Media
India's ShareChat raises additional $145m
Temasek Holdings, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Mirae Asset Global Investments have led a $145 million Series F round for Indian social media platform ShareChat at a valuation of $3 billion.
Taiwan video SaaS start-up raises $16m Series B
Kdan Mobile Software, a Taiwanese software-as-a-service company focused on corporate video and design services, has raised a $16 million Series B round featuring WI Harper Group.
India media platform Pratilipi raises $48m Series D
Pratilipi, a literature, comics, and audio storytelling platform with service in 12 Indian languages, has raised a $48 million Series D that will see the start-up branch into gaming.
Tiger Global leads $144m round for India's DealShare
Tiger Global Management has led a $144 million Series D round for Indian social e-commerce start-up DealShare.
VC-backed Indian game developer bought by Swedish strategic
Indian game studio PlaySimple has been acquired for about $360 million by Sweden’s Modern Times Group (MTG), setting up exits for Elevation Capital and Chiratae Ventures.
Deal focus: Indian cartoons poised for proliferation
NewQuest Capital’s acquisition of Cosmos-Maya from KKR-backed Emerald Media punctuates a crystallizing opportunity set in Indian animation. The next step is going global
Indian online gaming business Winzo raises $65m
Winzo, and Indian gaming platform focused on online pool, rummy, poker, and fantasy sports has raised a $65 million Series C round led by US-based Griffin Gaming Partners.
Hong Kong NFT player adds $50m to funding round
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, a gaming company focused on blockchain-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $50 million from a group including Gobi Partners and a VC unit of Samsung.
NewQuest buys Cosmos-Maya from KKR's Emerald Media
Direct secondaries specialist NewQuest Capital has acquired Indian animation studio Cosmos-Maya from Emerald Media, an Asian media platform backed by KKR.
Redbird Capital buys stake in Indian cricket team
RedBird Capital Partners, a US investment firm that has backed numerous sports franchises globally, has made its first foray into cricket by picking up a 15% stake in Indian Premier League (IPL) team Rajasthan Royals.
Insight, Tiger lead Series B for India jobs platform
Insight Partners and Tiger Global Management have led a $70 million Series B round for Apna, an Indian professional networking and jobs platform.
Mercury exits Australia's MessageMedia via $1.3b trade sale
Australian mid-market GP Mercury Capital is on course to exit local B2C mobile messaging platform MessageMedia after Sweden-based Sinch agreed to acquire the company for $1.3 billion.
Japan's Dentsu launches second VC fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu Group has set up its second corporate VC fund with a corpus of JPY10 billion ($91.1 million).
Netease to spin out PE-backed music streaming business
Cloud Village, a music streaming business controlled by Chinese internet and gaming giant NetEase and backed by the likes of General Atlantic, Boyu Capital, and Yunfeng Capital, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
Deal focus: NFT start-up declares war on the internet
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands is at the forefront of securing digital property rights via cryptographic tokens. The concept is germinating in the games sector, but it is expected to change everything
Anchor invests $550m in Japan unit of Korea's Kakao
Anchor Equity Partners, a mid-market private equity firm focused on opportunities in North Asia, with a particular focus on Korea, has invested JPY60 billion ($550 million) in the Japan unit of Korean internet giant Kakao.
Hong Kong NFT player raises $89m at $1b valuation
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, a blockchain-based games developer diversifying into non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $88.9 million from a group of VCs at a valuation of $1 billion.
James Murdoch launches Asia-focused SPAC
James Murdoch, son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, has launched a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that will pursue deals in Southeast and South Asia, with a particular focus on India.
Korea's Kakao acquires VC-backed storytelling platform
Radish, a Korea and US-based mobile fiction platform, will be acquired by a unit of Kakao Corporation for $440 million. Its backers include SoftBank Ventures Asia and Kakao.
Apollo offers $3.1b for Australia sports betting business
Apollo Management has submitted a A$4 billion ($3.1 billion) bid for the wagering and media and gaming services businesses of Tabcorp Holdings, Australia’s largest gambling company.
India's Teachmint raises $16.5m Series A
Indian education technology provider Teachmint has raised a $16.5 million Series A round led by US-based specialist investor Learn Capital.
CVC, CDPQ carve out China ad agency's global portfolio
CVC Capital Partners and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) have agreed to acquire a majority stake in the international business of China-based advertising and marketing agency BlueFocus Group at a valuation of $350 million.
Deal focus: Cityneon proves the show must go on
Singapore’s Cityneon has seen a robust rebound in its live events business, driven primarily by China. The company now has $177 million in new funding and deals covering everything from ancient Egypt to Avatar
Indonesia social commerce start-up raises $28m
SoftBank Ventures Asia has led a $28 million Series B round for Aplikasi Super, which claims to be Indonesia’s first and leading social commerce platform.
