Consumer
Vision Fund backs Japan sneaker marketplace
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has made a Series D investment of undisclosed size in Japan’s Soda, operator of sneaker reselling platform Snkr Dunk, at a valuation of JPY38 billion ($336 million).
Chinese language learning platform raises $105m
Singapore’s LingoAce, a Chinese language learning app, has raised $105 million in Series C funding led by Sequoia Capital India. It comes within a year of a $55 million Series B.
CVC backs take-private of Hong Kong-listed Razer
CVC Capital Partners is supporting a proposed founder-led privatization of Hong Kong-listed gaming hardware and software provider Razer that values the business at HK$24.7 billion ($3.17 billion).
Grab completes SPAC merger, sees volatile trading debut
Southeast Asia ride-hailing platform turned super app Grab experienced a tumultuous first day of trading on NASDAQ following the completion of its merger with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an enterprise valuation of $30.4 billion....
India edtech start-up CollegeDekho raises $35m
Indian education technology start-up CollegeDekho has closed a Series B round of $35 million with support from a mix of global investors including Australia’s QIC and Abu Dhabi’s ADQ.
Valar, IA lead $40m Series B for India BNPL player
US-based Valar Ventures and IA Ventures have led a $40 million Series B round for Simpl, an Indian buy now, pay later (BNPL) provider focused on e-commerce.
Australia food-ordering start-up raises $63m
Tiger Global Management has led an A$89 million ($63.4 million) Series A round for Australian food-ordering start-up Mr Yum. In the past 12 months, 44% of Australians have used the platform.
Deal focus: Serving biryani at scale
With biryani the dish of choice on India’s food delivery apps, Biryani By Kilo is looking to build out a standardized cloud kitchen model. It has $35 million in Series B funding to pursue this ambition
CVC exits Malaysia snacks business to Universal Robina
CVC Capital Partners has agreed to sell Malaysia-based snack foods producer Munchy Food Industries to Universal Robina Corporation (URC) – a branded consumer food and beverage business in the Philippines – for MYR1.93 billion ($454 million).
KKR backs Southeast Asia K-12 schools business
KKR has acquired a minority interest in the K-12 schools business of Taylor’s Education Group (TEG), one of the largest private education providers in Malaysia.
Taiwan start-ups: Leaving the factory
Taiwan’s industrials-focused venture capital and start-up ecosystem has tilted noticeably toward consumer software in the past year. Nevertheless, the traditional heavyweights are indispensable
Deal focus: Orchestra delivers pizza to Seoul
Banolim has become Korea’s fourth-largest pizza delivery business largely on the back of savvy marketing and expansion in lower-tier cities. Orchestra Private Equity is supporting a rollout in Seoul
Carlyle acquires Korean cafe operator, Anchor Equity exits
The Carlyle Group has acquired A Twosome Place, a Korea-based café operator with more than 1,400 stores nationwide, from Anchor Equity Partners.
Value-add needed to navigate consumer boom – AVCJ Forum
Investors are targeting consumer brands with strong fundamentals or overlooked expansion angles as part of efforts to avert spiking valuations, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
MBK sells Japan's Accordia Golf to Fortress
MBK Partners has agreed to sell Japan-based golf course operator Accordia Golf, which it acquired in 2017 via a tender offer, to Fortress Investment Group.
Ascendent abandons China education take-private
A consortium led by Ascendent Capital Partners has abandoned its planned $230.6 million take-private of Tarena International, a China-based provider of adult professional and K-12 education services.
Indonesia's Ula extends Series B to $110m
Indonesian B2B e-commerce player Ula has extended its Series B round to $110 million with a $23.1 million investment from Tiger Global Management and Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart.
India's A91 reaches $550m final close on Fund II
A91 Partners has closed its second India-focused fund with $550 million in commitments, nearly two-and-a-half years after raising $351 million for its debut vehicle.
India's Nykaa trades up after $719m IPO
India-based beauty e-commerce platform Nykaa is trading at more than 100% premium to its IPO price after completing a INR53.5 billion ($719 million) offering that facilitated partial exits for TPG Capital and Lighthouse Funds.
India's MyGlamm raises $150m Series D
Good Glamm Group, operator of Indian direct-to-consumer beauty marketplace MyGlamm, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Warburg Pincus and Prosus Ventures.
Google backs Korea edtech player Mathpresso
Google has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Korean education technology provider Mathpresso, bringing total funding to around $105 million.
Centurium invests $100m in China caterer Meican
Centurium Capital has provided a $100 million Series E round for Meican, a Chinese corporate food services company.
China's Red raises $500m at $20b valuation
Chinese social e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, also known as Red, has raised a $500 million round led by Temasek Holdings and Tencent Holdings at a valuation of $20 billion, up from $3 billion in 2018.
Hong Kong's Qupital secures $150m Series B
Hong Kong B2B financial technology provider Qupital has raised a $150 million Series B round led by Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund.