South Asia
India's Gupshup acquires VC-backed OneDirect
India-based B2C messaging services provider Gupshup has acquired OneDirect, a local customer service platform that previously received several rounds of funding from Sequoia Capital India.
Elevar leads $32m round for India start-up credit provider
Indian impact investor Elevar Equity has led a INR 2.5bn (USD 32.2m) round for StrideOne, a start-up credit platform launched last year by the managing partners of local venture debt firm Stride Ventures.
Creador, InvAscent invest $68m in India medical supplier
Malaysia-based Creador and Indian healthcare specialist InvAscent have invested a combined USD 68m in Indian medical equipment supplier Accumax Lab Devices.
L Catterton leads Series D for India beauty player Sugar Cosmetics
L Catterton has entered India’s highly competitive beauty and personal care space, throwing its support behind Sugar Cosmetics, which claims to be one of the country’s leading omnichannel players.
Deal focus: Venturi brings families into D2C
Consumer-focused private equity firm Venturi Partners drew on significant family office co-investment to co-lead a USD 108m Series D for India direct-to-consumer food specialist Country Delight
India D2C food brand Country Delight gets $108m Series D
India’s Country Delight, a direct-to-consumer (D2C) food brand best known for farm-fresh milk, has raised USD 108m in Series D funding led by Singapore’s Venturi Partners and Temasek Holdings.
India's Delhivery completes $674m IPO
Indian e-commerce logistics provider Delhivery raised INR 52.4bn (USD 674m) in a domestic IPO but was unable to sustain first-day price gains with the stock sliding towards the offering price by May 26.
India EV ride-hailing start-up raises $50m
BluSmart, which claims to be India’s first integrated electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing and charging business, has closed a USD 50m Series A round led by BP Ventures and local cleantech investor Green Frontier Fund.
Deal focus: India's Fashinza in vogue with VC
The appeal of the boutique brand ensures that fashion will always be a fragmented space. As e-commerce splinters the industry even further, India’s Fashinza aims to tie it all together
SBI, Kyobo Life seek $75m for Asia VC fund
SBI Ven Capital (SBIVC), an ex-Japan VC arm of SBI Holdings, is seeking USD 75m for its latest fund in partnership with Korea’s Kyobo Life Insurance and Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University.
China outbound: Organic options
Tough domestic competition is encouraging Chinese tech start-ups to expand overseas – often organically, earlier in their lifecycles than before, and despite regulatory concerns
India's Multiples invests $88m in BDR Pharma
Multiples Private Equity has led a consortium in the acquisition of a 9.3% stake in India’s BDR Pharmaceuticals for INR 6.8bn (USD 88.5m).
India's Fashinza gets $100m Series B
Prosus Ventures and WestBridge Capital have led a USD 100m Series B round for India’s Fashinza, a B2B marketplace and supply chain platform for the fashion industry.
India e-commerce enabler Gokwik raises $35m
Gokwik, an Indian e-commerce enablement platform, has raised USD 35m in a Series B round led by Think Investments and RTP Global.
Eight Roads launches $250m India healthcare fund
Eight Roads Ventures has launched its first dedicated healthcare and life-sciences fund for India with a corpus of USD 250m provided entirely by its parent, Fidelity.
India's NIIF joins $128m round for Ather Energy
India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIFL) has participated in a USD 128m funding round for Ather Energy, a leading domestic manufacturer of two-wheel electric vehicles (EV).
PAG backs acquisition of India's Optimus Drugs
PAG has supported the acquisition of Optimus Drugs for an undisclosed sum alongside CX Partners and Samara Capital as part of a joint Indian pharmaceuticals platform play.
TPG, Temasek invest $136m in India's Dr Agarwal's
TPG Growth and Temasek Holdings have invested a combined INR 10.5bn (USD 136m) in Indian eyecare chain Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, setting up an exit for ADV Partners.
Emerging Asia start-ups: Governance revisited
Even a modest cooling off from tech investment euphoria experienced in the peak of the pandemic could reveal big cracks in Asian start-up markets. Diligence efforts are ramping up, but is it enough?
LeapFrog leads $61m investment in India's Redcliffe Lifetech
LeapFrog Investments has led a USD 61m round for India’s Redcliffe Lifetech, a diagnostics platform focused on non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Sequoia, Tiger, Alpha Wave invest $100m in India agtech player
Indian agriculture technology start-up Absolute Foods has confirmed USD 100m in recent funding from Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global Management, and Alpha Wave Global at a valuation of USD 500m.
Maverick leads $75m round for Hong Kong SaaS player Coherent
Hong Kong-based no-code software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Coherent has raised a USD 75m Series B round led by Maverick Capital.
India dental start-up Toothsi raises $40m Series C
India’s Toothsi, a direct-to-consumer start-up that makes own-branded transparent dental aligners and braces, has raised a USD 40m Series C round featuring Eight Roads Ventures.
Tiger backs India's Open Financial at $1b valuation
Indian digital banking start-up Open Financial Technologies has received funding from Tiger Global Management, Temasek Holdings, 3one 4 Capital, and IIFL at a valuation of USD 1bn.