Southeast Asia
Deal focus: Google offers AI expertise to Elsa
Google brings technological expertise as well as financial backing to its investment in Vietnam-based English education provider Elsa
SoftBank Vision Fund invests $1.5b in SE Asia's Grab
Southeast Asian ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab has secured a $1.46 billion investment from SoftBank Vision Fund. The commitment brings the capital raised in its ongoing Series H to over $4.5 billion.
Astra commits $100m to Go-Jek's Series F
Astra International, an Indonesian conglomerate that controls the country’s largest automotive distributor, has agreed to invest $100 million in the first tranche of a Series F round for ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek.
UOB leads $65m Series B for Indonesia's Halodoc
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank (UOB) has led a $65 million Series B round for Indonesian healthcare technology provider Halodoc.
AirAsia sets up venture capital fund
Malaysia’s AirAsia has launched a venture capital fund in partnership with US-based 500 Startups that will focus on digital Southeast Asian businesses in travel, logistics and financial technology.
Singapore investors launch $100m fintech fund
Singapore-based investors Quantum Energy Asset Management and RE Lee International Capital have launched a fund targeting $100 million for early to growth-stage financial technology start-ups.
Google joins $7m round for Vietnam's Elsa
Gradient Ventures, a VC arm of Google focused on artificial intelligence (AI), has led a $7 million Series A round for Vietnam-based English language education technology provider Elsa.
Navegar seeks $150m for second Philippines PE fund
Philippines private equity firm Navegar has launched its second growth fund focused exclusively on its home market with a target of $150 million.
Singapore's 90 Seconds raises $20m Series B round
Singapore video platform operator 90 Seconds has raised a $20 million Series B from a group including Susquehanna International Group (SIG), Australia’s AirTree Ventures, and Sequoia Capital India.
Deal focus: Zilingo builds full-service fashion platform
Zilingo has secured $226 million in Series D funding to take its end-to-end online retail service to more small-scale fashion merchants across Southeast Asia
Singapore AI start-up raises $20m
ViSenze, a Singaporean artificial intelligence (AI) provider focused on e-commerce has received a $20 million Series C round led by China’s Gobi Ventures and the VC arm of Portuguese retail and technology group Sonae.
Fund focus: Intudo proves a tight focus has broad appeal
Intudo Ventures has raised $50 million for its second Indonesia-focused fund, drawing on strong support from international investors such as Founders Fund
Hong Kong tax: Playing catch-up
Hong Kong is introducing various initiatives intended to encourage private equity firms to bring more of their operations onshore. A failure to act may see Singapore emerge as Asia’s jurisdiction of choice
Singapore to invest $74m in local start-ups
Singapore’s government plans to invest S$100 million ($74 million) in Singapore-based start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2019, along with other measures aimed at promoting local businesses.
Novo Tellus buys stake in data center equipment supplier
Novo Tellus Capital Partners has invested S$12 million ($8.8 million) in Procurri, a Singapore-listed provider of IT services and data center equipment.
Advantage buys Vietnam's Elise Fashion
Advantage Partners has made its first acquisition in Vietnam, buying women’s fashion brand Elise Fashion for an undisclosed amount.
Thailand's Beacon leads $6.5m round for local fintech player
Beacon Venture Capital, the VC unit of Thailand’s Kasikornbank, has led a $6.5 million investment in Jitta, a local financial technology provider and stock analysis platform operator.
Intudo closes second Indonesia fund at $50m
Intudo Ventures has closed its second fund focused exclusively on Indonesian early-stage companies at $50 million. The firm raised $20 million for its debut vehicle last year.
VC documentation: Standardizing small print
The rapid growth of venture capital in Southeast Asia has fostered the emergence of varied working practices. Singapore’s model investment agreements are intended to help bring order to chaos
Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue raises $10m Series A
Indonesia’s BeliMobilGue, a used car trading platform backed by a number of VCs, has raised $10 million in a Series A round led by parent company Frontier Car Group with participation from Toyota Tunas Indonesia.
Warburg Pincus backs $200m investment in Indonesia's NWP
Warburg Pincus has backed a $200 million funding round for Indonesian shopping mall developer NWP Retail.
Sequoia leads $226m Series D for Singapore’s Zilingo
Sequoia Capital India has led a $226 million Series D round for Singapore-based Zilingo, a fashion e-commerce platform and provider of ancillary services.
General Atlantic seeks to leverage local presence in Indonesia
General Atlantic has opened an office in Indonesia, citing a need for an intensified local presence to leverage strong domestic growth trends in the firm’s core domains of technology, financial services, healthcare, and consumer.
Indonesia's Go-Jek completes first phase of Series F
Google, JD.com and Tencent Holdings are among the returning investors in the first phase of the Series F round for Indonesia-based ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek, which amounts to around $1 billion.