Investments
Deal focus: KKR lays down a marker in Taiwan
Seven years after its privatization of Yageo Corp was blocked, KKR is back pursuing a $1.56 billion bid for LYC Chemical Corp. The initial response from regulators has been positive
India healthcare: The growth infusion
Indian hospitals are increasingly attractive for private equity investors. GPs can thrive in the space with a well-defined growth strategy that takes local market requirements into account
China agriculture supply chain player adds $26m to Series B
Songxiaocai, a business-to-business (B2B) platform that provides agricultural wholesale services to Chinese retailers, has raised RMB180 million ($26.4 million) in the second tranche of its Series B funding, taking the overall round to RMB410 million.
Navis to sell stake in Singapore's White Lodge Education
Navis Capital Partners has agreed to sell a 70% stake in White Lodge Education Group Services, a Singapore-based preschool and kindergarten operator, for S$13.3 million ($9.8 million).
TPG, ADIA back acquisition of agrochemicals producer Arysta
TPG Capital and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) have teamed up with India-listed UPL Corporation on a $4.2 billion acquisition of Arysta LifeScience, an agricultural chemicals manufacturer that originated in Japan.
KKR targets $1.56b privatization of Taiwan’s LCY Chemical
KKR is pursuing its first Taiwan privatization since 2011 – when the acquisition of Yageo Corp. was blocked, prompting questions about the government’s attitude towards PE buyouts – with a NT$47.8 billion ($1.56 billion) bid for LCY Chemical Corp.
Goldman, Alibaba lead $600m round for China's Suning Sports
Goldman Sachs and Alibaba Group have led a $600 million Series A round of funding for the sports unit of Chinese electronics retailer Suning, which holds the domestic media rights to a range of sporting competitions. The deal values the business at more...
Chinese voice AI specialist Unisound receives $89m
Unisound, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider that specializes in voice recognition and language processing, has received RMB600 million ($89 million) in Series C-plus funding.
Deal focus: Keep makes a sport of data monetization
After raising a $127 million Series D round from the likes of Goldman Sachs and GGV Capital, Chinese fitness app operator Keep is set to find new ways of monetizing its user behavior data
CDIB backs Korean cosmetic masks manufacturer
CDIB Capital, the private equity arm of Taiwan’s China Development Financial, has invested an undisclosed sum in Korean cosmetics maker E.CIS Cosmetic (ECIS).
Blackbird leads $40m round for Australia's Culture Amp
Blackbird Ventures has led a $40 million Series D round for Culture Amp, an Australia-based company focused on analytics technology that helps enterprise customers manage staff morale and performance.
SCPE buys stake in India travel business from Naspers
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has invested an undisclosed amount in Indian online travel company Travel Boutique Online (TBO) to acquire a stake held by South African internet conglomerate Naspers.
Coatue leads $350m round for China education player Zuoyebang
Coatue Management has led a $350 million Series D round of funding for Zuoyebang, a Chinese K-12 education platform that spun out from domestic search giant Baidu.
SE Asian corporates eye PE collaborations – AVCJ Forum
Private equity firms present attractive partnership opportunities for corporate investors in Southeast Asia as both public and private companies seek to augment their existing strengths and fuel growth strategies.
TPG leads $100m Series D for India’s Bigtree
TPG Capital has led a $100 million Series D funding round for Bigtree Entertainment, an India-based ticketing services company best known for its aggregator service BookMyShow.
India's OfBusiness gets $29m Series C
OfBusiness, an India-based financial technology company focused on smart financing services has received an INR2 billion ($29 million) Series C funding round led by Creation Investments and Falcon Edge.
Chinese AI player Yitu raises another $100m
Yitu Technology, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has received $100 million in funding from China Industrial Asset Management (CIAM). It comes a month after the company raised a Series C-plus round of $200 million.
Advance.AI raises $50m, targets Southeast Asia expansion
A group of Southeast Asian and Chinese investors has provided a $50 million extended Series B round of funding for Advance.AI, a big data specialist with offices in Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta, and Manila.
Deal focus: L Catterton taps the China luxury story
L Catterton Asia aims to help Chinese online luxury goods retailer Secoo expand its frontiers with technological and logistical support from e-commerce giant JD.com
China's Ascentage Pharma gets $150m in Series C funding
Ascentage Pharma, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on treatments for cancer, has raised $150 million in Series C funding.
LeapFrog acquires Indian medical device maker
LeapFrog Investments has acquired a majority stake in India-base healthcare industry supplier Ascent Meditech for an undisclosed sum.
India’s Unacademy raises $21m Series C round
Indian online education platform Unacademy has raised a $21 million Series C round of funding from a group of investors led by Sequoia Capital India.
China's Snowball Finance raises $120m Series D
Snowball Finance, a Chinese online financial information platform that subsequently expanded into asset management, has raised $120 million in a Series D round of funding led by Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s financial services affiliate.
Thailand's Lakeshore buys local drug brand
Lakeshore Capital has taken a controlling stake in domestic drug manufacturer Devakam Apothecary Hall, owner of the Namman Muay analgesic cream brand, for an undisclosed amount.