Investments
VIG makes second Korea funeral services acquisition
Korea’s VIG Partners has made the second investment from its fourth fund – which closed at $810 million in January – with an agreement to acquire Preedlife, the country’s leading funeral services provider.
Deal focus: Yuanfudao stakes its claim
Eight years old and yet to turn a profit, Chinese K-12 online education platform Yuanfudao is now valued at $7.8 billion. Investors say they are comfortable playing the long game
1Q analysis: Impact winter
As the coronavirus outbreak escalated into a global pandemic, what was a problem for China investors quickly spread into other geographies. Fundraising, investment and exits inevitably took a hit
Hong Kong online banking start-up Neat raises $11m
Neat, a Hong Kong-based financial services start-up targeting digital entrepreneurs, has raised an $11 million Series A round with support from Visa.
Matrix leads Series A for Indian quiz app
Zupee, a live quiz-based gaming app in India, has raised $8 million in a Series A round led by Matrix Partners India.
Macquarie buys Asia data center player Airtrunk
Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA) is leading a consortium to acquire an 88% stake in Asia-focused data center player AirTrunk at a valuation of A$3 billion ($1.9 billion).
TDM leads $35m round for Australia's SafetyCulture
Australia’s TDM Growth Partners has led a A$60 million ($35 million) Series C round for SafetyCulture, a locally-based software provider for safety compliance inspectors.
Sequoia leads $12m round for Indian agriculture marketplace
DeHaat, a marketplace and retailer for Indian farmers, has raised $12 million in a Series A round led by Sequoia Capital India.
China office decorating start-up gets Eight Roads backing
InDeco, a Chinese startup that offers one-stop commercial workspace decoration solutions, has raised $20 million in a Series C round led by Eight Roads Ventures.
Asia PE investment falls to six-year low in first quarter
Private equity fundraising, investment and exits all fell to multi-year lows in the first quarter of 2020 as the economic fallout from coronavirus outbreak forced investors to focus on existing portfolio exposure and made them wary of making new commitments....
Southeast Asia VC: Different strokes
Ahead of an expected increase in LP interest, Southeast Asian VCs vie to stand out from the crowd by fine-tuning strategies to capture the virtues of both generalists and specialists
Deal focus: TVS SCS targets supply chain upgrade
Gateway Partners is backing India's TVS Supply Chain Solutions to become more than just a traditional domestic logistics player
Hostplus backs $19m Series B for Australia's Myriota
Hostplus, an Australian superannuation fund known for its VC activity, has backed a $19.3 million Series B round for local space technology start-up Myriota.
CICC, GL Ventures join $66m round for Suzhou Ribo Life Science
Chinese drug developer Suzhou Ribo Life Science has raised RMB470 million ($66 million) in an extended Series C round led by China State-owned Capital Venture Capital Fund, CICC Capital and GL Ventures, the VC arm of Hillhouse Capital.
Chinese AI player Intellifusion raises $141m
Forebright Capital, Walden International and state-owned Utrust Fund have led a RMB1 billion ($141 million) pre-IPO round for Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer Intellifusion.
Korean investors contribute $43m to India's Swiggy
Ark Impact, Korea Investment Partners, Samsung Ventures and Mirae Asset Capital Markets joined a $43 million funding round for Indian food and grocery delivery platform Swiggy.
KKR joins $120m investment in Philippines' Voyager
KKR is re-upping in Philippines-based financial technology company Voyager Innovations as part of a $120 million growth round.
Korean GP invests $16m in electronics industry supplier
Moat Private Equity, a Korea GP set up last year, has taken an approximately 14% stake in KOSDAQ-listed electronics industry supplier Exax for KRW19.8 billion ($16 million).
Indian TPG-backed cosmetics player Nykaa gets $13m
Nykaa, an online retailer of cosmetic and fashion products in India, has raised INR1 billion ($13 million) in a funding round led by Steadview Capital.
Cross-border tech pollination: Mutually assured disruption
Southeast Asia and Latin America are trying to leverage complementary aspects of their start-up ecosystems, much like China and Africa before them. These endeavors are not as straightforward as they might seem
Deal focus: A digital protector for the cloud era
Inspired by the Korean word for tiger and how it symbolizes protection, cybersecurity start-up Horangi wants to ensure Southeast Asia’s growing pack of digital cubs are well-guarded
China AI player 4Paradigm closes $230m Series C
4Paradigm, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has raised about $80 million in an extended Series C round, bringing its valuation to more than $2 billion.
L Catterton backs Japan cosmetics brand Etvos
Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton Asia has confirmed a significant investment of undisclosed size in Japanese cosmetics brand Etvos.
Ocean Link seeks $7b privatization of China's 58.com
Ocean Link, a Chinese private equity firm that targets travel, tourism and related consumer subsectors, has made a take-private offer for online classifieds marketplace 58.com that values the business at approximately $7 billion.