Expansion
China autonomous truck player Inceptio secures $120m
Inceptio, a Chinese autonomous driving technology provider focusing on line-haul trucking has raised $120 million in funding led by domestic vehicle battery manufacturer CATL.
Hillhouse, Boyu, CareCapital back condom maker
Chinese private equity firms Hillhouse Capital, Boyu Capital and CareCapital Partners, a specialist dental and consumer health investor, have paid $200 million for a 40% stake in condom brand LifeStyles.
India supply chain player Xpressbees raises $110m
Indian e-commerce delivery start-up Xpressbees has raised INR8 billion ($110 million) from Investcorp, Norwest Venture Partners, and Gaja Capital.
China's Pony.ai hits $5.3b valuation with OTPP-led round
Canada’s Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board (OTTP) has led a $267 million Series C round for Chinese autonomous driving technology supplier Pony.ai at a post-money valuation of $5.3 billion.
Cell analysis player Cytek raises $120m Series D
RA Capital and Hillhouse Capital have led a $120 million Series D round for Cytek Biosciences, a California-based cell analysis start-up founded by a former professor at Shanghai's Fudan University.
Saudi fund invests $1.3b in India's Reliance Retail
Saudi Arabia’s Public investment Fund (PIF) has invested INR95.5 billion ($1.3 billion) in India’s Reliance Retail, taking a 2% stake.
China math tuition platform VIPThink secures $180m
VIPThink, a Guangzhou-based online mathematics teaching platform for kids, which is also known as Wandou Siwei, has received $180 million in Series C funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund.
China e-signature business raises $150m Series D
Shenzhen Capital Group, Evergrande High-tech Group and Fortune Capital have participated in a RMB1 billion ($150 million) Series D round for eSign, a China-based electronic signature service provider.
Vision Plus, CYTS lead round for China hotel marketing player
Zhiketong – a WeChat-based direct sales and marketing service for high-end hotels – has raised $50 million in its Series D round led by Vision Plus Capital and CYTS Hongqi Fund.
Deal focus: Iron Pillar demonstrates conviction in FreshToHome
Social distancing is driving demand for FreshToHome's farm-to-fork fish and meat supply chain offering. The company's $121 million Series C will go towards expansion in India and the Middle East
Q&A: Investcorp's Duncan Zheng
Duncan Zheng, head of China private equity at Investcorp, observes that COVID-19 dislocation has created some timely inroads as the firm’s broader expansion agenda ramps up
Model behavior: China to Southeast Asia tech transplants
Plenty of internet start-ups in Southeast Asia have been inspired by Chinese forebears, but transplanting ideas from one market to another is often fraught with complications
China's CARsgen raises $186m Series C
Chinese biotech player CARsgen Therapeutics has raised $186 million in Series C funding led by Loyal Valley Capital.
Asia e-sports: Pumping up in a timeout
A recent slew of deals targeting e-sports in Asia has coincided with the live events that generate most of the industry's revenue going on hiatus. Investors appear happy to play the long game
Australia HR start-up Flare raises $16m
KKR-owned accounting services providers MYOB has led a A$22 million ($16 million) Series C round for Australian HR technology start-up Flare.
Chinese O2O retail platform Dmall gets $418m Series C
Dmall, a Chinese digital solutions provider for traditional retailers, has raised a Series C of RMB2.8 billion ($419 million) led by Industrial Bank and China Structural Reform Fund at a valuation of $2 billion.
Deal focus: Proterra whisks Asia supply chain for Eat Just
With China consuming more eggs per capita than its Western peers, Proterra Investment Partners sees strong growth potential for plant-based substitute Just Egg. The GP has committed $100 million to an Asia supply chain roll-out
China biotech player Genecast raises $149m Series E
Genecast Biotechnology, a Chinese gene sequencing and precision diagnostics company, has closed a RMB1 billion ($149 million) Series E funding round led by China Structural Reform Fund.
YF Capital leads $315m Series E for China MRO player
Zhenkunhang, a China-based distribution platform for industrial products, has raised $315 million Series E funding led by YF Capital - previously Yunfeng Capital - a private equity firm co-founded by Alibaba’s Jack Ma.
Japan logistics tech provider raises $16.7m
Japanese logistics technology start-up Openlogi has raised JPY1.7 billion ($16.7 million) in an ongoing Series C round featuring Sumitomo Corporation.
India's FreshToHome raises $121m Series C
FreshToHome, an Indian food delivery platform backed by local VCs Iron Pillar and Ascent Capital, has raised a $121 million Series C round.
Australia's SafetyCulture raises a further $35m
Blackbird Ventures has led a A$48.5 million ($35 million) round for Australian workplace safety platform SafetyCulture. It comes six months after a Series C investment of similar size.
Square Peg joins $80m Series D for Australia's Rokt
Square Peg Capital and TDM Growth Partners have joined an $80 million Series D round for Australia e-commerce marketing technology provider Rokt.
Proterra supports plant-based egg start-up's Asia rollout
A consortium led by Proterra Investment Partners has committed $100 million to the establishment of an Asian unit of Eat Just, the company behind the US vegan egg substitute brand Just Egg.