Southeast Asia
CEO of Malaysia's Cradle Fund killed by mobile phone malfunction
Nazrin Hassan, CEO of Cradle Fund, died on June 14 due to blast injuries incurred when his mobile phone exploded, the Malaysian venture capital firm has confirmed.
Singapore's M17 abandons US IPO
M17 Entertainment, a Taiwan and Singapore-based media streaming company, has abandoned plans for a $60.1 million IPO in the US citing unspecified difficulties with some investors.
Abraaj files for restructuring
The Abraaj Group – which has been under pressure since governance concerns emerged in February – has appointed provisional liquidators to work on a restructuring of the firm after a second creditor filed a petition seeking to recover unpaid debts.
Sequoia, Shunwei lead $38m round for PatSnap
PatSnap, a cloud-based intellectual property analytics and management software developer based in the UK and Singapore with more than half of its clients in China, has raised a $38 million Series D round led by Shunwei Capital and Sequoia Capital.
CVC acquires Malaysia's Munchy Food Industries
CVC Capital Partners has acquired 100% of Malaysia-based food company Munchy Food Industries for an undisclosed sum.
Toyota invests $1b in SE Asia's Grab at $10b valuation
Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation will contribute $1 billion as the lead investor in the latest round of funding for Southeast Asia-focused ride-hailing business Grab. The commitment – the largest-ever made by an automaker in the ride-hailing industry...
Southeast Asia's Grab launches venture arm
Southeast Asia-focused ride-hailing app operator Grab has launched a venture capital unit aimed at developing and investing in emerging technology businesses across the region.
PE-backed Bigo raises $272m Series D
Chinese media platform operator YY has led a Series D round for Bigo Live, a Singapore-based video streaming company backed by Ping An Insurance, with a $272 million commitment.
Singapore's MyRepublic receives $60m capital injection
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) and Singapore family office Kamet Capital Partners have invested $60 million in Asia telecom player MyRepublic.
ICOs: Normalizing the future
The application of virtual tokens as investment instruments is modernizing the venture capital industry. Stakeholders are discovering a range of pitfalls and possibilities during the transition
Mekong invests in Vietnamese mattress seller
Mekong Capital has invested an undisclosed amount in Vietnamese mattress and bedding retailer Vua Nem to support its expansion.
Apis targets $400m for emerging markets growth fund
Apis Partners is targeting $400 million for its second middle-market growth fund focused on financial services and technology investments in emerging markets, with a $500 million hard cap.
SoftBank co-leads $20m round for Indonesia's EV Hive
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK) has co-led a $20 million Series A round for EV Hive, an Indonesian co-working space operator that spun out from East Ventures last year, alongside H&CK Partners and Tigris Investment, both of which are also based in South...
Japan's Advantage buys Malaysian packaging manufacturer
Advantage Partners has completed the buyout of Malaysian plastic bottle manufacturer Plastic Centre through its recently closed $380 million Asia fund.
Deal focus: VCs back Ezbuy’s cross-border e-commerce
A group of VCs including China’s Sky9 Capital are backing a global push by Southeast Asian e-commerce operator Ezbuy. The plan will require combining international vision with local knowhow
Q&A: Ofo's Alan Jiang
Alan Jiang helped launch Uber in China, Malaysia and Vietnam before serving as Indonesia country head. Now he is leading Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo’s expansion in Southeast Asia
CVC-backed Indonesian sports retailer targets $94m IPO
MAP Aktif Adiperkasa, an Indonesian sports retailer that counts CVC Capital Partners as a minority shareholder, is planning to raise up to IDR1.32 trillion ($94 million) through a domestic IPO.
Singapore biotech player gets $20m Series A
A group of VCs including Yashang Capital and Westlake Ventures have backed a $20 million Series A funding round for Singaporean biotech developer Lion TCR.
Deal focus: Navis sews up textile investment
Navis Capital Partners aims to promote ethical and environmentally sustainable textile production through its investment in Vietnam's Saitex
VCs invest $17.6m in Singapore's Ezbuy
A group of VCs including IDG Ventures has provided $17.6 million in pre-Series C funding to Singaporean shopping platform operator Ezbuy.
Vietnam valuations at 'nosebleed levels' - AVCJ Forum
Private equity valuations in Vietnam are rocketing as competition for deals hots up and target companies tie their pricing expectations to soaring public markets.
Temasek unit targets $500m PE fund-backed bond issue
Retail investors in Singapore will be able to get exposure to the Temasek Holdings private equity portfolio through a $500 million bond issuance backed by 36 funds, including vehicles managed by The Blackstone Group, KKR, Silver Lake Partners, and TPG...
Carlyle hires two Southeast Asia dealmakers
The Carlyle Group has hired Robby Winarta as a managing director for Indonesia and Long Hoang as a director for Vietnam.
Navis invests in Vietnam denim supplier
Navis Capital Partners has invested an undisclosed amount in Saitex Holdings, a denim products manufacturer for the global jeans industry based in Vietnam.
