Investments
Ocean Link, Sequoia seal China hotel operator take-private
Ocean Link and Sequoia Capital China have completed the $190 million privatization and subsequent delisting of Zhejiang New Century Hotel Management.
China chip IP specialist Akrostar raises $78m
Akrostar, a Chinese chip designer established less than a year ago by a team that spun out from US-headquartered industry leader Synopsys, has raised RMB500 million ($78 million) in Series A funding.
Anchor invests $550m in Japan unit of Korea's Kakao
Anchor Equity Partners, a mid-market private equity firm focused on opportunities in North Asia, with a particular focus on Korea, has invested JPY60 billion ($550 million) in the Japan unit of Korean internet giant Kakao.
Advantage backs Japan coffeeshop chain
Advantage Partners has agreed to invest about JPY7 billion ($64.6 billion) in Tokyo-listed coffeeshop and bakery chain Saint Marc.
Indonesia’s TaniHub secures $65.5m Series B
TaniHub, a platform that connects farmers with customers and other agriculture industry suppliers, has closed a $65.5 million Series B round led by MDI Ventures.
Lilly Asia leads $90m round for China's Duality Biologics
Lilly Asia Ventures has led a $90 million Series B round for Duality Biologics, a Chinese developer of oncology and autoimmune drugs.
Korea's Centroid rallies local support for TaylorMade buyout
Korean GP Centroid Investment Partners is tapping local investors to participate in a KRW1 trillion ($886 million) equity pool in support of its $1.7 billion acquisition of US golf club manufacturer TaylorMade.
Singapore biotech start-up closes $125m Series C
Novo Holdings, which manages the wealth of Denmark’s Novo Nordisk Foundation, has led a $125 million Series C round for Hummingbird Bioscience, a Singapore and US-based drug developer.
Alibaba, Baring Asia back Masan's Vietnam grocery push
A consortium led by Alibaba Group and Baring Private Equity Asia has invested $400 million in the combined consumer goods and grocery retail operations of Vietnam conglomerates Masan Group and Vingroup.
Singapore fintech provider Thunes gets $60m
Insight Partners has led a $60 million round for Thunes, a Singapore-based financial technology provider specializing in B2B cross-border payments in developing markets.
Legend closes China healthcare continuation fund
Legend Capital has spun out the healthcare assets from two of its China venture capital funds into a continuation vehicle supported by Hamilton Lane and Coller Capital. The $270 million deal includes capital for follow-on investments.
Ikea entity leads Series C for China EV rental player
Dishangtie Car Rental, a Shenzhen-based electric vehicle (EV) rental service, has raised a $100 million Series C led by Ingka Holdings, a holding company for most of Ikea's stores.
India's Pine Labs raises $285m
Pine Labs, an India-based payments start-up that recently expanded its Southeast Asia footprint through the acquisition of Malaysia’s Fave, has secured $285 million in new funding.
Vietnam healthcare: Early days
Hospitals attract most of the capital and interest aimed at Vietnam healthcare. Macro tailwinds are benefiting other parts of the services ecosystem as well, but GPs don’t want to jump too early
Q&A: Gaw Capital Partners’ Christina Gaw
Hong Kong-based real estate investor Gaw Capital Partners has leveraged its knowledge and networks to expand into technology and education. Christina Gaw, a managing principal, explains how
Vietnam middle market: Room for maneuver
There is a perceived sweet spot in Vietnam where check sizes are too big for local GPs and too small for pan-regionals. Taking advantage means addressing structural nuances and strategic competition
India's Moglix raises $120m Series E at $1b valuation
Indian B2B services player Moglix has raised a $120 million Series E round led by Falcon Edge Capital and Harvard Management Company at a valuation of $1 billion.
Indonesia's Gojek, Tokopedia merge as GoTo
Gojek and Tokopedia, two of Indonesia’s best-funded technology start-ups, have completed a merger, forming what they claim is the largest mobile on-demand services and payments platform in Southeast Asia.
Japan microsatellite developer gets $24m Series C
Japanese microsatellite developer Axelspace has raised JPY2.6 billion ($24 million) in Series C funding from a group of domestic VCs, including Sparx Group.
KKR invests $95m in India's Lenskart
KKR has invested $95 million in Indian eyewear retail leader Lenskart via a secondary transaction that facilitated partial exits of undisclosed size for TPG Growth and TR Capital.
Hong Kong NFT player raises $89m at $1b valuation
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, a blockchain-based games developer diversifying into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $88.9 million from a group of VCs at a valuation of $1 billion.
NSSK buys Japan power components manufacturer
NSSK has agreed to acquire the power transmission components division of Fujikura, a listed Japanese electrical equipment manufacturer.
China HR SaaS player Beisen raises $260m
Beisen, China’s largest integrated human resources software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform, has raised $260 million in Series F funding. It is said to be the largest-ever round in this segment of enterprise services.
China's WeRide closes Series C, hits $3.3b valuation
Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide has achieved a valuation of $3 billion on closing a Series C round of undisclosed size. It comes four months after the company raised $310 million in Series B funding.