Investments
China's B2B trading platform Ichunt raises $100m
Ichunt.com, a Chinese B2B trading platform for electronic components, has raised nearly $100 million in Series C funding from JD MRO, the industrial supplies business of local e-commerce giant JD.com.
India's PolicyBazaar raises $75m for Middle East expansion
PolicyBazaar, India’s largest insurance comparison portal, has raised $75 million from US-based Falcon Edge Capital for a Middle East expansion.
CMB, Tiantu lead $300m Series D for China's Guoquan
Guoquan, a Chinese hot pot ingredients supplier, has raised a $300 million Series D round led by CMB International and Tiantu Capital.
Singapore’s PatSnap raises $300m Series E
Singapore and UK-based market intelligence and analytics provider PatSnap has raised a $300 million Series E round led by SoftBank Vision Fund II and Tencent Holdings.
Jungle leads $17m round for India edtech, fintech player
Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has led a $17 million Series B round for Leap Finance, a financial technology provider targeting the Indian education space.
China agricultural drone maker XAG raises $46m
XAG, a Chinese manufacturer of agricultural drones, has raised RMB300 million ($46 million) in funding from GL Ventures.
CITIC Capital rebrands as Trustar, backs Swiss medtech business
CITIC Capital Partners, a private equity firm part-owned by Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group, has rebranded as Trustar Capital.
Deal focus: Temasek supports impact’s giant leap
Impact specialist LeapFrog Investments will use Temasek’s financial backing to broaden its reach, in terms of sectors and geographies, as well as to anchor future funds
Deal focus: MetaApp’s supply-demand solution
China-based MetaApp has created an online platform that connects games with relevant gamers. Community building and social interaction are its watchwords
Fund focus: See Fund backs university talent
Having launched his own start-up on campus, Song Yao of See Fund is returning to China’s academic institutions to look for the next generation of hard technology unicorns
Novo Tellus seeks control of Singapore-listed Procurri
Novo Tellus Capital Partners has moved to take control of Procurri, a Singapore-listed provider of IT services and data center equipment in which it acquired a minority position two years ago.
Sequoia leads Series A for China software start-up Terminus
Hangzhou-based enterprise software company Terminus has raised RMB400 million ($61 million) in Series A funding led by Sequoia Capital China. Existing investors Alibaba Cloud and Glory Ventures re-upped.
Quadrant backs Australia's TSA, Livingbridge exits
Quadrant Private Equity has invested an undisclosed sum in TSA Management, an Australia-based project consultancy business, taking out existing backer Livingbridge in the process.
Deal focus: Gitai turns robot economics on its head
Japanese start-up Gitai eschews conventional wisdom that industrial-use robots must be specialized. Its Series B round will be used to build general-purpose robots for use in space
Warburg Pincus, Hillhouse back China's JD Property
JD Property, the infrastructure property asset management arm of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, has raised a $700 million Series A round led by Warburg Pincus and Hillhouse Capital.
SIG leads $100m round for China gaming platform MetaApp
China gaming platform MetaApp has raised a $100 million Series C round led by SIG and featuring existing investors China Creation Ventures (CCV) and Sky9 Capital. It is said to be the largest single round in China's gaming industry.
China e-signature specialist Fadada gets $139m Series D
Tencent Holdings, Centurium Capital, and ZWC Partners have contributed RMB900 million ($139 million) in Series D funding to Fadada, a Chinese e-signature and cloud contract service provider.
Singapore's Azalea launches PE-backed bond offering
Temasek Holdings-owned Azalea Asset Management plans to sell S$250 million ($186 million) worth of bonds – backed by LP interests in private equity funds – to retail investors in Singapore.
Polaris buys mapping business from Japan's Pioneer
Japanese technology conglomerate Pioneer Corporation has agreed to sell Increment P Corporation – its car navigation and mapping business – to Polaris Capital Group.
GL joins $61m Series C for China’s Thousand Oaks
GL Ventures - a VC unit of Hillhouse Capital - and China State-Owned Capital Venture Investment Fund have led a RMB400 million ($61 million) Series C round for Thousand Oaks Biopharmaceuticals, a China-based contract development and manufacturing organization...
Jungle joins $46m Series D for India's Turtlemint
Indian online insurance broker Turtlemint has closed its Series D round at $46 million following a significant contribution from early-stage investor Jungle Ventures.
Deal focus: Point Avenue's O2O proposition
Vietnam education start-up Point Avenue is pursuing expansion across after-school tuition, bilingual K-12 schools, and online platforms. Gaw Capital will provide financial and strategic support
CDC doubles down on India's Ecom Express
UK development finance institution CDC Group has invested $20 million in Indian e-commerce player Ecom Express. It follows a $36 million investment from CDC last year.
China regulation: Taming the giants
Recent regulatory reforms suggest that China will not let the growth of large technology companies go unchecked. The implications could be far-reaching, not least for VC investors and start-ups