Southeast Asia
Q&A: Emerald Media's Paul Aiello
KKR-backed Emerald Media was formed to invest in Asia’s media landscape, but it has found a growing number of opportunities in technology. Managing Director Paul Aiello discusses how the sectors have grown together
OPIC commits $150m to Quadria healthcare fund
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a development finance arm of the US government, has committed $150 million to Quadria Capital II, the latest fund of healthcare-focused PE firm Quadria Capital.
Golden Gate closes SE Asia VC fund at $100m
Golden Gate Ventures has closed its third Southeast Asia-focused fund at $100 million. Like its predecessors, the oversubscribed fund will invest in start-ups using technology to disrupt traditional business models in the consumer sector.
Indonesia fintech platform raises $24m Series B
Sequoia Capital India has led a $24 million Series B round for Moka, a developer of cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) systems based in Jakarta.
Deal focus: Fave scales fast as Southeast Asia goes O2O
Malaysia-based Fave raises $20 million to connect Southeast Asia's conservative small businesses with the region's emerging cashless economy
Southeast Asia VC: Partner propositions
Strategic investors, particularly from China, are playing a growing role in Southeast Asia’s technology scene. Venture capital investors in the region hope their portfolio companies can benefit from the rising tide
Finch secures 2.7x return on Indonesia's Cermati
Early-stage technology investor Finch Capital has sold its minority stake in Indonesian financial technology developer Cermati to local conglomerate The Djarum Group, realizing a 2.7x return on capital in its first exit in Indonesia.
Sequoia joins $20m Series B for Malaysia's Fave
Sequoia Capital India has joined a $20 million Series B funding round for Fave, a Malaysia-based online-to-offline (O2O) platform operator that covers a range of consumer categories across Southeast Asia.
TPG Growth names India, Southeast Asia head
Shailesh Rao (pictured), a former executive at Twitter and Google, has been named head of India and Southeast Asia for TPG Growth, the middle market investment platform of TPG Capital.
Venture debt: The loan rangers
Venture debt providers are confident that the asset class is set for growth in Asia, though momentum is slow in most markets. Lenders must adapt their strategies to meet local needs if they are to be successful
VinaCapital launches VC arm, agrees three deals
Vietnam’s VinaCapital has launched a $100 million VC unit and confirmed its first two domestic investments. Separately, the private equity firm has committed $25 million to a local hospital operator.
Myanmar's Anthem reaches first close on SME fund
Myanmar private equity firm Anthem Asia has reached a first close of $34.5 million on its debut fund, which will invest locally in small to medium-sized enterprises (SME).
Grab Ventures to invest $250m in Indonesian start-ups
Grab Ventures, the VC arm of ride-hailing app operator Grab, has committed IDR3 trillion ($250 million) to a program that will invest in Indonesian start-ups.
Singapore IoT supplier UnaBiz gets $10m
UnaBiz, a Singapore-based technology provider focused on the internet-of-things (IoT), has received a $10 million funding round from a group of investors including Japan’s KDDI Corporation and Global Brain.
Deal focus: Vietnam's Sendo embraces B2C
A number of Japanese investors are supporting Vietnamese C2C e-commerce player Sendo as it diversifies operations with a B2C marketplace and mobile payments platform
Autonomous vehicles: Driving ambition
Asia’s driverless car space has become an increasingly popular investment destination in recent years, but a number of significant challenges must be resolved for the sector to gain widespread social acceptance
Sequoia India closes sixth fund at $695m
Sequoia Capital India has closed its sixth fund at $695 million, surpassing a target range of $625-675 million.
Asia data center player raises $621m
AirTrunk, a Singapore-based data center provider focused on Australia, has raised A$850 million ($621 million) in senior debt financing and capital from existing investors Goldman Sachs and TPG Capital.
Singapore's Qualgro reaches $60m first close on second fund
Qualgro, a Southeast Asia and Australasia-focused VC firm that spun out from Singapore asset manager Gordian Capital, has secured a first close of $60 million on its second fund.
Singapore's Tin Men targets $100m for debut fund
Tin Men Capital, a Southeast Asia-focused VC firm founded earlier this year, is targeting $100 million for its debut fund. The GP has committed $6.9 million to Overdrive IOT and Globaltix, marking its first two investments.
Boulevard Capital invests $20m in Singapore's Stratech
Boulevard Capital Partners, a private equity investor focused on infrastructure including telecom towers, has agreed to invest $20 million in Singapore-listed surveillance technology specialist Stratech.
Vietnam e-commerce player Sendo gets $51m Series B
Sen Do Technology (Sendo), a Vietnamese e-commerce company that operates a C2C platform and payment service, has secured $51 million in Series B funding led by Japan’s SBI Group.
Golden Equator launches Brunei accelerator
Singapore’s Golden Equator has launched an accelerator in Brunei aimed at helping local small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) expand across Southeast Asia.
Macquarie buys Asia solar platform
Green Investment Group (GIG), a global clean energy investment platform managed by Macquarie Capital, has acquired Conergy Asia & ME, a Singapore-based solar power developer owned by Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Tennenbaum Capital Partners.