Expansion
AVCJ Awards 2020: Responsible Investment: Canvest Environment
Olympus Capital has guided China’s Canvest Environment from polluting waste-to-energy minnow to category leader in operational scope and sustainability credentials
Southeast Asia's shadow capital: Out of the darkness
Shadow capital – non-traditional pools of money held by sovereigns and corporates – has become a fixture in Southeast Asia’s tech space. Start-ups stand to benefit, but they must pick partners with care
India’s Zetwerk secures $120m Series D
India’s Zetwerk, a marketplace for the outsourcing of small manufacturing jobs, has raised a $120 million Series D round led by US-based Greenoaks Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
China gas station location platform Newlink raises $100m
Newlink Group, operator of a platform that helps drivers in China locate the best value gas stations, has raised $100 million in funding led by CMB International. Other investors include Hongtai Capital, Joy Capital and Nio Capital.
AVCJ Awards 2020: Deal of the Year - Large Cap: Jio Platforms
Jio Platforms has attracted an array of global investors as its digital ecosystem designs come into focus. L Catterton Asia adds consumer clout to the infrastructural proceedings
China's Didi raises $300m for autonomous driving unit
Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing has raised $300 million for its autonomous driving unit, with IDG Capital taking the lead.
Tencent backs China enterprise training start-up
Yunxuetang, a Chinese online corporate training services provider, has raised more than $100 million in the first tranche of Series E round led by Tencent Holdings.
China chip designer Memsic raises $155m
Memsic, a Chinese semiconductor design company that was privatized with support from IDG Capital in 2013, has raised more than RMB1 billion ($155 million) led by an industry fund under Hangzhou Fortuna Investment Management.
General Atlantic backs Indonesia biotech developer
General Atlantic has invested $55 million in Kalbe Genexine Biologics, an Indonesia-based drug developer focusing on Southeast Asia.
Aspex leads $200m Series E for Hong Kong's Klook
Aspex Management has led a $200 million Series E round for Klook as the Hong Kong travel app pivots to domestic holiday services during a freeze in international tourism.
China online education: Class war
K-12 online education in China is a battle for market share that only the largest players can afford to play. Investors can either get comfortable with high-cash-burn or look for niche exposure
AVCJ Awards 2020: Deal of the Year - Mid Cap: Perfect Diary
Perfect Diary’s $100 million Series D round came after the Chinese company proved itself with multiple hit color cosmetics brands and eight months ahead of a bumper US listing
Morgan Stanley backs India logistics provider
Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Fund has invested INR1.8 billion ($25 million) in Leap India, a supply chain services provider focused on cost reduction through pallet pooling.
China math tuition platform adds $150m to Series E
Huohua Siwei, a China-based children's online education platform specializing in mathematics and science, has raised $150 million in the third tranche of the Series E round, taking the overall total to $400 million.
China AI specialist 4Paradigm receives $700m Series D
Boyu Capital, Primavera Capital Group, and Hopu Investments have led a $700 million Series D round for 4Paradigm, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer that serves enterprise customers.
Chinese financial education start-up raises $100m
Erwan Technology, a China-based wealth management education platform, has secured nearly $100 million in funding across Series D and E rounds.
Dimension leads $48m round for Japan's Nyle
Japanese VC firm Dimension has led a JPY5 billion ($48.3 million) round for local digital marketing and mobile media business Nyle.
China's BangEr Orthopedic raises $46m
Chinese hospital chain operator BangEr Orthopedic has raised a RMB300 million ($46 million) Series D round led by Fortune Capital and Cenova Capital.
Salesforce invests $15m in India's Darwinbox
Salesforce Ventures has invested $15 million in Darwinbox as part of the Indian staff management technology provider's latest growth round. It brings funds raised to date to about $35 million.
Prosus leads $30m Series C for India agtech start-up
Prosus Ventures, formerly a VC arm of South African media conglomerate Naspers, has led a $30 million Series C round for Indian agricultural technology provider DeHaat.
Asia PE investment ends 2020 on a tear
A fourth-quarter surge in growth-stage deal-making took Asia private equity investment to $198.5 billion in 2020, comfortably surpassing the previous year’s total despite the strictures of COVID-19.
Hillhouse founder bullish on China life sciences
Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Hillhouse Capital, emphasized the opportunities at the nexus of life sciences and artificial intelligence-enabled supercomputing, while describing his firm as “probably the largest investor in healthcare in China.”
Navis invests in Singapore fintech supplier Moneythor
Navis Capital Partners has made an investment of undisclosed size in Moneythor, a Singapore financial technology supplier focused on digital banking.
China-based English learning platform raises $100m
Tencent Holdings and Trustbridge Partners have led a $100 million Series C funding round for Jiliguala, a Shanghai-based online English learning platform.