Funds
Innovation Works to list on China's New Third Board
Innovation Works, a Chinese early stage VC firm founded by Kai-fu Lee, former head of Google China, has applied to list on the National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ), also known as the New Third Board.
BAI leads $65m round for China P2P lending site
Bertelsmann Asia Investment (BAI) has led a $65 million Series A round of funding for Meili Jinrong, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform with a focus on consumer finance.
China Q&A platform Zhihu raises $55m
Tencent Holdings has led a $55 million Series C round of funding for Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to US-based Quora.
Fortress raises $1.1b for third Japan special situations fund
Fortress Investment Group has closed its third Japan-focused special situations fund at the hard cap of $1.1 billion. Ten deals have already been completed with more than JPY17 billion ($140 million) deployed.
Intel Capital backs two Greater China start-ups
Intel Capital has invested in Taiwan-based internet of things (IoT) solutions provider Microprogram Information and Chinese imaging and video technology specialist Perfant Technology.
Taiwan AI start-up Appier raises $23m
Taipei-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up Appier has raised $23 million in a Series B round of funding from UOB Venture Management, Sequoia India, Jafco Asia, TransLink Capital and MediaTek Ventures.
VCs say more is to come from the tech boom - AVCJ Forum
The technology boom has seen a large amount of capital enter start-ups in the online-to-offline (O2O) and mobile consumer spaces, and VC investors think there are still plenty of innovative start-ups worth backing.
Fund focus: Morningside scales up for growth deals
Morningside Venture Capital divides up the corpus of its $660 million fourth fund to address a China market increasingly characterized by early-stage and late-stage deals
VIDEO: Oaktree's Howard Marks
Oaktree Capital Management has been following a mantra of “move forward, but with caution,” since 2011, and Howard Marks, the firm’s chairman, told AVCJ earlier this year that he has seen no reason to change this outlook
Sequoia, Matrix commit $7.6m to India's TinyOwl
TinyOwl, an India-based mobile food-ordering platform, has raised INR500 million ($7.6 million) from existing investors Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners.
China cross-border e-commerce platform raises $30m
Bolome, a Shanghai-based cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised a $30 million Series B round of funding from Chinese and South Korean investors including search engine Baidu, LB Investment, Share Capital and Chengwei Capital.
Lilly Asia commits $15m to China cancer drug developer
Lilly Asia Venture has provided a Series A round of funding worth $15 million for MabSpace Bioscience, a China-based company focused on developing cancer therapies.
Indonesia's restaurant discovery app secures $8m
Qraved, an Indonesia-based online restaurant booking platform, has secured an $8 million Series B round of funding co-led by US-based Richmond Global Ventures and China-based Gobi Partners.
India's Essel Finance commits $11m to housing developer
The private equity arm of India's Essel Finance has invested INR400 million ($6 million) across two housing projects by Mumbai-based developer Rashmi Housing, and will invest another INR350 million in a third project.
Morningside closes fourth China TMT fund at $660m
Morningside Venture Capital, a VC firm set up by Hong Kong’s Chan family – owners of property developer Hang Lung Group – has closed its fourth China-focused fund at $660 million.
Asia O2O services: The long tail
From taxi journeys to pedicures, online-to-offline services are changing consumption channels in Asia’s emerging markets. Some leaders have emerged, but much of the sector is still up for grabs
The billion-dollar club: Asia's tech unicorns
Asia accounts for one fifth of the global tech sector’s unicorn population as companies raise larger rounds at ever higher valuations. But as investor sentiment weakens, some of these behemoths should be concerned
Q&A: OTPP's Nicole Musicco
Co-investment is a key tenet of the private equity strategy at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Nicole Musicco, managing director and head of Asia Pacific, explains how the group likes to participate
Fundraising and co-investment: Friends with benefits
Co-investment is becoming more sophisticated as managers sharpen fundraising strategies and respond to the needs of large investors. It points to an increasingly customized and complicated GP-LP relationship
Canada's CPPIB opens India office
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has opened an office in Mumbai to focus on investment opportunities in India.
Chinese appliance maker to invest in Cathay's Sino-French fund
Shenzhen-listed home appliance maker Joyoung has committed EUR5 million (5.53 million) to Cathay Capital’s Sino French Innovation Fund, which is looking to invest in start-ups in France, China and the US.
China O2O delivery start-up raises $13m
Matrix Partners and Lightspeed China Partners have committed $13 million in extended Series A round of funding to 123Feng.com, a Chinese start-up provides delivery services for e-commerce and food-ordering platforms.
China car servicing platform Tuhu raises further $50m
Tuhu, a Chinese B2C auto services platform, has raised $50 million in an extended Series C round of funding led by Hillhouse Capital.
GGV seeks $1.1b for VC investments in China, US
GGV Capital is planning to raise up to $1.1 billion across three vehicles – a core venture fund, a top-up vehicle and an early-stage fund – that will target start-up and growth-stage technology deals in China and the US.