relationships in China there is no desire to expand into the country. Yet when the company required capital, it turned to CDH Investments, a long-standing...
Portfolio: CHAMP Private Equity and Accolade
For a long time the UK and Australia operations of US wine giant Constellation Brands had been a drain on the parent company. Nevertheless, CHAMP Private Equity saw the potential for a category leader
Malaysia's Ekuinas buys mobile payments firm, school chain
Ekuinas, the Malaysian government-backed private equity investor, has acquired two companies - mobile payment platform Tranglo and private school chain Tenby Educare - for a total MYR124 million($33.8 million).