Investments
Advent buys majority stake in US, China-based BioDuro
Advent International has acquired a majority stake in BioDuro, a pharmaceutical contract research and development organization (CRO) with operations in the US and China, from the Bridgewest Group conglomerate.
Hong Kong's Integrated leads $10m round for India's Rapido
Hong Kong-based investment firm Integrated Capital has led a $10 million Series A round for Indian motor scooter taxi start-up Rapido.
Korean beauty products player gets $35m Series D
JJDC, an investment arm of healthcare and consumer goods giant Johnson & Johnson, has led a $35 million Series D round for South Korean online beauty products retailer Memebox.
VCs commit $15m to Japanese AI specialist
A group of venture capital firms, including SBI Investment, have invested $15 million in a Series B round for Cinnamon, a Japanese artificial intelligence (AI) company focused on office automation.
Deal focus: VCs take a bite from India’s food sector
Drums Food International is bringing a modern marketing approach to Indian millennials with its yogurt brand Epigamia. Verlinvest is backing the latest growth drive
Asia start-ups: Global reach
Asian start-ups are under increasing pressure to head off competition by pursuing global expansion agendas in their earliest stages of development. They must pay careful attention to social disparities
Nomura, Carlyle bid for Japan’s Orion Breweries
Japanese investment bank Nomura and The Carlyle Group have made a JPY52.1 billion ($477 million) tender offer as part of a proposed management buyout of Japan-based beer maker Orion Breweries.
Sequoia launches accelerator for India, Southeast Asia start-ups
Sequoia Capital has launched Surge, an accelerator program aimed at start-ups that are either based in or targeting India and Southeast Asia.
BP Ventures backs China EV player
BP Ventures, the venture capital arm of BP, has made its first investment in China, leading a Series A round for electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions provider PowerShare.
Chinese AI start-up AInnovation raises $59m
Beijing-based artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider AInnovation has raised RMB400 million ($58.9 million) in Series A funding led by CICC Alpha, a subsidiary of China International Capital Corporation.
Corsair exits DP World Australia
Corsair Capital has agreed to exit most of its controlling stake in DP World Australia to the shipping services provider’s original corporate parent.
Deal focus: Singapore Life delivers insurance update
Singapore Life has accelerated plans to digitize the insurance and wealth management industry following a $33 million Series B from Aberdeen Standard Investments and Aflac
Malaysia's OSK invests Singapore's Blue Planet
Malaysian private equity firm OSK Ventures International has made an investment of undisclosed size in Singapore waste management company Blue Planet Environmental Solutions.
Jafco acquires Japanese manufacturer from China SOE
Jafco has acquired Japanese construction equipment manufacturer Nagano Industry (NKK) from Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) Beijing Jingcheng Machinery Electric Holding (Jingcheng).
China's Gobi makes its first two Philippines investments
China’s Gobi Partners has made its first investments in the Philippines with early-stage commitments of undisclosed size for online healthcare services provider Maria Health and student portal operator Edukasyon.
Immunochina secures $20.5m Series C round
Beijing-based Immunochina Pharmaceuticals has closed a RMB140 million ($20.5 million) Series C round with support from a group of investors including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
India's Truebil raises $14m in equity and debt
Indian used car trading platform Truebil has raised INR1 billion ($14 million) in equity and debt from investors including Shunwei Capital, Kalaari Capital, and Inventus Capital.
SoftBank invests $150m in India's FirstCry
SoftBank Vision Fund has committed $150 million to Indian online baby and child-focused retailer FirstCry as the first tranche in a planned $400 million Series E round.
Japan's SBI invests $15m in Swiss blockchain player
SBI Crypto Investment, a unit of Japan’s SBI Holdings formed to back digital asset-focused start-ups, has invested $15 million in Tangem, a Switzerland-based producer of blockchain smart card wallets.
Indonesia's Warung Pintar gets $27.5m Series B
Warung Pintar, an Indonesia-based smart kiosk start-up, has raised IDR390 billion ($27.5 million) in Series B funding from a group of investors including East Ventures.
GPs commit $15m Series B to China's Ekuaibao
Ekuaibao, a Chinese corporate cost management software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider has raised $15 million in a Series B round of funding led by Mandra Capital, with participation from existing investors DCM Ventures and Future Capital.
China’s MabPlex raises $59m Series A
Shandong province-based biologics and biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) MabPlex has raised RMB400 million ($59 million) in Series A funding led by SDIC Venture Capital and Shenzhen Capital Group.
Eight Roads invests $31m in Indian pharma player
Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International, has invested INR2.18 billion ($30.6 million) in Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Caplin Point. Sister fund F-Prime Capital Ventures also participated.
Bain makes tender offer for Japan's Kosaido
Bain Capital Private Equity has launched a tender offer for Japan-listed printing and IT solutions provider Kosaido that values the target company at approximately JPY15.2 billion ($139 million).
