Southeast Asia
IHH leads $20m round for Singapore science ministry spin-out
Lucence, a cancer screening start-up that spun out from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research in 2016, has raised $20 million in Series A funding.
Vietnam's Sendo raises $61m Series C
Vietnamese e-commerce company Sendo has received $61 million in Series C funding from a group of investors including SBI Group and SoftBank Ventures Asia.
Maritime start-up accelerator launched in Singapore
US-based accelerator business Techstars and Singaporean logistics giant Eastern Pacific Shipping have teamed up for a maritime start-up accelerator in Singapore.
Profile: Jungle Ventures' Amit Anand
Across the checkered early stages of his career, Amit Anand intuitively gravitated toward the technological engine of developing Asia. This underpinned the creation of Jungle Ventures
MBK, Mirae buy stake in Asia assets of Korea's CJ CGV
MBK Partners and Mirae Asset Daewoo Private Equity have agreed to pay KRW333.6 billion ($286 million) for a minority position in the China and Southeast Asia assets of Korean cinema chain operator CJ CGV.
Keppel Capital takes 50% interest in Pierfront Capital
Singapore-based Keppel Corporation has agreed to buy a 50% interest in Pierfront Capital, an alternative credit investment fund manager controlled by Temasek Holdings.
Pavilion, Gobi lead $18m round for Indonesia's Travelio
Pavilion Capital and Gobi Partners had co-led an $18 million Series B round for Indonesia’s Travelio, an Airbnb-style home rentals start-up.
Singapore's Tembusu seeks $287m for China liquor fund
Singapore private equity firm Tembusu Partners has received a strategic commitment of up to RMB670 million ($96 million) for a RMB2 billion fund targeting the liquor industry in China’s Guizhou province.
ESG in Asia: Maturing perspectives
Asian investors are growing more confident in their approaches to environmental, social, and governance issues, but policies must be flexible enough to handle unforeseen complications
Vietnam media platform Pops gets $30m
Korean investors Mirae Asset Capital, EastBridge Partners, and Naver have provided $30 million in growth capital to Vietnamese online entertainment broadcaster Pops.
Philippines-based Xurpas acquires Wavemaker Partners
Philippines consumer technology developer Xurpas has agreed to acquire the US operations of venture capital firm Wavemaker Partners.
Investcorp backs $500m Asia food fund
Investcorp has teamed up with China Resources and Fung Investments, the private investment arm of the founding family of Hong Kong consumer goods and supply chain conglomerate Fung Group, to raise a $500 million Asia food fund.
PE & QSR: Ambition on a bun
Many private equity investors think they can make a fast buck from fast dining, but rolling out a Western-style brand in Asia requires discipline on valuation and competence in execution
India's ShopClues to merge with Singapore-based Qoo10
Indian e-commerce company ShopClues has agreed a merger with Singaporean counterpart Qoo10 at a valuation reportedly 99% lower than its peak level of $1.1 billion.
Jungle closes Southeast Asia VC fund at $240m
Singapore-based Jungle Ventures has closed its third early-stage Southeast Asia VC fund at $240 million, more than doubling the previous vintage.
Singapore marketing tech player Mobikon raises $12.5m
Mobikon, a Singapore-based marketing technology provider for the restaurant industry, has received a $12.5 million Series B round led by Binny Bansal, co-founder of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart.
ARQ Capital backs Philippines dialysis business
ARQ Capital, a Philippines-based GP focused on the local small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector, has invested an undisclosed sum in dialysis clinic operator Medline.
PropertyGuru abandons Australia IPO
Private equity-backed Southeast Asian online real estate portal PropertyGuru has decided not to proceed with its A$380 million ($256 million) IPO in Australia, citing market uncertainty.
Go-Jek founder accepts Indonesian government role
Nadiem Makarim, co-founder and CEO of Indonesia’s Go-Jek, has stepped down from his duties at the ride-hailing and online services platform to assume a high-level government position.
Deal focus: Navis pursues durian farm modernization
Nearly $100 million has been earmarked for the development of upstream farming and downstream processing so that Chinese buyers can have faith in Malaysia's durian suppliers
Kejora, InterVest lead $30m Series B for Malaysia's Aerodyne
Indonesia’s Kejora Ventures and Korea’s InterVest have jointly led a $30 million Series B investment in Malaysian drone technology supplier Aerodyne.
Indonesia's Alodokter gets $33m Series C
Indonesian insurer Sequis Life has led a $33 million Series C round of funding for Alodokter, a local super app operator that connects patients with doctors and healthcare information.
Indonesia advertising tech supplier gets $5.5m
East Ventures and Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV) have co-led a $5.5 million Series A round for StickEarn, an Indonesian advertising technology supplier.
Philippines PE: Power dynamics
A virtually impenetrable middle market under the control of incumbent conglomerates is the least governable of the systemic obstacles facing private equity hopefuls in the Philippines