Investments
China EV maker Hozon raises $961m in crossover funding
Hozon Auto, a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has raised CNY 7bn (USD 961m) in crossover or pre-IPO funding from unnamed investors.
China telecom towers business gets $150m from sovereign investor
China’s Guodong Network Communication Group, an independent telecom tower company, has raised USD 150m from Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment.
Japan space robot maker Gitai raises $45m
Japanese space robotics start-up Gitai has lifted its Series B round to USD 45m with a new USD 15m tranche featuring Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital.
Integral backs Japan software player TCS
Japanese private equity firm Integral Corporation has invested an undisclosed sum in local IT services and business software company TCS Group.
Deal focus: Family offices flock to FirstCry
FirstCry’s USD 52m funding round underscores the willingness of certain Indian family offices to lead sizeable technology deals and the importance attached by companies to investor base diversification
Generative AI in due diligence: Crunching new numbers
Private equity is rediscovering artificial intelligence as a due diligence tool in the wake of ChatGPT. Data security, legal, and technical risks have curbed uptake somewhat, less so for venture
China secondaries: Willing sellers?
Few, if any, LPs are so desperate to divest China exposure that they will sell fund positions at any price. The main sticking point for secondary transactions is a disconnect on valuations
China's HC Scientific gets $41m Series B extension
Lake Bleu Capital and Guotai Junan Innovation Investment have led a Series B extension of approximately CNY 300m (USD 41m) for HC Scientific, a manufacturer of DNA sequencing devices used in modern agriculture and healthcare.
India’s Zepto raises $200m at $1.4bn valuation
Indian grocery delivery start-up Zepto has raised a USD 200m Series E round led by StepStone Group at a valuation of USD 1.4bn.
JIP supports Japan cancer diagnostics joint venture
Japanese private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) is participating in a local joint venture with BostonGene, a US-based provider of artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) profiling solutions used to treat cancer patients.
PAG buys Australian hospitality business from KKR
PAG has acquired Australian Venue, which owns a portfolio of pubs, bars, and restaurants across Australia, from KKR for more than AUD 1.4bn (USD 900m).
Korea Credit Data raises $75m, achieves unicorn status
Korea Credit Data (KCD), the operator of a super app aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has raised KRW 100bn (USD 75.7m) at a valuation of KRW 1.3trn (USD 1bn).
QIA invests $1bn in India's Reliance Retail
Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has agreed to invest INR 82.8bn (USD 1bn) in the retail unit of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries.
Indian family offices invest $52m in FirstCry
Three Indian family offices have committed INR 4.35bn (USD 52.7m) to domestic mother-and-baby retailer FirstCry through a secondary transaction that facilitated a partial exit for SoftBank Vision Fund, among others.
WestBridge buys investment platform FundsIndia
WestBridge Capital has acquired a majority stake in FundsIndia, an online investment platform that offers access to mutual funds, public equities, and fixed deposit products, for an undisclosed sum.
Chinese chip developer Sitrus raises $28m
China-based chip developer Sitrus Technology has raised CNY 200m (USD 28m) in a Series C extension from Henglu Assets and Shanxi provincial government investor Photon Strong Chain Fund.
CLSA exits Japanese uniform rental business Uni-Mate
Japan’s CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has sold 100% of uniform rental and cleaning business Uni-Mate to local private equity firm Karita & Company (K&C) for an undisclosed sum.
Australia's Airtree leads round for space tech start-up
Australia’s Airtree Ventures has led a AUD 12m (USD 7.7m) Series A round for HEO Robotics, a local space start-up focused on non-Earth imaging.
The innovation game: China GPs play safe
China investors have abandoned their previous high-risk-high-return approach in favour of proven business models and profitability. Hotspots like autonomous driving, biotech, and SaaS are no exception
Deal focus: KKR thinks global with Korea’s Musinsa
KKR has made its first tech growth investment in Korea with Musinsa, an online marketplace for a carefully curated selection of streetwear brands with export potential
Horizons leads $50m round for Indonesia EV player IMG
Horizons Ventures, a deep tech investment arm of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, has led a USD 50m Series B round for Indonesian electric vehicle (EV) maker Ilectra Motor Group (IMG).
Matrix backs $139m round for China semiconductor start-up Echint
Matrix Partners China has co-led a CNY 1bn (USD 139m) Series B round for Echint, a Chinese chip packaging and testing start-up incubated by VC-backed semiconductor company Eswin.
China's DP Technology raises $97m
China’s DP Technology, touted as a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for scientific research, has raised a CNY 700m (USD 97m) round featuring Loyal Valley Capital.
RRJ invests $300m in Malaysia's Yinson
Hong Kong-based private equity firm RRJ Capital has agreed to invest USD 300m in Malaysia-listed Yinson Holdings, an oil and gas industry supplier aiming to bring cleantech to the local energy sector.