Investments
Fund focus: INSEAD alumni pay it forward
INSEADAlum Ventures, a seed-stage investor focused exclusively on INSEAD alumni, has raised its debut fund from a group of graduates keen to give back to the school where they got their start
India dairy player Milk Mantra raises $10m Series D
Neev Fund, an investment vehicle sponsored by the State Bank of India (SBI), has led a $10 million Series D round for Milk Mantra Dairy.
India's Practo gets $55m round led by Tencent
China's Tencent Holdings has led a $55 million Series D round for Indian clinic management software and doctor search portal developer Practo.
Fairfax India buys controlling stake in Saurashtra Freight
Fairfax India Holdings has agreed to invest INR2 billion ($30 million) for a 51% stake in domestic logistics company Saurashtra Freight.
VIDEO: Ilfryn Carstairs, Värde Partners
Ilfryn Carstairs, co-CIO of Värde Partners, discusses distress and structured credit opportunities globally and in Asia
China AI start-up Moran Cognitive raises $10m from VCs
Moran Cognitive Technology, a China-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has received $10 million in a funding round co-led by Matrix Partners China and Source Code Capital.
Nexus leads $5m Series A for India's Zolo
Nexus Venture Partners has led a $5 million Series A round of funding for Indian managed accommodation platform Zolo.
China Exim Bank fund buys Hungary's Invitel from Mid Europa
The China-CEE Fund, which is backed by China Exim Bank and invests in Central and Eastern Europe, has agreed to buy Hungarian fixed line telecom and broadband internet provider Invitel Group for an enterprise valuation of EUR202 million ($214 million)....
China used car trading platform Uxin raises $500m
Chinese used car trading platform Uxin has raised $500 million in a new round of funding led by TPG Growth, Jeneration Capital and China Vision Capital.
KKR makes $1.3b tender offer for Japan's Hitachi Koki
KKR has launched its second tender offer in two months for a Japanese listed company, submitting a bid for Hitachi Koki that values the power tools manufacturer at JPY147.1 billion ($1.28 billion).
India's Unacademy raises $4.4m Series A round
Blume Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners have led a INR300 million ($4.4 million) Series A round of funding for Indian free-to-use learning platform operator Unacademy.
Tencent leads $40m round for China CRM platform Xiaoshouyi
Xiaoshouyi, a China VC-backed customer relationships management (CRM) platform, has raised a RMB280 million ($40 million) Series D round of funding led by Tencent Holdings.
Tembusu exits Singapore-based Ednovation to CDH
CDH Investments has acquired a 36% stake in Ednovation, a Singapore-based operator of pre-schools in Southeast Asia and China, from Tembusu Partners in a deal said to be worth more than S$50 million ($35 million).
Faster food: PE and restaurant franchising
Franchising out restaurant chains - one of the major objectives for the new PE-backed McDonald's China partnership - is a popular ploy for investors across Asia as they pursue scale. But it is not without risk
Capital Today leads $100m round for China Q&A platform Zhihu
Capital Today has led a $100 million Series D round of funding for Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to US-based Quora.
Apax sells 48% stake in GlobalLogic to CPPIB
Apax Partners has sold a 48% stake in GlobalLogic, an IT outsourcing company founded by several Indian entrepreneurs and which continues to have a sizeable presence in the country, to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
Abraaj invests in Pakistani diagnostics business
The Abraaj Group has invested an undisclosed sum in Islamabad Diagnostics Centre (IDC), an affordable health diagnostics provider with 20 facilities in Pakistan.
Warburg Pincus-backed Stellar makes Indian logistics bolt-on
Stellar Supply Chain Solutions, an Indian logistics company backed by Warburg Pincus, has taken control of refrigerated trucking specialist Kelvin Cold Chain.
Deal focus: C -Bridge brings more co-investment to Ascletis
C-Bridge Capital participates in a $100 million Series B round of funding for biotechnology Ascletis alongside existing backer Goldman Sachs and a number of its LPs
Deal focus: Magento targets evolving online retailers
Hillhouse Capital commits $250 million to e-commerce software provider Magento, joining forces with existing backer Permira in order to help the company realize its growth potential in Asia
East Ventures raises $27.5m for SE Asia fund
Singapore-based East Ventures has raised $27.5 million for a fund that will invest in early-stage technology companies in Southeast Asia.
4Q analysis: Big ticket bias
Ausgrid deal obscures weak investment environment; fundraising returns to normal after state-backed blitz; China’s IPO market is on the mend, but public market problems undermine Asia exits
India's university incubators: Learning curve
Campus incubators intended to channel entrepreneurial talent at Indian universities into competitive start-ups have a patchy track record. VC investors must consider what this means for early-stage deal flow
China's Xianghe Capital leads $30m Series B for Lalamove
Hong Kong-based delivery start-up Lalamove has raised a $30 million Series B round of funding led by Xianghe Capital, a China-focused VC fund set by a former Baidu executive.