Investments
China autonomous sanitation vehicle maker raises $250m
CowaRobot, a Chinese autonomous driving technology developer with an initial focus on sanitation vehicles, has raised $250 million in Series C funding.
TPG, Potentia pursue Australia's Smartgroup
TPG Capital and Potentia Capital have submitted a buyout offer for employee management services provider Smartgroup that values the Australia-listed business at a market capitalization of A$1.38 billon ($993 million).
Thailand’s Ascend Money raises $150m
Bangkok-based Ascend Money has raised $150 million from a group of investors including Ant Group, at a valuation of $1.5 billion. It claims to be Thailand’s first financial technology unicorn.
Lightrock leads round for India BNPL player Capital Float
Capital Float, an Indian lending platform now positioning itself as a buy now, pay later (BNPL) specialist, has raised $50 million led by the local unit of UK-based private equity investor Lightrock.
China robotics player Mech-Mind raises $154m
Chinese industrial robotics supplier Mech-Mind has raised nearly RMB1 billion ($154 million) in a Series C funding round led by Meituan and IDG Capital.
EQT backs cybersecurity training business
EQT has invested in EC-Council, a cybersecurity training and certification business established by a Malaysian entrepreneur, through its Asia mid-market fund.
Singapore online banking player Aspire raises $158m
Singapore-based online banking platform Aspire has raised a $158 million Series B round with support from the likes of B Capital Group.
Australia insurtech provider Cover Genius secures $72m Series C
Japanese insurance giant Sompo Holdings has led a A$100 million ($72 million) Series C round for Australian insurance technology provider Cover Genius.
Deal focus: Southeast Asia’s four-trick credit pony
Advance Intelligence Group has used its core risk assessment technology to expand into lending and e-commerce transaction finance and services. Membership of Southeast Asia’s unicorn club is its reward
Deal focus: Investors flock to SaaS specialist Ones
China’s Ones aspires to become Atlassian rather than Slack, catering to software developers working on complicated projects. Effective localization is partly responsible for a surge in VC investment
Evergrande EV unit cancels listing, suffers cash crunch
Evergrande New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Group, the Hong Kong-listed electric vehicle unit of troubled Chinese real estate developer Evergrande has canceled a planned secondary listing on Shanghai's Star Market and warned investors of a cash shortage.
PAG backs China AI investment management start-up
PAG has led a $100 million round for DataYes, a China-based provider of artificial intelligence-enabled investment management solutions for the financial services industry.
Lee Fixel's Addition backs India-based Delhivery
Addition, a private equity firm established by Lee Fixel, who was previously involved in many of Tiger Global Management’s early India deals, has invested $125 million in local e-commerce logistics provider Delhivery.
China service robot player Pudu secures $77m
Pudu Robotics, a China-based manufacturer of service robots, has raised a $77 million Series C extension led by Meituan, Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund, Shenzhen Investment Holdings, and Sequoia Capital China.
Singapore's Ninja Van raises $578m Series E
Singapore-based last-mile delivery start-up Ninja Van has raised a $578 million Series E round featuring Alibaba Group.
CDC joins $75m round for India medical B2B marketplace
CDC Group has contributed $27.5 million to a $75 million Series C round for Medikabazaar, an Indian medical B2B marketplace and COVID-19 supply chain operator.
GM invests $300m in China autonomous driving player Momenta
General Motors (GM) has entered China’s autonomous driving industry with a $300 million investment in Momenta, a local developer of sensor technology.
Asia crypto asset management platform raises $40m
Cobo, a Singapore-based crypto asset management platform and blockchain infrastructure provider, has secured a $40 million Series B round led by DST Global, A&T Capital, and IMO Ventures.
China autonomous driving chip start-up hits $2b valuation
Black Sesame Technologies, a China-based chipmaker specializing in autonomous driving applications, has raised several hundred million dollars through two funding rounds at a valuation of $2 billion.
China AR glasses maker Nreal gets $100m Series C
Nreal, a Chinese manufacturer of advanced artificial reality (AR) glasses that resemble normal sunglasses, has raised a Series C of $100 million led by Nio Capital, Yunfeng Capital, and Hongtai Capital.
Pacific Century’s insurtech business extends Series A to $210m
Pacific Century Group’s insurance technology business, Bolttech, has extended a recent $180 million Series A round to $210 million in total.
Australia's Liverpool Partners acquires coffee brand
Australian private equity firm Liverpool Partners has acquired a majority stake in Seven Miles Coffee Roasters, a branded coffee supplier to the local cafe segment.
SoftBank, Warburg Pincus back Singapore's Advanced Intelligence
Advance Intelligence Group, a Singapore start-up best known for digital identity verification and fraud prevention platform Advance.AI and buy now, pay later (BNPL) business Atome, has raised over $400 million in Series D funding.
FountainVest buys New Zealand pet food business
China-focused private equity firm FountainVest Partners has agreed to buy Ziwi, New Zealand’s leading exporter of pet food.