Investments
Shenzhen Capital backs Chinese titanium metal producer
Shenzhen Capital Group has participated in a CNY 2.27bn (USD 321m) funding round for Yunnan National Titanium Metal, a subsidiary of Shenzhen-listed chemicals producer LB Group.
Indonesia e-commerce player Evermos gets $39m Series C
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has led a USD 39m Series C round for Evermos, an Indonesian social commerce platform that positions itself as an impact play.
Goldman backs Japan taxi-hailing player Go
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has committed JPY 10bn (USD 75m) in Series D funding to Go Inc, operator of a Japan-based taxi-hailing app.
Digital bank Tyme wins funding for SE Asia, Africa expansion
Tyme Group, an emerging markets-focused digital banking group with operations in the Philippines and South Africa, has raised USD 77.8m in pre-Series C funding. A portion of the proceeds will be used for expansion into other markets in Southeast Asia....
Australian satellite provider Fleet gets $33m Series C
Australian satellite maker and services provider Fleet has closed a AUD 50m (USD 33m) Series C round led by Blackbird Ventures following an aggressive foray into mining.
Singapore's BandLab raises $25m
Singapore-based social music creation platform BandLab has raised USD 25m from Cercano Management, formerly Vulcan Capital, a vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Japan's Mizuho to buy M&A advisor Greenhill
Boutique investment bank Greenhill, arguably best known in private equity for advising on LP and GP-led secondary transactions, has agreed to an acquisition by Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group.
UK, India-based Builder.ai raises $250m Series D
Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has led a USD 250m Series D round for UK and India-based Builder.ai, a low-code business software platform that compares is modularity to Lego blocks.
China generative AI start-up Luchen gets Series A funding
Luchen Technology, a Chinese start-up specialising in artificial intelligence (AI) training, has closed a Series A round amounting to several hundred million renminbi.
Energy transition: An emerging speciality
Kerogen Capital is trying to plot a more nuanced course into energy transition than building renewables. It is one of a growing number of nascent specialists in the space.
Deal focus: Investcorp finds optimal entry point with Jianuo
Investcorp negotiated its debut China control deal in the shadow of COVID-19 but expects to see long-term gains through the target company’s exposure to electric vehicles and renewable energy
Deal focus: PrimeMovers buys Malaysia machinist in debut deal
PrimeMovers, which spun out from Platinum Equity last year, and UK-based Lingotto Investment Management have jointly acquired Malaysian precision manufacturing company EngTek
Q&A: Gobi Partners' Thomas Tsao
Thomas Tsao, co-founder of Gobi Partners, on Chinese investors targeting Southeast Asia, the fallout from US-China tensions, fundraising and fund strategy, and what excites him about technology
Avataar leads $45m round for India's Chalo
Avataar Venture Partners, an India-based investor in growth-stage B2B technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, has led a USD 45m funding round for bus tracking app Chalo.
China EV chassis maker U Power gets Series B funding
U Power, a China-based manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs) and smart EV chassis, has raised several hundreds of millions of renminbi in Series B funding led by Hefei Industry Investment.
General Atlantic raises exposure to India's PhonePe
General Atlantic has invested USD 100m in India’s PhonePe only four months after providing the payments platform with a USD 350m round at a pre-money valuation of USD 12bn.
Potentia withdraws from talks to buy Australia-listed Tyro
Australia-based specialist B2B technology investor Potentia Capital has withdrawn from talks to acquire listed payments software provider Tyro Payments – marking the second time attempts to reach an agreement have failed.
China's Biomissile secures $28m Series B
Suzhou-based Biomissile has raised CNY 200m (USD 28m) in a Series B funding round led by Kequan Capital. Existing investor Fosun Health Capital re-upped.
KKR invests $120m in Vietnam school operator
KKR has invested USD 120m in Vietnam school operator EQuest Education via its global impact fund. The deal comprises a combination of debt and equity.
Blackstone buys jewellery certification business, China's Fosun exits
The Blackstone Group has paid USD 569.7m for 100% of Belgium-headquartered jewellery certification business International Gemological Institute (IGI), taking out investors including China’s Fosun Group.
Australia, US carbon reporting start-up raises $9m
Understory Ventures, an Australian environmental impact investor, has led a USD 9m Series A round for Australia and US-based carbon reporting technology provider Flintpro.
India's 360 One invests $28m in data analytics provider
India’s 360 One Asset Management, formerly IIFL Wealth & Asset Management, has invested USD 28m in local data analytics start-up Course5 Intelligence.
Singapore digital health start-up Ora raises $10m
Singapore-based digital health start-up Ora has raised a USD 10m Series A round led by TNB Aura and Antler. Other participants include Gobi Partners, Kairous Capital, and GMA Ventures.
China energy storage player JD Energy raises $100m
Xi’an-based energy storage company JD Energy has raised a CNY 700m (USD 100m) Series B round led by Goldstone Investment, a private investment subsidiary of CITIC Securities.