Regions
Prosus leads $113m Series I for Swiggy
Swiggy, an Indian food and grocery delivery platform, has received $113 million in a Series I round led by Prosus Ventures, formerly known as Naspers Ventures and Food.
Sequoia leads Series C for Indian onboarding SaaS
Sequoia Capital India has led a $32 million Series C round for Whatfix, an Indian software-as-a-service (SaaS) firm that helps enterprises increase digital adoption rates.
StepStone promotes Australia-based Suzanne Tavill to partner
Suzanne Tavill, a Sydney-based managing director with StepStone Group, has been elevated to partner. It was one of four partner-level promotions made by the firm globally.
Globis backs two Japan marketing services companies
Japan’s Globis Capital Partners has invested in two marketing services providers in separate transactions, including web conferencing player BellFace and data-focused Flywheel.
GP profile: DSG Consumer Partners
A relentless curiosity about the Indian consumer’s journey has helped DSG Consumer Partners carve out a niche in the early stage investment space for companies with emerging local brands
China-focused online English teaching platform raises $14m
Whales English, a Chinese online language tuition business also known as Jingyu Peiyou, has raised RMB100 million ($14 million) in Series B funding led by Sino Ocean Capital. Hike Capital and Fresh Capital also participated.
Deal focus: India's WayCool in fresh approach
A $32.9 million equity and debt investment is unusually large for an Indian agricultural technology start-up.
Deal focus: Circles.Life strives to be different
Circles.Life wants to think bigger, and broader, about its telecom offering than competing mobile virtual network operators in Asia. A $75 million investment from Warburg Pincus will fuel these ambitions
Coronavirus: PE impact assessment
Existing analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on PE and VC in Asia is largely based on anecdotes and incomplete datasets. A detailed prognosis must wait - and then the broader implications for consumption habits will take even longer to emerge
India’s Unacademy secures $110m round
Indian educational learning platform Unacademy has closed a $110 million funding round, bringing Facebook and General Atlantic on to its investor roster.
Chinese GPs provide Series A for Mexican digital bank
Stori, a Mexican digital bank founded by a team with China backgrounds, has raised $10 million in an extended tranche of Series A led by Source Code Capital and Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI). Existing investor Vision Plus Capital also participated.
India’s Blume closes Fund III at $102m
Indian venture capital investor Blume ventures achieved a final close of $102m on Blume Ventures Fund III, its third early-stage fund.
Indonesia's Eureka AI gets $20m Series B
Eureka AI, an Indonesia-based artificial intelligence-enabled enterprise software platform, has received $20 million in Series B funding led by Apis Partners, Gobi Partners, Riyad Capital’s Riyad Taqina Fund, and MEC Ventures.
Affirma backs Vietnam recruitment business
Affirma Capital, a PE firm launched last year as a spin-out of Standard Chartered’s private equity business, has agreed to invest $34 million in Transcendental Human Resources, a Vietnam-focused online recruitment platform.
Kinnevik cuts valuation for India's Quikr
Swedish investment firm Kinnevik has revised downward its valuation of Indian online classifieds platform Quikr, citing fraud-related concerns and a changed measurement metric.
China technology training platform 51CTO raises $20m
51CTO, a Chinese online technology training platform, has raised $20 million in a Series C funding round led by Gaocheng Capital.
India’s Barbeque Nation re-files for IPO
Indian restaurant chain Barbeque Nation has re-filed for an initial public offering that will provide an exit opportunity for its private equity investors.
First responders: China VCs on a healthcare crisis
The coronavirus outbreak has thrust Chinese healthcare services into the spotlight, prompting investors to identify to sub-segments with potential for significant growth
Poor relations: Endowments and foundations in Asia
With a few exceptions, Asia’s endowments and foundations lack the scale, sophistication and appetite for alternatives of their US brethren. Structural and cultural barriers maintain the status quo
China logistics player Yimidida raises $140m
Yimidida, a Chinese logistics platform has raised RMB1 billion ($140 million) in an extended tranche of Series D funding. The round took place in parallel with the firm’s acquisition of Shanghai-based UC Express.
Tata Opportunities Fund team targets spin-out
The Tata Opportunities Fund (TOF) team is poised to spin-out after Tata Capital – a wholly-owned unit of India’s Tata Group – decided it did not want to continue sponsoring the franchise for a second fund.
General Atlantic leads round for China's CANbridge Pharma
General Atlantic and WuXi AppTec, China’s leading contract research organization (CRO) WuXi AppTec, have led a $98 million Series D round for local drug developer CANbridge Pharmaceuticals.
PE-backed SBI Cards wins approval for India IPO
SBI Cards and Payments, the State Bank of India's (SBI) credit card arm and a Carlyle Group portfolio company, is looking to raise INR60 billion ($840 million) through a domestic IPO.
HighLight hits $300m first close on China healthcare fund
Chinese healthcare-focused GP HighLight Capital has reached the first close of $300 million on its third US dollar-denominated fund, but further progress is likely to be delayed by the coronavirus outbreak.