Expansion
Mekong invests $25m in Vietnam insect feed company
Vietnam private equity firm Mekong Capital has invested USD 25m Entobel, a company that makes insect-based ingredients for the animal feed, pet food, and fertiliser industries.
LeapFrog leads $61m investment in India's Redcliffe Lifetech
LeapFrog Investments has led a USD 61m round for India’s Redcliffe Lifetech, a diagnostics platform focused on non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Korean home interiors start-up gets $182m Series D
OHouse, a consumer-facing platform in South Korea used for sourcing materials and services relating to home furnishing and interior decorating, has raised USD 182m in Series D funding.
Square Peg backs US, Malaysia-based LottieFiles
Square Peg Capital has led a USD 37m Series B round for US and Malaysia-based motion graphics platform LottieFiles.
India dental start-up Toothsi raises $40m Series C
India’s Toothsi, a direct-to-consumer start-up that makes own-branded transparent dental aligners and braces, has raised a USD 40m Series C round featuring Eight Roads Ventures.
Tiger backs India's Open Financial at $1b valuation
Indian digital banking start-up Open Financial Technologies has received funding from Tiger Global Management, Temasek Holdings, 3one 4 Capital, and IIFL at a valuation of USD 1bn.
Deal focus: Laiye leverages European connections
M&A helped Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Laiye develop its product and gain a foothold in Europe. With more than USD 160m in Series C funding, the company is aggressively targeting global expansion
India's Turtlemint closes $120m Series D
Amansa Capital, Jungle Ventures, and Nexus Venture Partners have led a USD 120m Series E round for Indian online insurance broker Turtlemint, taking its valuation close to the USD 1bn mark.
China's VisionNav Robotics raises $80m
5Y Capital and Meituan, China’s leading online-to-offline services provider, have led a USD 80m Series C extension for VisionNav Robotics, a local manufacturer of driverless industrial vehicles.
Vulcan leads $65m Series B for Singapore's Bandlab
Vulcan Capital, an investment vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has led a USD 65m Series B round for Singapore-based social music platform BandLab.
Deal focus: Goldman embraces Japan robotics
Rapyuta Robotics offers solutions flexible enough to plug into existing warehouse infrastructure and nurtures ambitions to create a cloud-based operating system. This was enough to win over Goldman Sachs
China RPA player Shadowbot raises $100m
Shadowbot, a China-based robotic process automation (RPA) service provider, has raised USD 100m in its Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs and an undisclosed corporate venture capital investor.
General Atlantic leads $300m Series D for Biofourmis
Biofourmis, a Singapore founded and now US-based operator of a health analytics platform, has achieved unicorn status with the closing of a USD 300m Series D round led by General Atlantic.
Vision Fund backs Japan's AI Medical Service
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a JPY 8bn (USD 70m) Series C funding round for AI Medical Service, a Tokyo-based medical technology company that has developed an artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) endoscopy diagnostic solution.
Venturi leads $55m Series C for Singapore's Believe
Venturi Partners, a consumer-focused investment firm established by a former Verlinvest executive in Asia, has led a USD 55m Series C round for Believe, a Singapore-based consumer products company aimed at Muslim consumers.
China virotherapy specialist Binhui Biopharm raises $47m
Binhui Biopharm, a Chinese biotech firm specialising in oncolytic virus immune-oncology, has raised CNY 300m (USD 47m) in an extended Series B round led by Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group.
China automation specialist Laiye raises $70m
Laiye Technology, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up specialising in robotic process automation (RPA), has raised another extension - of USD 70m - to its Series C round. Hopu Investment took the lead.
Nuveen leads $50m round for India MSME lender Kinara
Kinara Capital, an Indian non-banking financing company (NBFC) that lends to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) has received USD 50m in funding led by Nuveen, the impact unit of Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America (TIAA)....
Goldman leads Series C for Japan's Rapyuta Robotics
Goldman Sachs has led a USD 51m Series C round for Rapyuta Robotics, a Japan-based developer of collaborative pick-assist robots commonly used in warehouses.
Singapore's Coda Payments raises $690m
Singapore-based Coda Payments, a financial technology start-up that helps digital content providers accept payments, has raised USD 690m from Smash Capital, Insight Partners and GIC.
Swiggy leads $180m Series D for India's Rapido
Indian motorcycle taxi platform Rapido has raised USD 180m in Series D funding led by local on-demand delivery platform Swiggy.
Lighthouse leads $65m round for India's Medikabazaar
Lighthouse Funds has led a USD 65m funding round for Medikabazaar, an India-based B2B medical supplies marketplace, at a valuation of USD 700m.
China consumer: Brand power vs traffic might
Private equity investment in China’s consumer sector has fluctuated over the past 18 months in line with the fortunes of portfolio companies. Applying TMT logic to brand building didn’t help
China game engine developer Cocos raises $50m
Cocos Technology, a China-based game engine developer, has raised USD 50m in Series B round from CCB Trust, GGV Capital, and voice and video communication platform Agora.