Funds
Japan's SBI partners with Filipino VC
Japanese financial services company SBI Holdings has acquired a 35% stake in the venture arm of Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines (ICCP) with an aim to co-manage a VC fund.
Fund focus: Rising tide floats Golden Gate fund
Golden Gate Ventures has raised a new $60 million fund for investments in Southeast Asia's burgeoning mobile internet sector
Portfolio: New Horizon Capital and Tachikichi
New Horizon Capital has turned around ceramics maker Tachikichi by emphasizing its unique connections to Japanese culture. Now the GP hopes that strategy can take the company beyond its old restraints
China co-working space operator UrWork raises $46m
VC-backed UrWork, a co-working space provider for Chinese start-ups, has completed a pre-Series B round worth RMB300 million ($46 million) from Chinese commercial property developers Yintai Land and Zhongrong International Trust.
China vacation rental site Tujia acquires VC-backed peer Mayi
VC-backed Chinese vacation-rental website Tujia.com has agreed to take control of its industry peer Mayi.com, which has also received venture investment, for an undisclosed sum.
Jafco leads $20m Series A in Singapore's Quoine
Jafco has led a $20 million Series A financing round for Quoine, a Singapore-based bitcoin trading platform.
Myanmar PE: Back to the future
Myanmar’s relatively abrupt transformation from impoverished pariah to upbeat high-growth investment target has resulted in some interesting challenges for private equity and venture capital
Micro VC: Small is beautiful
Asia's micro VC segment is gaining appeal as diversity among fund managers grows
NewMargin leads $10.6m round for China's Flower Plus
NewMargin Ventures has led a RMB70 million ($10.6 million) Series A round of funding for Flower Plus, a Chinese mobile flower ordering platform.
AVCAL calls for reforms ahead of Australian election
The Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) is urging major political parties to do more to help scale up domestic companies ahead of a federal election next month.
Carlyle hires ex-Johnson & Johnson chair to advise Asia buyout
The Carlyle Group has hired Jesse Wu, the former chairman of Johnson & Johnson China, as a senior advisor to the firm’s Asia buyout team.
Tax law eased for Indian start-up investments
India's Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has implemented an exemption on income taxes for investments in some start-ups.
HighLight Capital leads $7.6m round for TCM play
Chinese healthcare-focused GP HighLight Capital has led a RMB50 million ($7.6 million) Series B round for Jun He Tang, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) business, followed by existing investor Qiming Venture Partners.
SAIF leads $12m round for India's ClearTax
SAIF Partners has led a $12 million Series A round for Indian online tax filing website ClearTax.
Sequoia leads $20m Series B for India's Voonik
Indian personalized fashion portal Voonik has raised a $20 million Series B round of funding led by existing investor Sequoia Capital.
China search giant Baidu launches $303m media fund
Baidu, China's leading internet search provider, has set up a RMB2 billion ($303 million) fund that will support the production of at least 30 movies over the next two years.
Pavilion invests $5.8m in Japan's Soracom
Pavilion Capital, a private equity unit of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has committed JPY600 million ($5.8 million) to Japanese internet-of-things (IoT) company Soracom.
China parenting site Beibei raises further $100m
Beibei, a Chinese maternal and infant products e-commerce platform, has raised $100 million in a new round of funding led by existing investors Northern Light Venture Capital (NLVC) and New Horizon Capital.
India's Lok Capital reaches $40m first close on third fund
Indian venture capital firm Lok Capital has reached a first close of $40.5 million for its third fund, which is targeting a $100 million total corpus within 12-18 months.
China's Fenqile receives $235m in Series D funding
Fenqile, a Chinese installment payment platform, has received $235 million from investors including Huasheng Capital, CoBuilder Partners and an unnamed Chinese insurance company.
KKR to buy Korean retailer Kim's Club - report
KKR has agreed to buy Korean luxury grocery chain Kim's Club from its owner, Korean retail conglomerate E-Land Group.
Carlyle appoints new Australia, New Zealand buyout head - update
The Carlyle Group has promoted David Bluff to managing director and head of its buyout team in Australia and New Zealand. He was previously a director with the firm.
Hamilton Lane closes $210m global credit fund
Hamilton Lane has raised $210 million for a credit-focused strategic opportunities fund, exceeding the initial target of $150 million.
Q&A: J-Star's Gregory Hara
Gregory Hara, CEO and managing partner of J-Star, discusses the global opportunities available for smaller Japanese manufacturers and the importance of setting clear goals for portfolio companies