Southeast Asia
Indonesia tech: Sleeping giant
Bullishness around Indonesia’s young online economy has been encouraged by a handful of VC-backed homeruns and promising demographics. Achieving scale in new business models remains a sticking point
Singapore's RE Lee Capital launches alternatives program
Singapore-based RE Lee Capital has confirmed it will launch a series of alternative asset investment products across the next three months and commit up to $60 million to pre-seed technology start-ups.
Softbank leads $25m round for Singapore fintech player
Softbank Ventures Korea has led a $25 million Series B round for Funding Societies, a Singapore-based financial technology company focused on crowdfunding and peer-to-peer (P2P) lending.
China-Indonesia VC: Biding their time
Investments by China's tech giants becoming more prominent in Indonesia's tech space, but Chinese VC investors continue to tread cautiously in the country for the most part
Indonesia PE: The long game
Indonesia is an attractive market for private equity investors thanks to its strong macro fundamentals, but sourcing large-cap deals remains a protracted process as family owners look for partners they can trust
Q&A: 500 Startups' Khailee Ng
Khailee Ng, a managing partner with 500 Startups in Southeast Asia, discusses the rising demand for start-up exposure in Indonesia, the prospects for the country’s four unicorns, and exit opportunities
Indonesia tech IPOs: Fringe benefits
The Indonesia Stock Exchange has seen the first IPOs of domestic tech start-ups in Kioson and M Cash. The appeal of these listings may lie chiefly on the non-financial side
Singapore's Zimplistic gets $30m Series C round
Singapore-based household automation technology developer Zimplistic has raised a $30 million Series C funding round led by Credence Partners and EDBI.
Ekuinas buys controlling stake in Southeast Asia's Flexi Versa
Malaysian government-backed PE firm Ekuinas has acquired a controlling stake in Flexi Versa Group (FVG), a Southeast Asian contract manufacturer catering to global consumer electronics brands.
WeWork buys PE-backed Naked Hub in Asia expansion drive
US-based co-working space operator WeWork has acquired industry peer Naked Hub, which is backed by Hong Kong-based Gaw Capital Partners, as part of a continued expansion in China and Southeast Asia.
VCs invest $12m in US, Southeast Asia-based Element
A number of Asian VCs including MDI Ventures, a unit of Telkom Indonesia, have joined a $12 million Series A round for Element, a biometrics technology developer based in New York, Jakarta, and Singapore.
VIDEO: Vertex Holdings' Kee Lock Chua
Kee Lock Chua, CEO of Temasek-owned Vertex Holdings, discusses venture capital trends in Asia
Allianz invests $35m in Indonesia's Go-Jek
Germany-based financial services giant Allianz Group has confirmed a $35 million investment in Indonesian ride-hailing and delivery platform operator Go-Jek.
Singapore's Pavilion commits $50m to education fund
Pavilion Capital, a private equity unit of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has agreed to invest $50 million in an education fund that will support various country-specific preschool acquisition programs.
Dymon exits Southeast Asia engineering services business
Dymon Asia Private Equity has exited Wah Loon Engineering, which provides engineering services for air conditioning, ventilation, fire protection and electrical systems in Singapore and Malaysia, to France-based Vinci Energies.
Southeast Asia’s Zilingo raises $54m Series C round
Zilingo, an online fashion marketplace focused on Southeast Asia, has raised a $54 million Series C round led by Burda Principal Investments, Sequoia Capital India and Sofina.
PE-owned Qualitas Medical targets Singapore IPO
Southern Capital Group is making another attempt to list Qualitas Medical, its Malaysia-based healthcare services provider, on the Singapore Stock Exchange. Partners Group is also an investor in the business.
Asia education: School's in
Education has emerged as the latest hot sector for private equity in Asia on the back of opportunities created by rising incomes and regulatory change. But higher valuations mean more pressure to deliver
PE-backed Grab to buy Uber's Southeast Asia operation
Grab, a private equity-backed ride-hailing platform headquartered in Singapore, has agreed to acquire the Southeast Asia operations of global rival Uber. It follows a similar arrangement struck two years ago between Didi Chuxing and Uber in China.
KKR media platform invests $80m in Singapore's GSC
Emerald Media, a pan-Asian media and entertainment platform backed by KKR, has invested $80 million in Global Sports Commerce (GSC), a Singapore-based sports technology and management business that has worked with groups such as the English Premier League...
Providence to exit Indonesia telecom tower business
Providence Equity Partners is set to exit its last investment in Asia outside of India after Profesional Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Protelindo) agreed to buy Indonesian telecom tower platform Komet Infra Nusantara (KIN) for IDR1.4 trillion ($101 million).
Sinar Mas, East Ventures, Yahoo Japan form SE Asia fund
Indonesian conglomerate Sinar Mas Group, Singapore’s East Ventures and Yahoo Japan have teamed up to launch a $150 million venture capital fund targeting technology-enabled companies in Southeast Asia.
Singapore, Australia VCs team up for $125m fund
Singapore-based VC firm Hatcher and Australian accelerator BlueChilli will jointly invest a $125 million exchange-traded fund that will back 240 start-ups globally over the next three years.
Alibaba invests $2b in Southeast Asia's Lazada
Alibaba Group will invest an additional $2 billion in PE-backed online retailer Lazada. It brings Alibaba’s total commitments to the Singapore-based company to $4 billion.
