Southeast Asia
Asia Partners leads $35m round for Hong Kong's Snapask
Singapore-based Asia Partners has led a $35 million round for Hong Kong online education start-up Snapask. It coincides with the company’s relocation to Singapore.
Japanese investors commit $856m to Grab
Singapore-based ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab has raised $856 million from Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) and TIS Intec Group.
Translink joins $94m round for Germany's Volocopter
Translink Capital, a US-based VC focused on facilitating cross-border connections with Asia, has joined a EUR87 million ($94 million) for German flying car developer Volocopter.
Malaysia's Socar gets $18m from Korean investors
Korea’s Eugene Private Equity and KH Energy have provided $18 million in Series A funding to the Malaysian arm of local car sharing company Socar.
Deal focus: Circles.Life strives to be different
Circles.Life wants to think bigger, and broader, about its telecom offering than competing mobile virtual network operators in Asia. A $75 million investment from Warburg Pincus will fuel these ambitions
Indonesia's Eureka AI gets $20m Series B
Eureka AI, an Indonesia-based artificial intelligence-enabled enterprise software platform, has received $20 million in Series B funding led by Apis Partners, Gobi Partners, Riyad Capital’s Riyad Taqina Fund, and MEC Ventures.
Affirma backs Vietnam recruitment business
Affirma Capital, a PE firm launched last year as a spin-out of Standard Chartered’s private equity business, has agreed to invest $34 million in Transcendental Human Resources, a Vietnam-focused online recruitment platform.
Poor relations: Endowments and foundations in Asia
With a few exceptions, Asia’s endowments and foundations lack the scale, sophistication and appetite for alternatives of their US brethren. Structural and cultural barriers maintain the status quo
India's Z3 Partners invests in cybersecurity firm
Indian technology-focused private equity firm Z3 Partners has invested in Cyfirma, an analytics platform that helps enterprise clients identify potential cyber threats.
Singapore solar energy firm raises $71m
Sunseap, a Singaporean renewable energy provider, has raised S$100 million ($71.9 million) in Series D funding from a coal producer in Thailand.
VCs invest Singapore cell-based milk company
A group of US-based investors led by Lever VC has backed an early-stage round of undisclosed size for Singapore’s TurtleTree Labs, which creates milk from cells with no animal needed.
GrabWheels gets $30m for Southeast Asia EV rollout
GrabWheels, a unit of Singapore-based ride-hailing giant Grab, has received $30 million from Taiwanese motorcycle maker Kymco for electric vehicle (EV) development in Southeast Asia.
Sequoia seeks up to $1.35b for India, Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital is looking to raise between $1.28 billion and $1.35 billion for its latest set of funds – comprising separate venture and growth vehicles – for deployment in India and Southeast Asia.
Warburg Pincus backs Singapore's Circles.Life
Warburg Pincus has invested an undisclosed sum in Circles.Life, a Singapore-based digital-only telecom operator.
Northstar joins $20m round for Indonesia education start-up
Northstar Group and Beenext have joined a $20 million Series A round for Indonesia’s Zenius Education.
Japan's Global Brain invests biometric ID player
Japan’s Global Brain has led a Series B round of undisclosed size for Gtriip, a biometrics-focused identity authentication technology provider pursuing a pan-Asia expansion.
Deal focus: Navegar dips its toe in e-commerce
Navegar sees Great Deals E-commerce, a provider of delivery and digital services to traditional retailers in the Philippines, as a proxy for growth in online shopping
Northstar's Bert Kwan launches PE business with BDA
Bert Kwan (pictured) has left his role as a managing director with Southeast Asia-focused Northstar Group to launch an investment platform with M&A advisory firm BDA Partners that will initially concentrate on Vietnam.
Caldera signs up French anchor LP for Southeast Asia fund
Caldera Pacific, a consumer-focused Southeast Asian private equity firm, has secured $250 million in commitments for its debut fund, with France-based investor Argenthal coming in as an anchor LP.
East Ventures appoints Indonesian politician as advisor
Indonesia’s East Ventures has appointed Triawan Munaf (pictured left), a former member of President Joko Widodo’s cabinet, as a venture advisor.
GIC, Norfund invest Myanmar's Yoma Bank
Singapore’s GIC Private and Norway’s Norfund have acquired a combined 30% stake in Myanmar-based Yoma Bank for MMK130 billion ($88.7 million).
Australia's Five V makes another BPO bolt-on
Australia’s Five V Capital has acquired Philippines business process outsourcing (BPO) player Beepo as a portfolio company bolt-on. It is the GP’s second such transaction this month.
Navegar backs Philippines e-commerce enabler
Philippines private equity firm Navegar has invested $12 million in local online retail industry services provider Great Deals E-commerce.
AVCJ Awards 2019: Responsible Investment: Organica
SEAF’s commitment to a farm-to-shop natural foods retailer highlights the idea that even sustainability-focused businesses may have room for improvement beneath the surface