Consumer
Japanese professional services marketplace raises $36m
Japanese start-up Minma, which operates P2P jobs and services marketplace Curama, has raised a JPY4 billion ($36.5 million) Series C round led by Nissay Capital, the VC unit of Nippon Life Insurance.
CITIC Capital seeks to increase McDonald's China stake
CITIC Capital is bidding for a 22% stake in the McDonald’s China and Hong Kong business held by CITIC Group, formerly its parent and now one of several shareholders.
Zomato acquires India business of Uber Eats
Uber’s foray into food delivery in India has come to an end with the sale of the business to local peer Zomato through an all-stock deal.
AVCJ Awards 2019: Deal of the Year - Mid Cap: Hangzhou UCO Cosmetics
CITIC Capital’s acquisition of Hangzhou UCO Cosmetics was predicated on the rise of China’s beauty industry, but it is also part of a broader ecosystem play
China's Danke raises $130m in scaled back IPO
Chinese apartment rental platform Danke raised about $130 million in a smaller-than-expected US IPO that was primarily underwritten by existing private equity investors.
AVCJ Awards 2019: Exit of the Year - Small Cap: Gong Cha
Unison Capital took a Korean game plan global with the Gong Cha bubble tea chain. Attention to local tastes, however, was the key to the enterprise
China Feihe gains drive Morgan Stanley's investment revenue
Projected carried interest payments from Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) investment in Chinese dairy products company China Feihe were largely responsible for a near fivefold increase in annual investment revenue for the parent bank.
BlackRock backs Australia hotel booking platform SiteMinder
BlackRock has made an equity investment in Australia-based hotel booking platform SiteMinder that values the company at about A$1.1 billion ($760 million).
FountainVest backs China online ticketing player Maoyan
FountainVest Partners has acquired a significant minority stake in Maoyan Entertainment, a Chinese online ticketing business that completed an IPO in Hong Kong last February.
Hony commits capital to its Hong Kong-listed restaurant platform
Hony Capital has injected HK$780 million ($100 million) into Best Food Holdings, the Hong Kong-listed platform it established in 2016 to make investments in China’s food and beverage industry.
Tiger Global commits $300m to India's Byju's
Tiger Global Management has led a $300 million funding round for India-based online learning platform Byju’s, joining an investor roster that already includes Tencent Holdings, General Atlantic, Naspers Ventures, Sequoia Capital India, and the Chan...
India's Zomato taps Ant Financial again for $150m
Ant Financial has invested $150 million in Indian restaurant discovery and food delivery platform Zomato, pushing the company's valuation to $3 billion.
Chinese cross-border e-commerce platform raises $48m
Inagora - operator of an e-commerce platform that sells Japanese premium products to Chinese customers - has raised JPY5.3 billion ($48m) from SBI holdings, pharmacy chain Sugi Holdings and Xinjin Holding, the cross-border alternative investment arm of...
Longreach buys another Japanese coffee shop chain
The Longreach Group has made its second foray into Japan’s coffee shop space with an agreement to acquire Chat Noir, operator of more than 190 stores nationwide, primarily under the Caffe Veloce brand.
SoftBank Vision Fund invests $275m in India's Lenskart
SoftBank Vision Fund has led a Series G round of more than $275 million for Lenskart, an Indian omnichannel eyewear retailer, facilitating exits for several early investors.
PEP bids $517m for Australia's Village Roadshow
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has submitted a A$761.2 million ($517 million) bid for Village Roadshow, an Australian media company that operates cinemas and theme parks and has interests in film production and distribution.
Deal focus: China's Benlai takes a different approach to group buying
Community group buying businesses are beginning to struggle in China despite considerable VC investment. Fresh produce retailer Benlai believes its online-to-offline hybrid model is more sustainable
Malaysia's Carsome raises $50m Series C
Japan’s Daiwa Securities and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group have joined a $50 million Series C round for Malaysian used car trading platform Carsome.
Tencent Literature leads round for Chinese interactive filmmaker
AltStory, a Chinese interactive movie and television content company, has raised approximately RMB100 million ($14 million) in Series A funding led by China Literature, a listed unit of Tencent Holdings.
Singapore e-scooter start-up raises $18.5m
Neuron Mobility, a Singapore-based e-scooter company, has secured a $18.5 million Series A round led by Australia’s Square Peg Capital and US-based GSR Ventures.
Indonesia e-commerce player Evermos gets $8m Series A
Evermos, an Indonesian social e-commerce company focused on halal and sharia-compliant products, has raised an $8.2 million Series A round from a group of VCs.
India's Shadowfax receives $60m Series D
Indian last-mile delivery and logistics start-up Shadowfax has raised $60 million in Series D funding from a group including Eight Roads Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
Ping An leads $70m Series D for India's CarDekho
China’s Ping An Insurance has led a $70 million Series D round for Indian online auto marketplace CarDekho. It is Ping An’s first venture investment in the country.
Deal focus: Kujiale embraces SaaS
Having struggled to get traction with consumers, Chinese online interior design player Kujiale turned its attentions to enterprise. International expansion is now on the agenda
