Consumer
Deal focus: AID returns to the MCN space
Multi-channel networks that raise online content creators' views are expected to thrive as profit-sharing spreads among video platforms. AID hopes to take advantage with its investment in Freedom! Network
India's MakeMyTrip to buy Naspers, Tencent-backed ibibo
Indian online travel agent MakeMyTrip has agreed to merge with rival booking portal ibibo Group, which is backed by South African internet conglomerate Naspers Group and China's Tencent Holdings, in an all-stock deal.
Redpoint closes debut China VC fund
Redpoint Ventures, a US early-stage venture firm, has closed its debut China VC fund at $180 million.
Carlyle finds new buyer for Taiwan’s EBC
Taiwan Optical Platform, a local telecommunication services provider, plans to acquire a majority stake in Eastern Broadcasting (EBC), a leading TV station in Taiwan controlled by The Carlyle Group, for NT$11.12 billion ($351 million).
PAG backs restaurant chain Paradise Group
PAG Asia Capital has agreed to invest in Paradise Group Holdings, a Southeast Asia-based restaurant chain with over a dozen brands and more than 60 outlets.
PE-backed ZTO Express seeks up to $1.3b in US IPO
ZTO Express, a China logistics operator backed by investors including Warburg Pincus and Sequoia Capital, has set a target of up to $1.33 billion for its US IPO.
VC-backed FirstCry buys rival Babyoye
VC-backed Indian baby and child-focused retailer FirstCry.com has acquired rival children's store chain and e-commerce outlet Babyoye.
Indian news app Dailyhunt raises $25m
Indian online news aggregator Dailyhunt has raised a $25 million Series D round led by ByteDance, a Chinese VC-backed online content provider.
PE-backed Gong Cha Korea to acquire global parent
Gong Cha Korea, the Unison Capital-backed franchise of the global bubble tea franchise Gong Cha, will take a controlling stake in the Taiwan-based parent company.
Hong Kong's AID Partners acquires YouTube partner network
Hong Kong-based private equity firm AID Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Freedom! Network, a multi-channel network on YouTube, for HK$468.1 million ($60 million).
Deal focus: VIG sees upside in sector that will never die
Korea's ageing population means greater demand for funeral services and smaller household sizes suggest a growing need for support to pay for them. In Good Sangjo, VIG Partners believes it has a business that can capitalize on these trends
Deal focus: Grana takes fashion to the information edge
With $10 million in Series A funding, Hong Kong fashion e-commerce business Grana is looking to accelerate expansion of its high-automation, low-cost and high-quality service offering
GM invests in VC-backed China car-sharing platform
General Motors has bought a stake in Chinese car-sharing company Yi Wei Xing, which is backed by Langmafeng Ventures and Fujian Huaxing Venture Capital.
Thai strategic buys stake in PE-backed US restaurant chain Red Lobster
Thailand-based seafood supplier Thai Union Group has invested $575 million in Red Lobster, a US-based seafood restaurant chain majority-owned by Golden Gate Private Equity.
TPG-owned Ingham's targets up to $843m in Australia IPO
Ingham’s Enterprises, an Australian poultry producer owned by TPG Capital, is seeking to raise up to A$1.12 billion ($843 million) through a domestic IPO.
Morgan Stanley invests $46m in Thailand diaper maker DSG
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) has invested THB1.6 billion ($45.6 million) in DSG International Thailand, a maker of baby and adult diapers.
China’s PE-backed Tongcheng merges with Wanda Tourism
Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has spun out its travel-related assets and merged them with a subsidiary of Tongcheng Network Technology, a PE-backed online travel platform. The aim is to create China's largest online-to-offline (O2O) travel business.
China bike-sharing app Ofo raises $130m Series C
Ofo, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) bike-sharing platform, has raised a $130 million Series C round of funding across two tranches.
Chinese consortium to invest in Australia’s Buderim Group
Sino-Australian PE firm Wattle Hill RHC Funds has partnered with Chinese snack producer QiaQia Food to acquire a stake in Buderim Group, Australia’s largest ginger producer, for approximately A$26.1 million ($20 million).
China tech M&A: Friends or rivals?
Consolidation is becoming a dominant theme in China’s internet industry as ever more sophisticated companies use M&A as a means of remaining dominant in their core areas and exploring new ones
China sports M&A: They shoot, they score?
China wants to develop its sports industry, with football a priority, prompting numerous investors to look for overseas assets in the name of government policy. Their rationale is often divorced from reality
Baring Asia assumes control of fashion label Cath Kidston
Baring Private Equity Asia has acquired TA Associates’ remaining stake in Cath Kidston, taking control of the UK lifestyle retailer.
Alibaba fund leads $10m Series A for Hong Kong's Grana
Hong Kong-based online fashion start-up Grana has raised a $10 million Series A round led by the Alibaba Group's Hong Kong Entrepreneurs Fund.
PE-backed ZTO Express files for US IPO
China-based logistics operator ZTO Express has filed for an IPO in the US. Sequoia Capital and Warburg Pincus are the most significant private equity backers with stakes of 7.2% and 6.1%, respectively.