South Asia
India's Byju's acquires online coding school
Byju’s, an Indian online learning platform backed by several PE and VC firms, has acquired WhiteHat Jr, a platform that helps students learn to code.
Sustainable food: Forces of nature
Environmental considerations are intrinsic to food innovation investment strategy, not a public relations bonus. Science, society, and myriad motivations color a range of perspectives
GPs & climate change risk: Material matters
Climate change risk is becoming a broader debate within private equity, taking in the long-term impact of floods, droughts, and fires on portfolios. Most GPs have yet to turn thought into action
Tata Growth commits $30m to India's Biocon
Tata Capital Growth Fund has invested INR2.25 billion ($30 million) in the biosimilars business of India-listed pharmaceuticals giant Biocon.
Advent to acquire Indian pharma player
Advent International has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Indian pharmaceutical company RA Chem Pharma.
Oyo founder establishes VC firm in Singapore
Ritesh Agarwal (pictured), the founder of Indian hotel booking platform Oyo, has launched a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm called Aroa Ventures.
India’s Toppr raises $50m from Foundation Holdings
Indian educational technology startup Toppr has raised $50 million (INR3.5 billion) in a Series D funding round led by United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Foundation Holdings.
India online education: Learning process
With millions of Indian students facing the possibility of an academic year conducted entirely online, educational technology start-ups have an opportunity for business model validation
Deal focus: Vedantu adds to war chest as rivals encroach
India's Vedantu has raised $100 million in funding to support its ongoing diversification into non-test preparation services. Other players in the online education space have similar plans
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
India looks to expand scope of Chinese app ban
India has banned 47 more Chinese apps - saying they are clones of earlier outlawed products - and there are expectations that the crackdown could extend even further.
Probe into death of Indian founder reveals PE link
An investigation into the apparent suicide of V.G. Siddhartha, founder of Indian coffee chain Café Coffee Day, has revealed that a promise of guaranteed returns to private equity investors might have contributed to the entrepreneur's untimely demise.
Steadview backs India SaaS player Freshworks
Steadview Capital has invested $85 million in India and US-based cloud business software developer Freshworks through the purchase of shares from existing investors.
Indian agritech VeGrow secures seed funding
Indian agricultural technology start-up VeGrow raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Ankur Capital and Matrix Partners India.
India’s True North closes sixth fund below target
Indian private equity firm True North closed its sixth fund last year at about $600 million, falling short of a revised target.
India's Vedantu raises $100m round Series D
Indian online tutoring service Vedantu has raised $100 million in a Series D round led by US hedge fund Coatue Management.
Asia VC: Vertex's evolving early-stage network
Vertex Holdings’ Chua Kee-Lock likens his network of VC funds seeded by the Temasek-owned entity as a distributed computer system. It will draw down more power as it grows
Walmart leads $1.2b round for India's Flipkart
Walmart has led a $1.2 billion funding round for Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce business in which it acquired a majority stake at a valuation of $24 billion in 2018.
Google joins Facebook on Jio Platforms investor roster
Google has agreed to invest INR337.3 billion ($4.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms and outlined plans to build a low-cost smart phone aimed at the mass-market.
2Q analysis: Numbers that deceive
Asia has seen remarkable revivals in private equity investment and fundraising – though not in exits – over the past three months. A handful of large-cap situations mask a weak environment
India's Unacademy moves to form edtech group
Indian online education platform Unacademy has acquired a majority stake in industry peer Mastree. It is the company's second acquisition in recent weeks, suggesting a consolidation strategy within the space.
Google commits $10b for India digitization effort
Google will launch a INR750 billion ($10 billion) fund to make equity, operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments that seek to increase the pace of digitization in India.
Large-cap vehicles support PE fundraising revival in second quarter
Asia private equity fundraising rebounded from a seven-year low in the first quarter of the year to reach $24 billion for April through June, but commitments were concentrated on a handful of managers.
Qualcomm Ventures invests $97m in India’s Jio Platforms
Qualcomm Ventures has agreed to invest INR7.3 billion ($97 million) in India’s Jio Platforms, the holding company for various internet and telecom assets owned by Reliance Industries.
