Investments
Geely-owned Chinese EV brand gets $750m Series A
Zeekr, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) brand under traditional automaker Geely, has closed a Series A round of USD 750m at a valuation of USD 13bn.
Sequoia leads $17m round for Singapore's Tazapay
Sequoia Capital Southeast Asia has led a USD 16.9m Series A round for Singaporean cross-border payments start-up Tazapay.
India's Rezolve.ai secures $11m Series A
SIG Venture Capital has led a USD 11m Series A round for Rezolve.ai, a US and India-based start-up that applies conversational artificial intelligence (AI) to human resources services.
B Capital, Quona back India EV financing player Turno
B Capital Group and Quona Capital have led a USD 13.8m Series A round for Turno, an India-based platform that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) switch from combustion engine-powered three-wheelers to electric vehicles (EVs).
JIP submits buyout offer for Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation has confirmed the receipt of an acquisition proposal from Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), a local private equity firm best known for its expertise in corporate carve-outs.
Bessemer, SIG lead Series B for India's Entropik
Bessemer Venture Partners and SIG Venture Capital have led a USD 25m Series B round for Indian marketing research platform Entropik.
Potentia gains due diligence access to Australia's Nitro
Potentia Capital has been invited to perform due diligence on buyout target Nitro Software after trumping a rival bid for the listed Australian company, ending months of board resistance to its overtures.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Deal of the Year – Small Cap: Well-Link
By taking computing to the cloud, graphics-as-a-service player Well-Link Technologies is looking to broaden access to video games and help power the metaverse. VC investors are keen to get involved
New Zealand hydrogen player raises $14m
New Zealand hydrogen and zero-emission technologies developer Fabrum has raised a NZD 23m (USD 14.5m) Series A round led by UK-based AP Ventures.
Japan's Baseconnect gets $41m Series B
Japanese corporate contact and recruitment database provider Baseconnect has raised a JPY 5.4bn (USD 41m) Series B round led by Z Venture Capital (ZVC), formerly YJ Capital.
Carlyle launches tender offer for Japan's Iwasaki Electric
Iwasaki Electric, a Japanese lighting solutions provider that has worked on projects ranging from sports stadiums to hospitals, is set to be acquired by The Carlyle Group through a tender offer at a valuation of JPY 34.9bn (USD 266m).
India, US-based Usher closes $50m Series C
Third Point Ventures has led a USD 50m Series C round for India and US-based enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technology provider Ushur.
MO Alts pays $48m for stake in Indian diaper maker
Motilal Oswal Alternates (MO Alts), formerly Motilal Oswal Private Equity, has invested INR 4bn (USD 48m) in India’s Pan Healthcare, a hygiene products maker best known for diapers.
Deal focus: EdenFarm rethinks Indonesian agriculture
EdenFarm is tackling Indonesia’s fragmented agribusiness space with a B2B fresh produce marketplace that not only helps distribute crops, but helps them grow in the first place
Deal focus: Serving the sole trader
Accounting software provider Hnry has built up a following among freelancers and self-employed tradespeople in New Zealand and Australia. A USD 25m Series B will help it look further afield
Adamantem buys Australia's Retail Zoo from Bain
Adamantem Capital has acquired a majority stake in Retail Zoo, operator of Australia-headquartered food retail brands Boost Juice and Betty’s Burgers, from Bain Capital for an undisclosed sum.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Deal of the Year – Large Cap: Crown Resorts
Crown Resorts represented a daunting target, given its size and pandemic and regulatory-related challenges. The Blackstone Group drew on its global know-how to make the USD 8.1bn deal work
Shunwei, Xiaomi lead round for China automotive chip maker
Rhino, a China-based developer of chips used in autonomous driving, has raised an extended angel round of several hundreds of millions of renminbi.
Singapore accelerator targets packaging industry
Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) and US packaging giant Avery Dennison are bankrolling a start-up accelerator that will explore everything from new boxing materials to tech-enabled tags.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Responsible Investment: Sido Muncul
Affinity Equity Partners leveraged a minority position to exert significant influence on the growth of Sido Mucul, an Indonesian herbal wellness brand with a complex, fragmented operating model
AVCJ Awards 2022: Firm of the Year – Large Cap: Baring Private Equity Asia
Baring Private Equity Asia’s 2022 was punctuated by a high-profile merger with EQT, a bumper fundraise, and USD 10bn in exits. Jean Eric Salata, now head of BPEA EQT, shares his thoughts on the market
Sequoia backs China hydrogen battery player
Sequoia Capital China has led a CNY 240m (USD 36m) Series C round for Suzhou-based Thinkre New Material, a battery technology supplier focused on hydrogen fuel cells.
US investor secures control option for Melbourne football club
Shareholders in Australian football club Melbourne Victory have approved a proposal that allows US-based investor 777 Partners to take a majority stake.
MBK buys Japan aged care business
MBK Partners has acquired Unimat Retirement Community (URC), a Japan-based company that primarily provides in-home and residential nursing care services.