Sectors
Australia’s Canva raises $70m at $2.5b valuation
Australian graphic design start-up Canva has raised $70 million from investors including US-based General Catalyst and Bond Capital, the new vehicle of Silicon Valley veteran Mary Meeker. It values Canva at $2.5 billion.
Wu Capital leads round for Chinese vocational training business
Sanjieke, a China-based vocational training services provider, has raised an RMB130 million ($19 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Wu Capital.
ADV to buy heavy vehicles unit from India's Tata
ADV Partners has agreed to acquire heavy vehicles producer Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers (DLT), a Sri Lanka-based subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Tata Group, for INR3.05 billion ($43.7 million).
China's Luckin Coffee gains 20% after upsized IPO
China’s second largest coffee chain Luckin Coffee, which counts Centurium Capital and Joy Capital among its private equity investors, surged around 20% on its US debut following a $561 million IPO.
EMR launches third fund with $1.3b target
Australian resources-focused private equity firm EMR Capital has launched its third fund with a target of $1.3 billion.
Archipelago completes investment in Philippines bank
Southeast Asia-focused GP Archipelago Capital Partners has completed its investment in One Network Bank (ONB), the rural subsidiary of Philippines-listed financial services provider BDO Unibank.
New Zealand agtech player gets $6.7m
BioLumic, a New Zealand-based start-up that develops ultraviolet (UV) crop yield enhancement systems, has raised a $6.7 million Series A led by US agricultural technology VC firm Finistere Ventures.
GIC, Tata to invest $573m in India hotels
Singapore’s GIC Private has partnered with the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), a hospitality unit of India’s Tata Group, for an Indian hotel platform that will invest INR40 billion ($573 million) over the next three years.
Vertex raises $230m for India, Southeast Asia fund
Vertex Venture Holdings (VVH), the VC arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has reached the initial $230 million target for its fourth Southeast Asia and India fund in a single closing.
GA, Värde cancel planned investment in India's PNB
General Atlantic and Värde Partners have terminated a planned INR18.5 billion ($267 million) investment in PNB Housing Finance, the publicly listed mortgage subsidiary of India’s Punjab National Bank (PNB).
Qiming leads Series B for Chinese hospital chain operator
Qiming Venture Partners has led a Series B round of nearly RMB100 million ($14 million) for Shanghai-based private hospital chain operator SinoUnited Health.
Japan's PE-backed Sansan files for IPO
Sansan, a PE-backed company that specializes in cloud-based business card digitization, has filed for a domestic IPO that is expected to generate around JPY35.2 billion ($321 million).
Vietnam inbound investment: Regional rivals
Strategic interest in Vietnam is growing, especially among companies within Asia looking to tap growth no longer available at home. PE investors see them as partners – and sometimes as competitors
SoftBank leads $200m round for India's Grofers
Indian online grocer Grofers has raised more than $200 million in a Series F funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund.
Chinese IT equipment rental company raises Series B
China-based Little Bear Rental, which provides IT equipment services to corporates, has raised hundreds of millions of renminbi (over $14 million) in a Series B round of funding led by the Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises Development Fund - a government...
Hong Kong fintech player YouTrip gets $25.5m
Insignia Ventures Partners has joined a $25.5 million seed round for YouTrip, a Hong Kong-based financial technology company focused on travelers in Singapore.
IDG re-ups in Chinese co-working space provider
Kr Space, a China-based co-working space operator, has received RMB1 billion ($145 million) in a new round led by existing investor IDG Capital and new backers Gopher Asset Management and Yixing Capital.
Matrix exits India eye care chain
Matrix Partners India has made a full exit from Centre for Sight, operator of a chain of eye clinics in India, to Mahindra Partners after a holding period of nearly 10 years.
Vietnam outbound expansion: Brands apart
A booming domestic market and lack of success stories will likely keep outbound expansion a low priority for Vietnam’s investors and entrepreneurs until a suitable market niche can be found
L Catterton's Asia team to spin-out, raise growth fund
The bulk of the L Capital Asia team that merged with Catterton in 2016 to form L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm, is spinning out to raise a $750 million Asia growth fund.
Temasek, Horizon lead $300m round for Impossible Foods
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and Horizon Ventures have led a $300 million round for Impossible Foods, a US vegetarian food technology company expanding into Asia.
Hong Kong fintech player raises $30m Series A
Hong Kong-based OneDegree, an insurance technology start-up, has raised over $30 million for its Series A led by financial technology-focused investment firm BitRock Capital.
Q&A: MassMutual Ventures' Ryan Collins
Ryan Collins, a managing director with MassMutual Ventures, discusses being a financial rather than a strategic investor, the rise of VC in Southeast Asia, and giving entrepreneurs straight answers
Vietnam banking: Where credit is due
Vietnam’s economic future is tied to an attractive but immature and constrained banking sector. Investors are prodding the edges of a precarious opportunity set
