Investments
China AI chip designer Vastai raises $50m
Vastai Technologies, a China-based chip designer, has raised $50 million in Series A funding led by video-sharing platform Kuaishou, Redpoint China Ventures, and 5Y Capital.
J-Star acquires Japanese homeware brand
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has acquired a controlling stake in local homeware brand Shirayuki Fuukin for an undisclosed sum.
China education SaaS player raises $225m
Eeo Education, a Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider to the education sector, has raised a $265 million Series C round led by Hillhouse Capital.
Faering backs India skincare start-up Pureplay
Faering Capital has led a INR1.1 billion ($14.9 million) Series B round for Pureplay Skin Sciences, an Indian direct-to-consumer beauty and hair care brand.
Deal focus: PingCap puts its head in the cloud
Real-time analytical support and limitless scale underpin the rise of Chinese cloud database provider PingCap. Will it be part of a new breed of local enterprise software giants?
Tiger, Dragoneer back India's Unacademy at $2b valuation
Indian online education business Unacademy has received funding from Tiger Global Management and Dragoneer Investment Group at a valuation of $2 billion, up from $1.4 billion in its previous round just two months ago.
MDI, Finch launch $40m ASEAN fund
MDI Ventures, the corporate VC arm of state-controlled Telkom Indonesia, has teamed up with financial technology investor Finch Capital to form a $40 million fund targeting early-stage investments in Southeast Asia.
Taiwan & tech tensions: Silicon island
Taiwan’s technology sector must play an awkward balancing game amid US-China tensions. This could be a surprisingly favorable position for opportunistic investment and global diversifications
Chinese vision therapy start-up Elumninex raises $50m
Chinese eye disease specialist Elumninex Biosciences has raised a $50 million Series A round led by GL Ventures, Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV), and Quan Capital.
Anacacia backs Australia's Pump Haircare
Anacacia Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Pump Haircare, an Australian organic hair products brand that is looking to further expand its online distribution channels.
Apis invests $35m in India's Cashfree
Apis Partners has invested $35 million in Indian digital payments services provider Cashfree as part of a Series B round also featuring Smilegate Investment and Y Combinator.
DST leads $200m Series E for India's Cars24
Russia’s DST Global has led a $200 million Series E round for Indian used car platform operator Cars24 at a valuation of more than $1 billion.
China trucking platform Manbang raises $1.7b
Manbang Group, China's so-called "Uber for trucks" that matches shippers with drivers and fleet operators, has raised a $1.7 billion round led by SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital China, Permira and Fidelity.
Sequoia leads $46m Series D for Chinese chip maker Yunyinggu
Yunyinggu, a Chinese manufacturer of integrated circuits used in flat screen displays, has raised RMB300 million ($46 million) in Series D funding led by Sequoia Capital China.
Baring Asia leads $198m round for Chinese coding start-up
Codemao, a Chinese online education platform that teaches coding to children, has raised RMB1.3 billion ($198 million) in Series D funding led by Baring Private Equity Asia.
India's Reliance Retail marks close of $6.4b fundraise
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has announced the completion of a funding round for its retail unit with INR472.7 billion ($6.4 billion) in commitments from eight investors.
India's True Balance gets $28m Series D
Indian financial technology provider True Balance has raised a $28 million Series D round from a group including SoftBank Ventures Asia.
China cloud database specialist PingCap raises $270m
PingCap, a China cloud database service provider, has raised a $270 million Series D round led by GGV Capital, Access Technology Venture, Anatole Investment, Jeneration Capital and 5Y Capital.
COVID-19 credit strategies must be flexible – AVCJ Forum
COVID-19 has emphasized the need for patience and mandate flexibility in private credit, industry participants told the AVCJ Forum.
Warburg Pincus, Advantage honored at AVCJ Awards
Warburg Pincus and Advantage Partners triumphed in the firm of the year categories at the 2020 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards, with The Carlyle Group and Affinity Equity Partners also among the winners with two trophies apiece.
Sequoia, Matrix back $200m Series A for China's D3 Bio
D3 Bio, a Chinese drug developer that studies and specifically targets areas where existing approaches to care are not delivering satisfactory outcomes, has raised $200 million in Series A funding.
KKR buys majority stake in New Zealand animal health business
KKR has acquired Argenta, a New Zealand-based animal health services provider, for an undisclosed sum.
Asia buyout managers see no shift in return targets - AVCJ Forum
Asia-focused buyout managers do not expect an economic downturn to impact the returns underwritten into investments at the portfolio level as long as leveraged financing remains competitively priced and new paths to liquidity continue to emerge.
Investcorp acquires Singapore food company Viz Branz
Investcorp has agreed to acquire Singapore-based Viz Branz, a cereal and beverage brands maker and distributor in China and Southeast Asia, for an undisclosed sum.