Sectors
China beauty: Service with a smile
Beauty and wellness are at the vanguard of China’s fast-rising services sector. Investors see clear paths to growth, but size presents a plethora of problems in terms of standardizing service quality
Deal focus: Neiwai realizes value offline
Vertex Ventures China was adamant that Neiwai should expand offline on leading a Series B for the lingerie brand in 2017. Four years and two rounds later, the strategy is paying off
Deal focus: Fujitsu Ventures updates ancient grains
Fujitsu is bringing blockchain to the rice industry with a ramped up corporate VC agenda. Digital transformation is the goal; food security and sustainable trade are the outcomes
Deal focus: Targeting an insurance pain point
India’s Digit Insurance has achieved a valuation of $3.5 billion in four years with a thesis that simple is better – and more trustworthy. COVID-19 added more rocket fuel
Portfolio: Integral Corporation and Nitto FC
Japan’s Integral Corporation treads lightly in the conservative agriculture space as it helps fertilizer maker Nitto FC evolve from an owner-centric culture to a more distributed power structure
Capital Today leads $35m Series B for China's XYZ Robotics
Capital Today China Group has led a $35 million Series B round for XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specializing in robotic hand-eye coordination.
PatPat raises $510m across Series C, D rounds
PatPat, a Chinese-founded children’s wear brand that claims to be the world’s largest direct-to-consumer (DTC) player in its segment, has raised $510 million across two rounds of funding.
China's Meiwei Dental raises $150m
China’s Meiwei Dental Group has raised a RMB1 billion ($150 million) Series B round from Fortune Capital, TFTR Investment, and local conglomerate New Hope Group.
India's Paytm targets $2.2b domestic IPO
Paytm, India’s largest digital payments company, has filed for an INR166 billion ($2.2 billion) domestic IPO, setting up exits for several private equity investors.
AppWorks leads $12m round for Singapore's Tinvio
Taiwanese accelerator and VC investor AppWorks has led a $12 million round for Singapore-based enterprise services platform Tinvio.
Tech investment surges in India, SE Asia as China plummets
A drop-off in PE and VC technology investment in China in the second quarter of 2021 – widely linked to a multi-faceted regulatory crackdown on the sector – was to some extent counterbalanced by record levels of activity in India and Southeast Asia.
Sherpa Healthcare leads Series A for Paq Therapeutics
Sherpa Healthcare Partners has led a $30 million Series A for Paq Therapeutics, a Chinese-founded biotech company specializing in treatments based on molecules that enhance the degradation of disease-causing entities.
SoftBank leads $150m Series C for US, India-based Netradyne
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a $150 million Series C round for Netradyne, a US and India-based software provider for vehicle fleet operators.
Carlyle leads $100m Series D for Chinese lingerie brand
Chinese lingerie brand Neiwai has raised a $100 million Series D round led by The Carlyle Group. Vertex Ventures China and Qiming Venture Partners re-upped.
Vision Fund commits $1.7b to Korean travel start-up Yanolja
Yanolja, which claims to be South Korea’s only travel industry unicorn, has received $1.7 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2. There are no other investors in the round.
NewView leads Series B for Australia's Eucalyptus
Silicon Valley-based NewView Capital has led a A$30 million ($22.4 million) Series B round for Australia telehealth platform Eucalyptus.
Fujitsu VC unit backs rice trading platform
Fujitsu, one of Japan’s largest IT companies, is backing the world’s first digital global rice trading platform in the debut deal from its latest corporate VC fund.
GGV, Tiger Global lead $50m round for China bakery brand
Tiger Attitude, a China-based bakery brand, has raised a $50 million Series A round led by GGV Capital and Tiger Global. Both IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital China re-upped, having participated in a pre-Series A in January alongside Challenjers Capital.
Hong Kong last-mile delivery player Gogox raises $100m
Gogox, a Hong Kong-headquartered last-mile logistics company formerly known as GoGoVan, has raised $100 million in funding led by the international arm of China Bank of Communications and Cyberport Macro Fund.
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.
VC-backed Mobikwik files for India IPO
Indian digital payments provider Mobikwik is looking to raise up to INR19 billion ($255 million) through a domestic IPO that would facilitate partial exits for a string of investors.
China drug developer Adlai Nortye gets $100m Series D
Adlai Nortye, a Chinese biopharma player specializing in cancer treatments, has raised $100 million in Series D funding.
Indies reaches first close on SE Asia tech secondaries fund
Indies Capital Partners has reached a first close on a Southeast Asia tech secondaries fund, with commitments totaling more than 70% of the $80 million target.
Temasek's portfolio rebounds to record high
Temasek Holdings shook off last year’s retraction in value to post its highest shareholder return in 11 years, with the overall portfolio reaching a record S$381 billion ($281 billion) for the 12 months ended March.