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Iron Pillar co-founder launches India venture growth firm
Sameer Nath, co-founder and a managing partner at Indian VC firm Iron Pillar, has spun out to form TrueScale Capital, which will follow a similar venture growth remit.
Ethics in AI: Slippery slope
Concerns around artificial intelligence technology have extended from unauthorized surveillance to include healthcare and education. When does the ethical dilemma become an ESG sticking point for investors?
India SaaS: Global first
India’s enterprise software start-ups have traditionally ceded the spotlight to their consumer-facing peers, primarily because of their outlook – and their VC backers – are US-oriented. That is now changing
Sequoia, Tencent lead Series E for China's Miaoshou Doctor
Beijing Yuanxin Technology, operator of China-based online healthcare services platform Miaoshou Doctor, has raised RMB3 billion ($466 million) in Series E funding led by Sequoia Capital China and Tencent Holdings.
Quadrant becomes first Asia GP to make HEC top 10
Quadrant Private Equity has become the first Asia Pacific-based manager to make the top 10 in the HEC-Dow Jones Private Equity Performance Ranking.
Indian news app Dailyhunt raises $100m
Indian news app Dailyhunt has raised $100 million led by Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Glade Brook Capital Partners. It extends a $102 million Series H round last year featuring Google.
Temasek CEO steps down
Ho Ching, CEO of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings will step down from the government-controlled investment fund effective October 1. She will retire her board seat on the same date.
Match buys VC-backed Korean social platform for $1.7b
Hyperconnect, a Korean social media platform backed by Altos Ventures and SoftBank Ventures Korea, has agreed to an acquisition by online dating giant Match Group for $1.73 billion in cash and stock.
Eastern Bell seeks $600m for second US dollar fund
Eastern Bell Capital, a Chinese private equity firm that focuses on supply chains and logistics businesses, has set a target of $600 million for its second US dollar-denominated fund.
MBK targets $639m acquisition of Japan aged care business
MBK Partners has joined the list of private equity firms pursuing deals in Japan’s aged care and healthcare space, having launched a tender offer for Tsukui Holdings Corporation at a valuation of JPY66.9 billion ($639 million).
China's Yunqi promotes Yu Chen to partner
Chinese venture capital firm Yunqi Partners has promoted Yu Chen - who specializes in big data, cloud computing, autonomous driving, and robotics investments - to partner.
Advent buys majority stake in India's ZCL, MSPEA exits
Advent International has agreed to acquire Indian pharmaceuticals supplier ZCL Chemicals, setting up a minority exit for Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA).
Brunei, CPE join Series C extension for China's Pony.ai
Chinese autonomous driving technology supplier Pony.ai has secured a Series C extension of $100 million featuring new investors Brunei Investment Agency and CPE. It takes the company’s total funding to date past $1.1 billion.
L Catterton recruits SE Asia, India leadership
Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton has recruited Yock Siong “Song” Tee and Anjana Sasidharan to leadership positions in Southeast Asia and India, respectively.
PE-backed Luckin files for bankruptcy in the US
Chinese coffee shop chain Luckin Coffee, which has several private equity backers, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US to aid its restructuring efforts following the emergence of a sales fraud last year.
China robotics: Automation nation
China is a global leader in robot manufacturing, but only in areas characterized by high volumes and low technology value. Can more start-ups climb from medium-tech to hard-tech?
China vocational education provider gets $390m Series A
Fenbi, a China-based vocational education platform, has raised $390 million in a Series A round led by IDG Capital and Trustbridge Partners. Hony Capital also took part.
MIRA makes $2.6b bid for Australia's Vocus
Macquarie Infrastructure & Real Assets (MIRA) has offered to acquire Australian broadband internet provider Vocus Group for about A$3.4 billion ($2.6 billion). It follows a string of abandoned bids.
AVCJ Awards 2020: Special Achievement: Lip-Bu Tan
Recognized as one of the pioneers of venture capital in Asia, Walden International’s Lip-Bu Tan still gets a kick out of leveraging his years of experience to help nascent start-ups
Deal focus: Opportunity knocks in Japan's pricey auto space
Dream Incubator's VC arm started tracking Nyle after the Japanese online media start-up made a timely pivot into car leasing. It led to a JPY5 billion ($48.3 million) funding round
China's Kuaishou surges on debut after $5.4b Hong Kong IPO
Kuaishou, a Chinese video-sharing and social networking platform backed by Tencent Holdings, 5Y Capital and DST Global, started trading at nearly three times its IPO price following a Hong Kong IPO that valued the company at HK$1.1 trillion ($142 billion)....
CDH exits Singapore equipment rental business
Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation has acquired Singapore-based construction equipment rental business Aver Asia, facilitating a full exit for CDH Investments.
Indigenous New Zealand LP backs pathology business
Te Puia Tapapa (TPT), a PE investor serving New Zealand indigenous groups, has backed a pathology business owned by New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP).
India gaming platform MPL gets $95m Series D
Mobile Premier League (MPL), an Indian mobile gaming platform that matches users for competitive play, has raised a $95 million Series D round at a post-money valuation of $945 million.