South Asia
Incofin hits $60m first close on India impact fund
Belgium-based Incofin Investment Management, which focuses on financial inclusion and developing market agri-food segments, has reached a first close of $60 million for an India impact fund.
PAG acquires Indian CDMO Acme for $145m
PAG has acquired a controlling stake in Acme Formulation Private, an India-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), for approximately $145 million.
India's BlackBuck closes Series E, becomes unicorn
BlackBuck, India’s largest trucking platform, has raised $67 million in Series E funding led by US-based Tribe Capital, IFC Emerging Asia Fund, and VEF at a valuation of $1 billion.
India's HealthifyMe closes $75m Series C
LeapFrong Investments and Khosla Ventures have led a $75 million Series C round for HealthifyMe, a mobile health and fitness app operator with a presence in India and Southeast Asia.
Tiger Global, Avenir lead $108m round for India's Spinny
Spinny, an Indian online used car marketplace, has raised $108 million in Series D funding led by Tiger Global Management and US-based investor Avenir Growth.
Vision Fund, Prosus lead $1.25b round for India's Swiggy
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Prosus Ventures have led a $1.25 billion funding round for Swiggy, an India-based on-demand delivery platform.
India's Lenskart raises $220m at $2.5b valuation
Indian eyewear retailer Lenskart has raised a $220 million round led by Temasek Holdings and Falcon Edge Capital at a valuation of $2.5 million.
Deal focus: Targeting an insurance pain point
India’s Digit Insurance has achieved a valuation of $3.5 billion in four years with a thesis that simple is better – and more trustworthy. COVID-19 added more rocket fuel
India's Paytm targets $2.2b domestic IPO
Paytm, India’s largest digital payments company, has filed for an INR166 billion ($2.2 billion) domestic IPO, setting up exits for several private equity investors.
Tech investment surges in India, SE Asia as China plummets
A drop-off in PE and VC technology investment in China in the second quarter of 2021 – widely linked to a multi-faceted regulatory crackdown on the sector – was to some extent counterbalanced by record levels of activity in India and Southeast Asia.
SoftBank leads $150m Series C for US, India-based Netradyne
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a $150 million Series C round for Netradyne, a US and India-based software provider for vehicle fleet operators.
Creador hits $500m first close on Fund V
Creador has reached a first close of $500 million on its fifth South and Southeast Asia-focused fund, with the first three investments set for completion in August.
India media platform Pratilipi raises $48m Series D
Pratilipi, a literature, comics, and audio storytelling platform with service in 12 Indian languages, has raised a $48 million Series D that will see the start-up branch into gaming.
VC-backed Mobikwik files for India IPO
Indian digital payments provider Mobikwik is looking to raise up to INR19 billion ($255 million) through a domestic IPO that would facilitate partial exits for a string of investors.
India's Flipkart completes $3.6b funding round
Walmart-controlled Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce players, has raised $3.6 billion at a valuation of $37.6 billion with significant private equity support.
2Q analysis: Trouble in China
Efforts to rein in China’s technology giants have dampened investor sentiment, with India and Southeast Asia stepping into the void. China remains active for fundraising, but there are fears that US IPO activity could take a hit
India's Ola receives $500m pre-IPO round
Temasek Holdings and Warburg Pincus have joined a $500 million in Indian ride-hailing platform Ola ahead of an IPO.
Eight Roads adds partner to India team
Eight Roads Ventures has promoted Ashish Venkataramani to partner in India. It brings the firm's partner count across Bangalore and Mumbai to five.
Tiger Global leads $144m round for India's DealShare
Tiger Global Management has led a $144 million Series D round for Indian social e-commerce start-up DealShare.
Kotak hits $185m first close on India pre-IPO fund
India’s Kotak Investment Advisors has achieved a first close of INR13.9 billion ($185 million) for a pre-IPO fund.
India's Pine Labs raises $315m at $3.5b valuation
Indian financial technology provider Pine Labs has raised a $315 million round featuring BlackRock at a post-money valuation of about $3.5 billion.
VC-backed Indian game developer bought by Swedish strategic
Indian game studio PlaySimple has been acquired for about $360 million by Sweden’s Modern Times Group (MTG), setting up exits for Elevation Capital and Chiratae Ventures.
Deal focus: Indian cartoons poised for proliferation
NewQuest Capital’s acquisition of Cosmos-Maya from KKR-backed Emerald Media punctuates a crystallizing opportunity set in Indian animation. The next step is going global
Deal focus: LocoNav targets gap in fleet digitization
The rapidly modernizing fleet management industry has seen surprisingly little progress in terms of driver and dispatcher services. Global VCs see a solution in India’s LocoNav
