South Asia
Bertelsmann leads $30m round for India fintech start-up
Bertelsmann India Investments has led a $30 million funding round for Rupeek, an India-based online gold loan marketplace.
Naspers leads $125m round for India's Meesho
Naspers has led a $125 million round for Indian e-commerce platform Meesho with support from Facebook and a number of existing VC investors.
India's Lendingkart raises $30m Series D
Indian financial technology platform Lendingkart has raised a INR2.1 billion ($29.9 million) Series D round from existing investors Fullerton Financial Holdings, Bertelsmann India Investment, and India Quotient.
Women entrepreneurs: Tales from the coalface
Women remain underrepresented in start-up ecosystems across Asia, but for those who have taken the plunge, there is potential to make a social impact that transcends their respective target markets
Pakistan's i2i launches $15m venture fund
Invest2Innovate, an accelerator program for technology start-ups in emerging markets, has launched a $15 million venture capital fund focused on Pakistan.
CDC leads $21m round for Indian fintech player
UK government-backed development finance institution CDC Group has led a $21 million round for Indifi Technologies, a company that facilitates loans for small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) in India.
BlackRock, CLSA invest $53m in India's GoWork
Indian co-working space provider GoWork has raised a $53 million round of debt financing led by BlackRock’s private credit team, with participation by CLSA Capital Partners’ special situations group.
Macro and diversity: All hands on deck
As women participate in economies across Asia in larger numbers, investors must consider how this impacts their target markets. Gender-balanced portfolios will no longer be a nice-to-have
GIC to invest $621m in Indian toll road assets
Singapore’s GIC Private has agreed to invest up to INR44 billion ($621 million) in nine toll road assets controlled by Indian private road and highway firm IRB Infrastructure Developers.
ChrysCapital joins $30m round for Indian co-working space Awfis
Indian private equity firm ChrysCapital has led a $30 million Series D round for local co-working player Awfis Space Solutions.
AustralianSuper, OTPP commit $2b to India's NIIF
AustralianSuper and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) have agreed to commit up to $1 billion each to the National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), a vehicle backed by the Indian government.
Tiger Global leads $75m Series E for India's UrbanClap
India-based local services marketplace UrbanClap has raised a $75 million Series E round led by Tiger Global Management that will provide an exit for some unnamed investors.
India exits: Milking unicorns
Partial exits from Oyo by Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners underline the importance of securing liquidity from a technology unicorn while it is still on the rise
Fund focus: Alteria takes venture debt up a level
India’s Alteria Capital closes its debut fund with about $140 million in commitments and a plan to provide venture debt at later stages. Ecosystem creation is a guiding objective
SCPE spinout Affirma completes first deal as an independent
Affirma Capital, a PE firm launched last year as a spin-out of Standard Chartered’s private equity business, has completed its first transaction as an independent firm with a $50 million investment in Indian supplements maker Tirupati Medicare.
Blackstone invests $79m in India's FLF
The Blackstone Group has invested INR5.4 billion in India-listed integration retailer Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF) through an open market transaction.
India IPOs: Long-term horizons
Indian PE and VC investors expect domestic and overseas public markets to become increasingly attractive exit avenues for their portfolio companies as the global macroeconomic volatility dissipates
Alteria closes debut India venture debt fund at $140m
Alteria Capital, an Indian venture debt firm established by InnoVen Capital co-founders Ajay Hattangdi and Vinod Murali, has closed its debut fund at INR9.6 billion ($140 million), beating the INR8 billion target.
Norwest leads $40m Series C for India's MindTickle
Norwest Venture Partners has led a $40 million Series C round for MindTickle, an online sales enablement platform based in India and the US.
Aion to invest $44m in India's Future Lifestyle
Aion Capital Partners has agreed to invest INR3 billion ($43.5 million) in India-listed integrated fashion retailer Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF).
Bain forms Asia data center platform
Bain Capital has become the latest private markets investor to back a pan-Asian data center platform with the merger of existing portfolio companies covering China, Southeast Asia, and India.
Sequoia, Lightspeed make partial exits from India’s Oyo
Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners have made a partial exit from India-based online hospitality platform Oyo through a $2 billion round comprising primary and secondary shares. The round brings the company’s valuation to around $10...
Accel leads $25m round for India's Drip Capital
Drip Capital, an India-based trade finance provider targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging markets, has raised a $25 million Series B round led by Accel Partners.
Investcorp raises $145m for IDFC India PE fund
Investcorp has reached a final close of INR10 billion ($145 million) on the second private equity fund of IDFC Alternatives. The Bahrain-listed asset management firm acquired IDFC's PE and real estate businesses last year.
