South Asia
India PE stalwart Ajay Relan dies aged 67
Ajay Relan, one of the pioneers of private equity in India, has died at the age of 67.
Lightrock leads round for India BNPL player Capital Float
Capital Float, an Indian lending platform now positioning itself as a buy now, pay later (BNPL) specialist, has raised $50 million led by the local unit of UK-based private equity investor Lightrock.
Lee Fixel's Addition backs India-based Delhivery
Addition, a private equity firm established by Lee Fixel, who was previously involved in many of Tiger Global Management’s early India deals, has invested $125 million in local e-commerce logistics provider Delhivery.
CDC joins $75m round for India medical B2B marketplace
CDC Group has contributed $27.5 million to a $75 million Series C round for Medikabazaar, an Indian medical B2B marketplace and COVID-19 supply chain operator.
True North exits India's RDC Concrete after 16-year hold
True North has agreed to sell India-based RDC Concrete, a company it has owned since 2005, to private equity-backed online construction marketplace Infra.market.
India's Freshworks flourishes on NASDAQ debut
Freshworks, one of India's leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses, traded strongly on its NASDAQ debut following a $1 billion IPO.
India's Cars24 closes Series F, sees valuation double
Indian used car platform Cars24 has closed a $450 million Series F round and received $110 million in debt funding. It nearly doubles the company’s valuation to $1.84 billion.
Invesco commits $100m to India's Pine Labs
Invesco has announced a $100 million commitment to Indian financial technology provider Pine Labs. It comes two months after the company closed a $600 million pre-IPO round.
India's Apna joins unicorn club 21 months after launch
India-based online jobs platform Apna has closed a $100 million funding Series C round at a valuation of $1.1 billion, achieving unicorn status just 21 months after launching its flagship product.
IFC plans re-up for A91's second India fund
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has proposed a commitment of up to $25 million in the sophomore fund of India’s A91 Partners, which has a target of $500-550 million.
India's MPL closes Series E, hits $2.3b valuation
Mobile Premier League (MPL) has joined rival Indian mobile gaming platform Dream Sports in the unicorn club on closing a Series E round of funding at a valuation of $2.3 billion.
India's FreshWorks targets $912m US IPO
Freshworks, which earlier this year lost its status as India’s most valuable software-as-a-service (SaaS) start-up, is looking to raise up to $912 million through a US IPO.
India blue-collar HR start-up gets $24m
Indian blue-collar workforce management platform BetterPlace has raised a $24 million Series C round led by CX Partners and Jungle Ventures.
Deal focus: ShopUp champions the iron triangle
As a first mover in Bangladesh’s B2B e-commerce space, ShopUp moved quickly into services, logistics, and finance. This inadvertent super app now has $75 million in Series B funding to show for its efforts
India media SaaS platform Amagi raises $100m
Accel Partners, Avataar Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, and Premji Invest, have committed $100 million in funding to Amagi, an India-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform aimed at TV broadcasters.
India home interiors player raises $50m Series E
IIFL Asset Management has led a $50 million Series E round for Indian interior design start-up HomeLane.
India's Leap Finance raises $55m Series C
US education technology specialist Owl Ventures has led a $55 million Series C round for Leap Finance, an Indian start-up that helps students pay for overseas studies.
Apax-owned Healthium Medtech files for India IPO
Apax Partners-owned Helthium Medtech, an India-based medical devices manufacturer formerly known as Sutures India, has filed for a domestic IPO.
Bangladesh’s ShopUp raises $75m Series B
Valar Ventures, a firm set up by PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, has led a $75 million Series B round for Bangladeshi B2B platform ShopUp.
Deal focus: India’s AppsForBharat inspires VC devotees
AppsForBharat aims to be the first mobile player to create a product that sticks in the hard-to-monetize spirituality services space. Sequoia Capital India and Matrix Partners India are among the faithful
CDC spinout seeks $500m for India secondaries fund
Stratford House Advisors, an India-focused secondaries investor established by two former executives from CDC Group, is looking to raise $500 million for a dedicated country fund.
WestBridge leads Series B for India voice AI start-up
WestBridge Capital has led a $23 million Series B round for India’s Skit, a voice recognition artificial intelligence (AI) supplier for the call center industry.
Naspers-owned PayU to buy India's BillDesk for $4.7b
PayU, a payments provider owned by South African conglomerate Naspers, has agreed to acquire 100% of Indian payments app BillDesk for $4.7 billion, setting up several private equity exits.
Tata VC fund to exit India thermal energy business
Tata Capital Innovations Fund is set to exit Indian industrial materials developer Pluss Advanced Technologies to a local conglomerate in a deal worth INR1.1 billion ($15.7 million).
