Consumer
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
Portfolio: Warburg Pincus and ESR
ESR, an Asia-focused warehousing platform seeded by Warburg Pincus, stole a march on its rivals by tapping into the rise of e-commerce in China. It is now looking to stay ahead of the curve
PSP buys Australian almond orchards, water rights
Schroder Adveq has sold 12,000 hectares of almond orchards in Australia to Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) for an undisclosed sum. The pension plan has also agreed to pay Olam International A$490 million ($332.5 million) for permanent...
Deal focus: One Store brings service to videogaming
A freshly spun-out private equity arm of SK Securities is helping Korea’s One Store break up a local monopoly in mobile videogame marketing.
Korea VC backs SE Asia ride-hailing start-up MVL
Korean VC firm SV Investment has led a KRW5.6 billion ($5 million) round for MVL, which operates the Tada ride-hailing service in Southeast Asia.
China's Sailing exits as US GP backs Maldives resort chain
Chinese cross-border private equity firm Sailing Capital has exited its position in Soneva, a Thailand-based luxury hotel operator known for its Maldives resorts, following the sale of a significant minority stake to US-based KSL Capital Partners.