Southeast Asia
Deal focus: Chatbots position for cross-border expansion
Cathay Innovation, an affiliate of Cathay Capital, sees voice recognition services as a key area of B2B growth. Singapore’s AI Rudder is hoped to prove this idea on a global scale
Profile: Foundation Private Equity's Jeremy Foo
Moving from direct investment to secondaries with Foundation Private Equity took Jeremy Foo outside his comfort zone, but past experiences of liquidity crunches have proved instructive
Flexibility first: Investing in the future of work
Investment in work-tech has soared as start-ups devise solutions for workforces that are increasingly distributed in terms of location, structure, and practice. Data, and knowing what to do with it, is key
Singapore financial crime AI start-up gets $40m
Singapore’s Silent Eight, a compliance and financial crime risk investigation platform, has raised a USD 40m Series B round led by US-based TYH Ventures.
East leads $20m round for Singapore's Mighty Jaxx
Singapore-based toy figurine manufacturer Mighty Jaxx has raised USD 20m in an extended Series A led by East Ventures. Crypto specialist Mirana Ventures also participated.
Singapore's Cake DeFi launches $100m corporate VC arm
Singapore-based decentralised finance platform Cake DeFi has earmarked USD 100m for a venture capital program that will target web3, gaming, and financial technology start-ups globally.
KKR-backed massage chair business files for Hong Kong IPO
V3 Brands Asia, a KKR-backed holding entity for OSIM, which claims to be Asia’s number one brand in the premium massage chairs market, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
Tiger Global, Coatue lead Series B for Singapore's AI Rudder
Tiger Global Management and Coatue Management have led a USD 50m Series B round for Singapore-based voice artificial intelligence start-up AI Rudder.
Warburg Pincus buys control of Indonesian insurer
Warburg Pincus has acquired stakes in two Indonesian insurance businesses from Spain-headquartered multinational insurance company Mapfre for EUR 56.6m (USD 62.9m).
Dymon pursues take-private of Singapore healthcare business
Dymon Asia Private Equity has made a take-private offer for Singapore-listed healthcare services provider Singapore O&G that values the company at approximately SGD 141m (USD 103.3m).
Deal focus: Faux fowl fast-forwards
Next Gen Foods is pushing hard to popularise its meatless chicken brand Tindle in the name of climate action. The largest-ever Series A round in alternative protein is jumpstarting the campaign
HarbourVest closes latest fund-of-funds at $1.6b
HarbourVest Partners has closed its latest flagship private equity fund-of-funds, which will target Asia Pacific and Europe, at USD 1.6bn, beating a target of USD 1.25bn.
Creador makes second SE Asia food investment in five months
Malaysia-based Creador has acquired a significant minority stake in local food industry supplier Custom Food Ingredients for an undisclosed sum as part of a category platform play.
Singapore's Volopay gets $29m Series A
Singapore’s Volopay, a B2B financial technology provider specialising in cross-border transactions, has raised USD 29m in Series A funding led by Justin Mateen, co-founder of Tinder.
AVCJ Awards 2021: Exit of the Year – Small Cap; Operational Value Add: Integreon
Helping Integreon, an over-diversified outsourcing services company, re-focus and renew management was all part of the plan. Postponing the exit as COVID-19 amplified demand was the unexpected coup
Q&A: Sylvan Group's Gerald Leong
Gerald Leong, a 25-year veteran of Asian private equity, believes returns-focused impact investment is the future of the industry. His new firm, Singapore-based Sylvan Group, will attempt to prove it
Deal focus: Quadria goes shopping in Vietnam
Singapore’s healthcare-focused Quadria Capital has made its most overtly consumer retail-oriented investment with Vietnam’s Con Cung. But the endgame is considered squarely on-strategy
Deal focus: Affirma sees promise in Asia e-scooters
Affirma Capital has led a USD 93m Series B round for Singapore-based e-scooter provider Beam, citing its ability to internationalise a locally-focused and increasingly popular business model
Apis doubles down on Asia rewards, incentives space
Apis Partners has backed India-based rewards and incentives start-up Xoxoday through a USD 30m joint investment with Giift, one of its portfolio companies.
Mubadala leads $500m round for Princeton Digital
Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment has contributed USD 350m to a USD 500m equity round for Singapore-based data centre developer Princeton Digital Group (PDG).
Singapore crypto player Amber hits $3b valuation
Singapore-headquartered crypto financial service provider Amber Group has raised USD 200m in an extended Series B round led by Temasek Holdings, achieving a valuation of USD 3bn.
GP profile: Creador
Creador claims to be Southeast Asia’s only middle-market GP with on-the-ground capacities across the region. But in-house post-deal support and nimble deal sourcing are its key differentiators
AVCJ Awards 2021: Exit of the Year – Large Cap: Softex Indonesia
CVC Capital Partners helped Softex Indonesia grow its market share by penetrating modern retail channels and launching an ESG program. A USD 1.2bn trade sale exit to Kimberly-Clark was its reward
Deal focus: Tapping a soft spot for Asian VCs
Investment professionals in Asia know on a personal level exactly what education technology provider Cialfo is doing and why the service is a big help. Now they’re taking it to the next level