Investments
Tribe, Moore Strategic lead Series C for India's Khatabook
Tribe Capital and Moore Strategic Ventures have led a $100 million Series C round for Khatabook – an India-based bookkeeping app aimed at small merchants – at a valuation of $600 million.
Advent sells Chinese mattress maker to Hillhouse
Advent International has sold its controlling stake in AI Dream – operator of the Serta and King Koil mattress brands in China – to Hillhouse Capital.
CBC-led consortium buys Bain's stake in Korean botox maker
A consortium led by Asia healthcare-focused private equity firm CBC Group has agreed to acquire a 46.9% interest in Hugel, a South Korean manufacturer of botox and other health-related pharmaceuticals, for KRW1.7 trillion ($1.5 billion).
SoftBank leads $154m Series D for China's Ekuaibao
Ekuaibao, a Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in corporate reimbursements, has raised RMB1 billion ($155 million) in Series D funding led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
Bazaar secures Pakistan's largest-ever Series A round
Online B2B marketplace Bazaar has completed what it claims is Pakistan’s largest-ever Series A round with a $30 million commitment led by Wavemaker Partners and US-based Defy Partners.
CDIB leads round for Taiwan crypto-fiat start-up
CDIB Capital Group has led a $17 million pre-Series A round for Xrex, a Taiwan-based financial technology player that uses blockchain to facilitate cross-border payments by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
BGH-owned Abano to buy Australia dentistry business
Abano Healthcare, a New Zealand dentistry chain owned by BGH Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), has agreed to acquire Australian peer 1300 Smiles for an enterprise valuation of A$165 million ($120 million).
ChrysCapital, True North join $150m Quest Global deal
ChrysCapital and True North Managers have participated in a $150 million investment for a minority stake in Quest Global, an Indian engineering services outsourcing company.
China comic platform Kuaikan raises $240m
Kuaikan, China’s largest publishing platform for comics, has raised $240 million from CCB International, Korean mobile app marketplace One Store, Tencent Holdings, Coatue Management, and Tiantu Capital.
Chinese investors join $400m round for Nigeria's Opay
Several Chinese investors have re-upped in a $400 million round – at a valuation of $2 billion – for Nigeria-based logistics and payments technology company Opay.
KKR, OTPP, PSP to buy Australia's Spark Infrastructure for $7.2b
KKR, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), PSP Investments have agreed to buy Australia-listed Spark Infrastructure, which has extensive interests in electricity transmission and distribution, for an enterprise valuation of A$10.1 billion ($7.2 billion).
China's Deepexi raises $100m Series B
Deepexi, a Chinese start-up that provides digital transformation solutions to enterprise customers, has raised $100 million in a Series B funding round led by Guotai Junan Securities and an investment arm of China Industrial International Trust Asset...
Australia's Blackbird leads Series B for education start-up
Blackbird Ventures has led a $25 million Series B funding round for Forage, an Australia-founded but now US-based provider of virtual training courses aimed at students.
China gas station platform Newlink raises $308m
Newlink Group, operator of a platform that helps drivers in China locate the best value gas stations and charging piles, has raised RMB2 billion ($308 million) led by China Merchants Capital.
Faering leads $40m Series C for India fintech start-up
Indian private equity firm Faering Capital has led a $40 million Series C round for stock trading and thematic portfolio platform Smallcase, with support from Amazon and Premji Invest.
Korea's Danggeun Market raises $162m at $2.7b valuation
DST Global has led a $162 million Series D round for Danggeun Market, operator of Korean flea market app Karrot, at a valuation of $2.7 billion.
Pakistan's Airlift raises $85m Series B
Airlift, a Pakistani last-mile delivery app, has raised an $85 million Series B round in what is being called the largest-ever start-up investment in Pakistan and the Middle East and North Africa region.
China vaccine developer Abogen raises $700m
Suzhou Abogen Biosciences, a Chinese vaccine developer targeting COVID-19, has raised $700 million in Series C funding featuring Temasek Holdings, Loyal Valley Capital, and Lilly Asia Ventures.
Quadrant buys Australia sleepwear brand
Quadrant Private Equity has acquired Australian women’s sleepwear brand Papinelle for an undisclosed sum with plans for international expansion.
China's PatPat gets $160m in Series D extension
PatPat, a Chinese-founded children’s wear brand, has raised $160 million from Softbank Vision Fund in a Series D round extension.
Vietnam's Mekong invests $10m in real estate portal
Mekong Capital has invested $10.2 million in Rever, a leading online-to-offline real estate brokerage business in Vietnam.
Affirma invests $100m in Korea cloud services provider
Affirma Capital has secured a third deal for its latest Korea fund, with an agreement to invest $100 million in Metanet T Platform, a local cloud managed service provider (MSP).
Asia fintech: Platform plays
Expansion is the dominant theme in financial technology as start-ups leverage existing assets to enter new verticals, typically in lending. Which ones will become Asia’s preeminent platforms?
Corporate VC: Appetite for disruption
Banks across Asia are leveraging their capital and domain expertise to stay ahead of the curve on financial technology. Each aspect of the corporate VC ecosystem engages with start-ups in different ways