Investments
China's WuXi NextCode closes $200m Series C
WuXi NextCode, a genome sequencing analysis business with ties to China-based contract research organization WuXi PharmaTech, has raised $200 million in a Series C round of funding from a consortium led by the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF)....
Crescent agrees $112m carve-out of Australia's Viridian Glass
Crescent Capital Partners has agreed to acquire Viridian Glass, a maker of float glass based in Australia and New Zealand, from building products manufacturer CSR for A$155 million ($112 million).
Chinese AI player Aibee gets $60m Series A
China and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider Aibee has raised $60 million in a Series A round of funding led by Sequoia Capital China and Red Star Macalline, a Hong Kong-listed furniture mall operator.
Asia fintech player Oriente raises $105m in seed funding
Oriente, a Hong Kong financial technology company backed by local investor BlackPine Private Equity, has raised $105 million in seed funding from a group of family offices.
Q&A: Tata Opportunities Fund's Paddy Sinha
Paddy Sinha, a managing partner with Tata Opportunities Fund, discusses macroeconomic and policy developments in India, the availability of buyouts, and the outlook for exits
VIG-owned Hi-Parking buys Wilson Parking Korea
HiParking, a Korean parking managing business owned by VIG Partners, has agreed to buy Wilson Parking Korea as part of an industry consolidation play.
Chinese recruitment business gets $23m Series B
WorkTrans, a Chinese human resources services provider, has raised RMB160 million ($23 million) in the first tranche of a Series B round led by Qiming Venture Partners.
GLP joins $216m funding round for Chinese logistics service provider
Chengdu-based logistic service provider Juma Peisong has raised RMB1.5 billion ($216 million ) in a Series C round of funding with participation by a number of institutional investors including existing backers Global Logistic Properties (GLP) and Sino-Ocean...
Singapore medical tech player Ark raises $40m Series A
Ark, a new Singapore-based cancer detection technology company, has received a $40 million Series A round backed by Gaorong Capital and shareholders of medical-focused investor Venturecraft.
Bain-Piramal fund invests $156m in Indian chemicals company
India Resurgence Fund (India RF), a vehicle established by Bain Capital Credit and Piramal Enterprises to invest in distressed assets, has committed $156 million to Archean Group’s marine chemicals business.
Tencent-backed Tongcheng-Elong gains 26% on HK debut
Tongcheng-Elong, a Chinese online travel services company backed by Tencent Holdings, Ctrip and local PE player Ocean Link, surged on its Hong Kong trading debut following a HK$1.62 billion ($207 million) IPO.
Square Peg leads $18m round for Australian lender
Australian online mortgage marketplace Athena Home Loans has raised a A$25 million ($18 million) Series B round led by existing backer Square Peg Capital, with participation by new investors Hostplus and Airtree Ventures.
Matrix, Ceyuan invest $22m in China's Elens
Elens Data, a Beijing-based developer of artificial intelligence (AI) text and natural language analysis solutions, has raised RMB150 million ($22 million) in a Series A round led by Matrix Partners China with participation from Ceyuan Ventures.
Omidyar leads $11m Series B for India's Vedantu
Omidyar Network has led an $11 million Series B funding round for Indian educational technology start-up Vedantu.
PE-backed ESR establishes India logistics JV with Allianz
Private equity-backed Asian logistics and fund management platform ESR has established a joint venture with Allianz Group’s real estate division that will invest around $1 billion – comprising equity and debt – in India.
DEG, Incofin invest $6m in Myanmar's Rent2Own
German development finance institution DEG and Belgium-based impact investor Incofin Investment Management have invested $6 million in Rent2Own, a motorcycle rental firm based in Myanmar.
China's Data Grand raises $23m Series B round
Data Grand, a Chinese natural language processing (NLP) solution developer, has raised RMB160 million ($23.1 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Chenshan Asset Management, an arm of Chinese venture capital firm China Broadband Capital.
Deal sourcing: Priority access
While proprietary deals are not always possible in Asian private equity, there are many ways for GPs to gain an edge even when competing with multiple bidders for the same asset
India's CropIn gets $8m Series B
CropIn, an Indian developer of cloud technology for agricultural applications, has received INR580 million ($8.1 million) from Chiratae Ventures, formerly IDG Ventures India, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Singapore's InstaRem raises $20m
Singapore-based financial technology start-up InstaRem has raised $20 million in Series C funding led by Telkom Indonesia and Thailand’s Kasikornbank.
China online fabrics trader Baibu raises $100m
Baibu, a Chinese B2B trading platform for textiles and fabrics, has received $100 million in a second tranche of Series C funding led by Tiger Global Management.
Chinese electric car maker LeapMotor raises $288m
Hangzhou-based electric car maker LeapMotor has raised RMB2 billion ($288 million) in a Series A round of funding led by Shanghai Electric - a Hong Kong-listed Chinese power generation and electrical equipment manufacturer.
Hillhouse leads round for Chinese B2B finance platform
Yunzhangfang, a Chinese corporate tax and financial management software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider, has raised RMB300 million ($43.2 million) in a Series C round led by Hillhouse Capital.
China's Geek+ closes Series B round at $150m
Geek+, a Chinese manufacturer of robots for use in logistics and warehousing, has closed its Series B round with $150 million in commitments. It is claimed to be the largest financing globally in the logistics robotics space and it takes Geek+’s valuation...