Investments
China ocular drugs developer raises $63m
China’s Neurophth Biotechnology, a gene therapy developer for ocular diseases, has raised a RMB400 million ($63 million) Series C round led by SDIC China Merchants Investment and Sequoia Capital China.
Microsoft VC unit leads $22m round for India's SalesKen
M12, Microsoft’s VC arm, has led a $22 million Series B round for SalesKen, an Indian enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) provider focused on sales-related services.
Deal focus: Orchestra delivers pizza to Seoul
Banolim has become Korea’s fourth-largest pizza delivery business largely on the back of savvy marketing and expansion in lower-tier cities. Orchestra Private Equity is supporting a rollout in Seoul
Deal focus: Icon retains its private equity appeal
EQT’s $1.67 billion acquisition of Icon Group underscores the recent trend in large-cap buyouts, as well as the long-term growth potential for cancer care specialists in Australia and the wider Asian region
Deal focus: Quiet confidence persists in hydrogen power
H3 Dynamics is bringing hydrogen-powered delivery drones to Asia’s crammed megacities as a steppingstone to a cleaner aviation sector. This is a sweet spot for Hong Kong’s Audacy Ventures
Key takeaways: Apollo Global Management's Marc Rowan
High valuations, pursuing complexity, and eradicating write-offs were on the agenda when Marc Rowan, co-founder and CEO of Apollo Global Management, spoke at the AVCJ Forum. Here are some highlights
Singapore BNPL player Pace gets $40m Series A
Singapore’s Pace Enterprise, a one-year-old start-up in the fast-growing buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) financial services niche, has raised a $40 million Series A round from a pan-Asian mix of VC firms.
Warburg Pincus backs China new materials business
Ambilight, a China-based new materials company focused on electrochromic (EC) components, has raised several hundred million dollars in Series C funding led by Warburg Pincus.
India e-commerce industry financier raises $20m
Velocity, an Indian start-up that provides growth capital to e-commerce brands, has raised a $20 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures, a firm set up by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
EQT buys Australia cancer care business from PE consortium
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, QIC, and Pagoda Investment – a China-focused GP set up by a former QIC executive – have agreed to sell Australia cancer care provider Icon Group to EQT for a reported valuation of A$2.3 billion ($1.67 billion).
Carlyle acquires Korean cafe operator, Anchor Equity exits
The Carlyle Group has acquired A Twosome Place, a Korea-based café operator with more than 1,400 stores nationwide, from Anchor Equity Partners.
Investors emphasize GP-LP alignment - AVCJ Forum
Eroding the alignment of interest between GP and LP – by tweaking the partnership structure, a manager overstretching to pursue multiple strategies, or conflicts emerging over secondaries – could harm returns at a time when valuations are already cause...
Airwallex adds $100m to Series E at $5.5b valuation
Hong Kong-based cross-border payments provider Airwallex has received a $100 million Series E extension led by Lone Pine Capital at a valuation of $5.5 billion.
Xiaomi invests $70m in China LiDAR specialist Hesai
Xiaomi Industrial Investment Fund, a vehicle controlled by smart devices brand Xiaomi, has invested $70 million in Hesai Technology, a China-based developer of sensors used in autonomous driving.
Australia's Allegro hits overall target with Fund IV first close
Allegro Funds, an Australia-based turnaround specialist, has reached a first close of A$600 million ($449 million) on its fourth fund, hitting the overall target for the vehicle.
MBK sells Japan's Accordia Golf to Fortress
MBK Partners has agreed to sell Japan-based golf course operator Accordia Golf, which it acquired in 2017 via a tender offer, to Fortress Investment Group.
Ascendent abandons China education take-private
A consortium led by Ascendent Capital Partners has abandoned its planned $230.6 million take-private of Tarena International, a China-based provider of adult professional and K-12 education services.
Indonesia's Ula extends Series B to $110m
Indonesian B2B e-commerce player Ula has extended its Series B round to $110 million with a $23.1 million investment from Tiger Global Management and Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart.
Apollo prioritizes yield, hybrid strategies in Asia - AVCJ Forum
Apollo Global Management’s yield and hybrid businesses – rather than private equity – are likely to account for the bulk of its activity in Asia, with Marc Rowan, the firm’s co-founder and CEO, saying he has no desire to “add to the growing list of private...
CMC, Goldman lead $150m round for China's Cyclone Robotics
Cyclone Robotics, a Shanghai-based robotic process automation (RPA) start-up, has raised $150 million in a Series C round led by CMC Capital Group and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Baring, Quadrant claim firm of the year prizes at AVCJ Awards
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) and Quadrant Private Equity won the firm of the year prizes at the 2021 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards, as KKR and NewQuest Capital Partners secured two victories apiece, and Weijian Shan received the AVCJ...
Vision Fund backs China cleaning robot maker
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Capital Today have led a RMB1.2 billion ($188 million) Series C round for Chinese cleaning robot maker Gaussian Robotics.
Riverside backs Australia clinical trials business
The Riverside Company has acquired Avance Clinical, an Australia-based contract research organization (CRO) with a view to building out its clinical trials business.
India's MyGlamm raises $150m Series D
Good Glamm Group, operator of Indian direct-to-consumer beauty marketplace MyGlamm, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Warburg Pincus and Prosus Ventures.