Consumer
GIC, Booking invest $180m in Korea's Yanolja
Singapore’s GIC Private and US-based Booking Holdings have invested $180 million in South Korean hotel operator and booking platform Yanolja, reportedly valuing the company at more than $1 billion.
Qiming leads $15m round for Indian publishing platform
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $15 million Series B round for Pratilipi, a publisher of Indian vernacular language content.
Gaorong-backed GSX Techedu loses ground after $208m US IPO
GSX Techedu, operator of Chinese online education platform Baijiahulian, raised $207.9 million in its US IPO, but a flat first day of trading was followed by a 4.6% decline on day two.
CMC backs Chinese play center operator
CMC Capital Partners has led a Series B round of more than RMB100 million ($15 million) for Neobio, a Chinese operator of children’s play centers.
Hillhouse buys whisky producer Loch Lomond Group
Hillhouse Capital has acquired Scotland-based whisky producer Loch Lomond Group with a view to helping the company expand its presence in Asia.
General Atlantic leads $51m Series C for India's NoBroker
General Atlantic has led a $51 million Series C round for NoBroker, an online real estate marketplace based in India. SAIF Partners and Beenext Capital Management also participated in the round.
Unilever leads $11m round for India's Milkbasket
Unilever Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Unilever, has led a $10.5 million funding round for Indian grocery delivery start-up Milkbasket.
ComfortDelGro backs Singapore logistics start-ups
Singapore land transport services company ComfortDelGro has backed two local logistics start-ups via its recently launched venture capital arm.
China's pet products industry: Paws for thought
China’s pet products and services industry is benefiting from closer relations between man and beast, but not every market segment will turn out a winner for private equity investors
Deal focus: KaiOS looks beyond the iPhone
Hong Kong-based KaiOS Technologies has secured a $50 million Series B round for an expansion plan targeting what could be the mobile telecommunication industry’s most underserved segment
China GPs target tech angles in consumer plays
All China consumer deals are now technology deals, but investors must back up this positioning with meaningful value-add capabilities in areas such as digital marketing and data analytics or risk being accused of embellishing a technology thesis for the...
Portfolio: Mekong and Pharmacity
Mekong Capital has spent the last two years helping Pharmacity bring Vietnam’s outdated retail pharmacy market into the modern age. Now the company is preparing to fend off a wave of copycats
Guangdian, Fosun lead round for Chinese pet products player
China-based pet products producer Crazy Dog has raised RMB300 million ($43 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Guangdian Capital and Fosun International.
Food tech: Irresistible recipes
Food technology is a virtually endless horizon of profound and unignorable investment imperatives mistaken as a niche category. Alternative protein is the first opportunity set to gain serious traction
Japanese food tech start-up secures Series A round
Japan’s Base Food, a company that produces packaged meals that are said to be nutritionally complete, has raised JPY400 million ($3.7 million) in Series A funding from a group including Global Brain.
Affirma to buy Korean cosmetics manufacturer
Affirma Capital, a GP established through the spin-out of Standard Chartered’s private equity business, has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in South Korea-based Hwa Sung Cosmetics.
Chinese O2O language training provider files for US IPO
Meten International Education Group, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) English language training provider that mainly caters to adult students, has filed for a US IPO. DG Capital is the primary PE investor in the company.
Singapore's VisVires launches $150m food tech fund
VisVires New Protein, a Singapore-based VC firm specializing in food technology, has launched its second fund with a target of $150 million. Fund I closed at $40 million in 2016.
China’s Allist Pharmaceuticals raises $171m Series A
Shanghai-based drug developer Allist Pharmaceuticals has raised RMB1.2 billion ($171 million) in a Series A round of funding led by Shiyu Capital. Other participants include Loyal Valley Capital and Suzhou Industrial Park Bioventure Investment.
Technology key to Vietnam consumer deals - AVCJ Forum
Technology is a critical factor for any investor looking to participate in the Vietnam consumer story, whether they are backing retail businesses directly or any sector proxies, industry participants told the AVCJ Vietnam Forum.
Korea's CJ CheilJedang brings Bain into Schwan's deal
Korean consumer conglomerate CJ CheilJedang Corporation has agreed to sell a 27% stake in CJ Foods America – a vehicle established for the acquisition of US frozen foods provider Schwan’s – to Bain Capital for $320 million.
Deal focus: CITIC sees resilience in beauty
CITIC Capital has secured a carve-out of marketing and e-commerce services player UCO Cosmetics. It exploits an overall slowdown in China’s economy but also relative sturdiness in the local beauty industry
India used car marketplace raises $13m Series A
SAIF Partners and Accel Partners have led a $13.2 million Series A round for Indian online used car marketplace Spinny, with participation by existing investors Blume Ventures and Simile Ventures.
Tencent leads $250m round for Chinese travel platform Mafengwo
Chinese travel platform Mafengwo has raised $250 million in a round of funding led by Tencent Holdings.