Southeast Asia
Vision Fund leads $360m Series C for Southeast Asia's Carro
Carro claims to have become Southeast Asia’s first automotive marketplace unicorn with the completion of a S$477 million ($360 million) Series C round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
Deal focus: A very modern Masan
Baring Private Equity Asia backed Masan Group’s bold plan to transform grocery in Vietnam because it believes the company can create an integrated consumer-retail business that is unique by Asian standards
Fund focus: Plugging ASEAN family offices into global tech
Family offices have helped iGlobe Partners renew a lean and restrained deep tech VC mandate. A global investee network is hoped to facilitate overseas investments amid travel stoppages
Deal focus: Malaysia's Tealive taps PE scaling expertise
Tealive, a teashop brand that has exploded across Malaysia in recent years, is ready for a concerted international expansion. Creador has been brought in to guide the process
Creador takes 30% stake in Malaysia tea brand Tealive
Malaysia-based middle-market private equity firm Creador has paid an undisclosed sum for a 30% stake in local tea shop operator Tealive.
Singapore fintech start-up MatchMove raises $100m
Singapore’s MatchMove, a financial technology start-up with several VC backers, has raised $100 million from US-based IT services provider Nityo Infotech.
DFC backs Openspace, Chiratae funds
The US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) – formerly the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) – has made commitments to funds being raised by Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures and India’s Chiratae Ventures.
US VCs lead $60m round for Indonesia's BukuWarung
US-based Goodwater Capital and Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, have led a $60 million round for Indonesian financial technology start-up BukuWarung.
Mekong invests in Vietnam appliances maker
Vietnam’s Mekong Capital has invested $10 million in local water purifier and electrical appliances maker Mutosi Group.
Singapore food tech VC raises $25m for debut fund
Good Startup, a food tech VC set up in Singapore last year, has hit a $25 million first close on its debut fund, which will invest exclusively in alternative protein start-ups.
Singapore's iGlobe completes $100m fundraise
Singapore-based iGlobe Partners has closed its third venture capital fund with $100 million in commitments.
KV Asia hits $100m first close on Fund II
KV Asia Capital has reached a first close of $100 million for its second Southeast Asia private equity fund. The vehicle, which focuses on the lower middle market, has a target of $300 million.
HarbourVest opens in Singapore, boosts Asia investment team
HarbourVest Partners has expanded its Asia footprint by adding an office in Singapore and strengthened its Hong Kong team with the recruitment of Lydia Hao from Neuberger Berman.
Singapore's Heritas hits first close on Asia impact fund
Heritas Capital, a Singapore-based private equity firm sponsored by industrial conglomerate IMC Group, has reached a first close of $60 million on a pan-Asia impact investment fund.
L Catterton leads $40m Series B for Singapore's Zenyum
L Catterton has led a $40 million Series B round for Singapore’s Zenyum, a company that makes 3D-printed dental products.
Thailand's Flash Express secures $150m in new funding
Thailand-based express delivery company Flash Express has raised $150 million across an extended Series D round and a Series E round. It has now raised approximately $550 million to date and claims to be Thailand’s first unicorn.
KKR impact fund backs Vietnam K-12 business
KKR is mobilizing its recently established global impact fund to invest Vietnamese K-12 bilingual school operator EQuest Education.
Myanmar: Asia's anguish
Myanmar has proven unique among Asia’s frontier markets in terms of volatility and risk. As its ongoing humanitarian and political catastrophe deepens, a sense of helplessness has taken root
LP interview: OMERS
Canadian pension fund OMERS, an established infrastructure investor in Asia, is beginning to make its mark regionally in private equity. Post-pandemic China has provided a foothold
PE-backed PropertyGuru buys Malaysia, Thailand assets from REA
PropertyGuru, a Singapore-based real estate portal backed by the likes of TPG Capital and KKR, has acquired REA Group’s property technology assets in Malaysia and Thailand.
LPs look for signs of maturity in Vietnam PE - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors are encouraged by the progress Vietnam has made in terms of macroeconomic stability and ease of doing business, but they are still waiting for the local private equity ecosystem to reach its next level of maturity.
Vivo, Novo back Singapore's Esco Lifesciences
Vivo Capital and Novo Holdings have led a $200 million Series A round for Esco Lifesciences, a Singapore-based manufacturer of biopharma lab equipment and medical devices.
Deal focus: Navis targets hospitals in the hinterlands
The Southeast Asian manager will commit up to $100 million to hospital roll-up strategy intended to address rising demand for private healthcare in Malaysia’s underserved territories
Deal focus: Novo spreads its wings in Southeast Asia
In Hummingbird Bioscience and Halodoc, Novo Holdings believes it has backed a potential global leader in hard-to-drug cancer and a likely domestic champion in telemedicine and disease management