Funds
India's Swiggy raises $16.5m from Norwest, Accel, SAIF
Indian food delivery platform Swiggy has raised $16.5 million in a Series B round led by Norwest Venture Partners, along with existing investors Accel Partners and SAIF Partners and an unnamed investor.
Q&A: ICG's Christopher Heine
Whether it is mezzanine for buyouts or growth financing for family businesses, Christopher Heine, head of Asia Pacific at Intermediate Capital Group, wants to be seen as a partner rather than just another capital provider
Fund restructuring: The waiting game
The message has always been: Look at what’s happening in the US and Europe to get an idea of what is likely to happen in Asia. The follow-up question: Okay, but when? The answer: Soon, but not yet.
China social e-commerce start-up raises $10m from GGV
Chinese e-commerce discovery site Red has raised more than $10 million in Series B funding from GGV Capital.
Innovation Works leads $6m round for China's Smellme
Chinese pet-oriented social network Smellme has raised a $6 million Series A round of funding led by Innovation Works.
Snow Leopard, Paytm commit $5m to India's Jugnoo
Indian autorickshaw-hailing service Jugnoo has raised INR320 million ($5 million) in Series A funding from Snow Leopard Technology Ventures and Paytm, along with some existing angel investors.
Chinese premier backs local listings for start-ups
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the government would promote start-ups with “special ownership structures” to list onshore, as part of efforts to encourage the development of the venture capital industry.
India home appliances marketplace raises $20m
Indian hyper-local online marketplace Zopper has raised $20 million from existing investors Tiger Global and Nirvana Venture Advisors.
Korean groups launch $180m North America infrastructure mandate
A group of Korean institutional investors led by a unit of KB Financial Group has awarded a North American infrastructure mandate worth $180 million to Fengate Capital Management.
Morningside backs China mathematics teaching start-up
Early-stage investor Morningside Technologies has led a $5 million Series A round of funding for Leleketang, a China-based online teaching platform that specializes in mathematics and Chinese.
Nexus leads $15m round for India data solutions firm
Nexus Venture Partners has led a $15 million Series B round for Indian data center software developer Arkin, along with other investors.
Taiwan launches $120m Silicon Valley VC fund
Taiwan’s National Development Fund (NDF) and Ministry of Science and Technology (MST) have agreed to form $120 million VC fund that will invest in Silicon Valley tech start-ups.
CBC leads $15m round for China public transport app
China Broadband Capital (CBC) has led a $15 million Series B round of funding for Chelaile, a Chinese public bus tracking app.
Deal focus: Quadrant makes another premium pet play
Quadrant Private Equity's last foray into pet services was relatively short-lived. It bought City Farmers for A$93 million ($84 million) in September 2013 and within 10 months had agreed to sell the business to Greencross for A$205 million in cash and...
Corporate VC: Pleasing the parent
Companies want to keep tabs on technological innovation in order to stay relevant in their industries by nurturing Asia’s tech start-ups. However, there is no uniform approach to corporate venture capital
LP interview: ROC Partners
Having created the largest Asia-focused fund-of-funds as a division of Macquarie, Michael Lukin and his team spun out two years ago to form ROC Partners. Secondaries and co-investments are the areas of focus
Sequoia leads $15m Series B for Chinese food platform Mishi
Sequoia Capital has provided $15 million in Series B funding to Mishi, a Chinese app that aggregates private kitchens. Neil Shen, Sequoia’s managing partner, compared the business to a “gourmet version of Airbnb.”
India's Veeba Foods raises $6m from Saama Capital
Saama Capital has led a $6 million round for Indian specialty food ingredients maker Veeba Food Services. Existing investor DSG Consumer Partners also took part.
WI Harper, ITIC lead $4m Series A for Taiwan's HWTrek
Taiwan business networking startup HWTrek has raised a $4 million Series A round led by WI Harper and the Industrial Technology Investment Corporation (ITIC), with participation from Legend Star Capital, JD.com, and Global Brain.
Advantage exits GTA TeleGuam to Indonesian trade buyer
Japan's Advantage Partners has exited GTA TeleGuam - the former state-owned telephone company based on the island of Guam - to Telkom Indonesia. The value of the transaction has not been disclosed.
CyberAgent Ventures launches $50m Southeast Asia fund
Japan's CyberAgent Ventures (CAV) - the corporate venture arm of the eponymous Japanese internet firm - has launched a $50 million fund focusing on Southeast Asia start-ups.
China luxury e-commerce site gets $30m Series C round
Pacific Venture Partners has led a $30 million Series C round of funding for Xiu.com, a China-based luxury brand e-commerce platform.
Cathay backs China food ingredients maker
Cathay Capital has bought a 25% stake in Chinese food ingredient maker Cabio Bioengineering (Wuhan).
Aberdeen Asset Management buys FLAG Capital
Aberdeen Asset Management has bought FLAG Capital Management, the US-based firm that acquired Asia-focused fund-of-funds Squadron Capital in 2012. The financials of the transaction were not disclosed.