Investments
China chip developer Hongjun raises $120m
Chinese chip developer Hongjun Microelectronics has raised CNY 800m (USD 120m) in angel and pre-Series A rounds led by Walden International, GL Ventures, and CDH Venture and Growth Capital.
Navis backs Australasia software aggregation platform
Navis Capital Partners has invested in Software Combined, an Australia and New Zealand-based aggregator of software providers that cater to specific niches or B2B verticals.
L Catterton leads Series D for India beauty player Sugar Cosmetics
L Catterton has entered India’s highly competitive beauty and personal care space, throwing its support behind Sugar Cosmetics, which claims to be one of the country’s leading omnichannel players.
Deal focus: WeRide confirms its ascendency
Chinese autonomous driving pioneer WeRide has climbed from near bankruptcy to a USD 4.4bn valuation within three years. A collaboration with Bosch could form a blueprint for other alliances
Japan VC: Late-stage crossroads
Japan’s late-stage technology start-ups are finally beginning to attract meaningful attention from global investors. They should not pop open the champagne
Deal focus: Venturi brings families into D2C
Consumer-focused private equity firm Venturi Partners drew on significant family office co-investment to co-lead a USD 108m Series D for India direct-to-consumer food specialist Country Delight
Blackstone boosts Asia credit coverage
The Blackstone Group has recruited Mark Glengarry, formerly of Anchorage Capital Group, as head of Asia Pacific origination for its credit business.
Baring Asia completes $980m take-private of Taiwan's Ginko
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) has completed a take-private of Taiwan-listed contact lens manufacturer Ginko International at a valuation of NTD 27.2bn (USD 980m).
New Zealand's GD1 backs tech fund, incubator
GD1 has confirmed it is the lead investor in a new fund and incubation program from fellow New Zealand VC firm Phase One Ventures. The goal is to produce 10 tech unicorns by 2026.
Battery Ventures bids $471m for Australia SaaS player Infomedia
Battery Ventures is offering to buy Infomedia, a listed Australia software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform for the automotive industry, at a valuation of AUD 658m (USD 471m).
Japan's T Capital buys Fujitsu semiconductor memory assets
Japanese mid-market buyout firm T Capital Partners has agreed to carve out Fujitsu’s semiconductor memory chip business for an undisclosed sum.
China energy storage start-up gets $48m pre-Series A
Zhongchu Guoneng Technology (ZGT), a China-based energy storage company, has raised CNY 320m (USD 48m) in pre-Series A funding led by Tsinghua Holdings Capital.
Singapore's VC-backed One Animation acquired by UK strategic
One Animation, a VC-backed, Singapore-based cartoon studio, has been acquired by Moonbug Entertainment of the UK for an undisclosed sum.
Korea autonomous driving tech supplier raises $25.5m
Korea’s Autocrypt, a connected mobility technology supplier targeting the autonomous driving sector, has raised a USD 25.5m Series B round featuring STIC Ventures and Hyundai Venture Investment.
Bosch invests in China's WeRide
China-based autonomous driving technology developer WeRide has received a strategic investment from German engineering multinational Bosch.
India D2C food brand Country Delight gets $108m Series D
India’s Country Delight, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) food brand best known for farm-fresh milk, has raised USD 108m in Series D funding led by Singapore’s Venturi Partners and Temasek Holdings.
GIC leads $80m round for Indonesia's Bibit
GIC has led an USD 80m funding round for Bibit, operator of one of Indonesia’s largest robo-advisory investment apps. Prosus Ventures and other existing investors also took part.
Carlyle buys China's HCP Packaging from Baring Asia
The Carlyle Group will become HCP Packaging’s third consecutive private equity owner, having agreed to acquire the China-based packaging from Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA).
China guidance funds pump $132m into Gowin Semiconductor
Chinese semiconductor manufacturer Gowin has raised an extended Series B round of CNY 880m (USD 132m) led by Guangzhou Bay Area Semiconductor Industry Group, which has now become the company's largest shareholder.
India EV ride-hailing start-up raises $50m
BluSmart, which claims to be India’s first integrated electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing and charging business, has closed a USD 50m Series A round led by BP Ventures and local cleantech investor Green Frontier Fund.
Skip leads Series B for Australia utilities SaaS platform
Skip Capital, a private investment firm established by Atlassian co-founder Scott Farquhar, has led a USD 14m Series B round for Neara, an Australian software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that serves utilities.
New Zealand's Pushpay confirms PE approaches
Pushpay, a New Zealand and Australia-listed payments business specialising in donor management, confirmed it had been approached by prospective buyers but played down the significance of an agreement with BGH Capital and Sixth Street Partners.
Hong Kong crypto player Babel hits $2b valuation
Hong Kong-based Babel Finance, which claims to be the world’s leading wholesale crypto financial services provider, has raised USD 80m in Series B funding at a valuation of USD 2bn.
Singapore fund tokenisation player ADDX raises $58m
ADDX, a Singaporean digital securities exchange that helps PE firms and other fund managers tokenise funds, has raised USD 58m in pre-Series B funding featuring the Stock Exchange of Thailand.