Greater China
China AI start-up Aibee joins unicorn club
China-based artificial intelligence start-up Aibee has achieved a valuation of more than USD 1bn on closing a new funding round led by smartphone brand Xiaomi and featuring China Merchants Capital.
EQT buys China pest control business
EQT Private Equity Asia has acquired majority stake in Guardian Hygiene Service, China’s largest domestic pest control company, for an undisclosed sum. It facilitates a full exit for Jade Invest.
Primavera SPAC to merge with Fosun-owned fashion platform
A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) with ties to China-based private equity firm Primavera Capital Group has agreed to merge with global luxury fashion platform Lanvin Group at a pro forma enterprise valuation of USD 1.5bn.
Eight Roads launches $350m China tech fund
Eight Roads Ventures has raised a China fund with a corpus of USD 350m which will make venture and early growth investments across enterprise, financial, and consumer technologies
Deal focus: Medilink chases global ADC opportunity
The Medilink Therapeutics team spun out from Kelun-Biotech to develop antibody drug conjugates capable of competing with the world’s best. Its USD 70m Series B will support the pursuit of this goal
China's Nio Capital closes Fund II on $400m
Nio Capital, a China-based investment firm established by the founder of domestic electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio, has raised USD 400m for its second US-dollar denominated fund.
Trustar buys China condiments supplier
Trustar Capital, formerly known as CITIC Capital Partners, has acquired China-based food condiments supplier Beijing Salion Foods for an undisclosed sum.
AppWorks targets $360m for Fund IV, launches Web3 arm
Taiwan-based VC firm and accelerator AppWorks has established a dedicated Web3 arm and plans to launch its fourth flagship fund with a target of USD 360m in the second quarter of 2022.
PE-owned Belle Fashion files for Hong Kong IPO
China’s largest women’s footwear retailer Belle Fashion, which is backed by Hillhouse Capital and CDH Investments, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO with a reported target of USD 1bn.
PE-backed TuSimple ponders Asia asset spinout
TuSimple, a private equity-backed developer of autonomous driving technology for trucks that listed in the US less than 12 months ago, is considering a spinout of its Asia Pacific operations.
China's Rockets Capital hits $200m first close on debut fund
Rockets Capital, a Chinese investment firm co-founded by Bing Yuan, formerly COO of Hony Capital, in conjunction with the senior leadership of local electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng, has reached a first close of USD 200m on its debut fund. The overall...
Hong Kong digital asset custodian Hex Trust raises $88m
Hong Kong-based digital asset custodian Hex Trust has raised a USD 88m Series B round co-led by local counterpart Animoca Brands and US crypto specialist Liberty City Ventures.
China smart projector brand JMGO raises $158m
IDG Capital and Chinese smartphone brand Oppo have invested CNY 1bn (USD 158m) in JMGO, a local manufacturer of smart projection equipment developer JMGO that also goes by the name Holatek.
PE-owned Fitness First winds down in Hong Kong
Private equity-owned Fitness First has wound down its Hong Kong business, which accounts for eight out of approximately 90 centres in a network that extends into Southeast Asia, as pandemic-related restrictions took their toll.
Genesis leads Series A extension for China's Nutshell Therapeutics
Nutshell Therapeutics, a China-based specialist in protein-focused drugs, has raised USD 40m in an extended Series A led by Genesis Capital.
Lyfe, Qiming lead Series B for China ADC player Medilink
Suzhou Medilink Therapeutics, a Chinese biotech company specializing in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) commonly used as targeted therapies for treating cancer, has raised a USD 70m Series B led by Lyfe Capital and Qiming Venture Partners.
Flexibility first: Investing in the future of work
Investment in work-tech has soared as start-ups devise solutions for workforces that are increasingly distributed in terms of location, structure, and practice. Data, and knowing what to do with it, is key
China 3D content platform Xverse raises $120m
Xverse, a Shenzhen-based 3D user-generated content platform has raised USD 120m across a Series A and a Series A extension, led by GL Ventures and Sequoia Capital China, respectively.
Source Code leads Series B for China's Fair Robotics
Fair Robotics, a China-based collaborative robot developer, has raised a USD 50m Series B round led by Source Code Capital.
China's Cloudview reaches $316m first close on renminbi fund
Cloudview Capital, a Chinese GP that previously operated as a joint venture with ICBC International, has completed a first close on its second renminbi-denominated Fund with CNY 2bn (USD 316m) in commitments.
China smart text processing start-up raises $92m
Data Grand, a China-based specialist in text recognition and processing robotics, has raised CNY 580m （USD 92m）in Series C round featuring China Merchants Securities, CITIC Securities, GF Securities, and China Securities.
KKR-backed massage chair business files for Hong Kong IPO
V3 Brands Asia, a KKR-backed holding entity for OSIM, which claims to be Asia’s number one brand in the premium massage chairs market, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
CDH CEO leads Hong Kong SPAC
Shuge Jiao, CEO of CDH Investments, is chairing a Hong Kong special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by one of the China-based private equity firm’s portfolio companies.
China's Pony.ai hits $8.5b valuation with Series D
Chinese autonomous driving technology supplier Pony.ai has closed the first tranche of a Series D round at a valuation of USD 8.5bn. This represents a 65% increase from the Series C.