Investments
M17 Entertainment gets $40m Series A round
M17 Entertainment, a Taiwan and Singapore-based media streaming company, has raised a $40 million Series A funding round led by Japan’s Infinity Venture Partners.
Alibaba fund invests in Hong Kong bike-sharing service
Hong Kong bike-sharing start-up Gobee Bike has raised a $9 million Series A round from investors including the Alibaba Group’s Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund.
Startupbootcamp launches Australia accelerator
Startupbootcamp has extended its network of industry-focused accelerators to 21 across 16 cities with the launch of a program for energy sector start-ups in Melbourne.
Deal focus: Fabhotels gets room to grow
Fabhotels has received $25 million in Series B funding from Accel Partners and Goldman Sachs to give India's budget hotel space a technology-enabled upgrade
India's VC-backed Mobikwik attracts $35m investment
Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) Bajaj Finance has agreed to invest about INR2.2 billion ($35.3 million) in Mobikwik, a domestic mobile wallet developer backed by a number of venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital.
Japan's KDDI to acquire VC-backed Soracom
Soracom, a Japanese internet of things (IoT) communications platform that has several VC backers, will be acquired by domestic telecom operator KDDI Corporation.
Goldman backs China food delivery platform Meican
Goldman Sachs Investment Partners has participated in a Series D round of funding for Meican.com, a Chinese online food delivery services platform that targets the corporate market.
TA to buy stake in New Zealand's Fisher Funds
TA Associates will take a minority stake in Fisher Funds, New Zealand’s fifth-largest fund manager, following a move by The TSB Community Trust to assume full ownership of the business.
Goldman, Tennenbaum acquire Singapore's Conergy
Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Tennenbaum Capital Partners have acquired Conergy Asia & ME, the Singapore-based Asia Pacific branch of global solar power developer Conergy.
GIC leads $220m Series D for China's Dianrong
Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform Dianrong.com has raised a $220 million Series D round led by Singapore’s GIC Private.
Creador invests in Malaysian bakery chain
Creador has invested MYR57 million ($13.3 million) in Bake With Yen (BWY), a Malaysian baking and confectionery ingredients supplier.
Deal focus: Liulishuo bridges the learning gap
China's Liulishuo wins $100 million in funding for an adult-focused education app that uses artificial intelligence to bring customized teaching solutions to English language learners
Eight Roads, F-Prime invest $25m in India's PlasmaGen
Indian biopharmaceuticals company PlasmaGen BioSciences has raised a $25 million funding round led by Eight Roads Ventures.
IDFC acquires India solar portfolio
IDFC Alternatives has acquired a portfolio of solar power assets in India from US-based renewable energy developer First Solar Group.
Warburg Pincus to buy stake in Chinese mutual fund business
Warburg Pincus is set to acquire Société Générale's (SocGen) 49% interest in Fortune SG Asset Management, a Sino-foreign mutual fund joint venture with China’s Baosteel Group.
CMIA, Malaysian asset manager acquire Muslim-focused app
CMIA Capital Partners and Malaysia-based Affin Hwang Asset Management have acquired Bitsmedia Holdings, best known for operating an app that provides Muslims with accurate prayer times.
Deal focus: KKR hits the gas on Korea auto carve-out
KKR has backed two divisions of Korea's LS Group - worth a combined $940 million - giving it exposure to an established auto parts business and a division that could prosper on the back of the electric car boom
Japan VC: Culture club
The Cool Japan policy aims to internationalize a large but lagging economy beyond its manufacturing roots. Venture capital will be the key to reimagining unique overlaps of culture and technology
Secondary buyouts: Peer to peer
Maligned by some investors, sponsor-to-sponsor deals are gradually becoming more prevalent in Asia as the private equity industry matures. What is the early verdict?
India's Snapdeal calls off merger with Flipkart
Indian online marketplace Snapdeal has called off a planned merger with rival Flipkart and will pursue a restructuring plan to allow it to survive as an independent entity. Both companies have substantial PE and VC backing.
China First Capital to acquire Korean online education platform
Hong Kong-listed investment group China First Capital plans to acquire 54% of SJW International, a Korea-based online video English training platform, for about $135 million.
J-Star completes Japanese veterinary bolt-on
J-star has acquired Japanese veterinary chain VIS Corporation for an undisclosed amount in a bolt-on to existing portfolio company JVCC.
Fosun, Sanyuan to buy margarine maker from European GP
Chinese conglomerate Fosun Group has teamed up with Beijing Sanyuan Foods to buy French margarine maker St Hubert from Montagu Private Equity for EUR625 million ($734 million).
I Squared agrees $1.9b deal for Hutchison's fixed-line business
Infrastructure specialist I Squared Capital has agreed to buy the fixed-line telecom business of Hong Kong’s Hutchison Telecommunications, which is controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, for approximately HK$14.5 billion ($1.85 billion).