Sectors
China’s Hike Capital seeks $300m for Fund III
Hike Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm established by the founder of classifieds website Ganji.com and a senior executive at NetEase, is targeting $300 million for its third US dollar-denominated fund.
Indonesia's Shipper gets $63m Series B
Indonesian logistics start-up Shipper has raised a $63 million Series B round led by DST Global and Sequoia Capital India.
KKR, DCP back China's Adopt A Cow
KKR and DCP Capital Partners have jointly invested in Adopt A Cow, a China-based dairy farm operator that pursues a direct-to-consumer sales model underpinned by digital tools.
Deal focus: Centurium, Joy re-up in China's Luckin Coffee
Centurium Capital and Joy Capital have invested $250 million in scandal-hit Chinese coffee shop chain, with Centurium describing it as a sign of faith in the company’s business model and long-term prospects.
China's ZJS Express raises $153m
China-based logistics provider ZJS Express has raised a RMB1 billion ($153 million) Series B round led by Sino-Ocean Capital. Gaolin Capital and state-backed HighRun Capital also participated.
Japan's Samurai Incubate raises Africa fund
Japanese venture capital firm Samurai Incubate has closed its second Africa-focused fund above target at just over JPY2.02 billion ($18.6 million).
Amazon fund to drive India SME digitalization
Amazon has formed a $250 million fund that will invest in India-based small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a view to supporting nationwide business digitalization.
China home fitness brand Fiture raises $300m
Fiture, a Chinese developer of artificial intelligence-enabled home fitness devices, has raised $300 million in Series B funding led by All-Stars Investment, Legend Capital, DST Global, and Coatue Management.
Temasek leads $200m Series E for China's Arrail Dental
Arrail Group, one of China’s largest dental services providers, has raised close to $200 million in Series E funding led by Temasek Holdings.
China's TuSimple trades flat after $1.3b US IPO
TuSimple, a China and US-based developer of autonomous driving technology for trucks, traded flat on debut following a $1.35 billion IPO at a market capitalization of $8.5 billion.
Alpha JWC seeks $250m for third Indonesia VC fund
Alpha JWC Ventures is targeting $250 million for its third Indonesia-focused venture capital fund, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) proposing a commitment of up to $20 million.
Kakao spins out online fashion unit, buys VC-backed Zigzag
Korean internet company Kakao Corporation has spun out its fashion e-commerce business as an independent entity and merged it with Zigzag, a VC-backed local fashion marketplace.
China AI drug discovery platform StoneWise raises $100m
StoneWise, a Chinese biotech start-up that uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to develop new drugs, has raised $100 million in Series B funding across two tranches.
Media SPAC legitimizes MENA for Asia investors
The imminent US listing of a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) media app via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is helping legitimize the region for Asian private equity.
KKR joins $61m round for Japan's Netstars
KKR has contributed JPY4 billion ($37 million) to a JPY6.6 billion funding round for Netstars, a Japanese QR code payment gateway operator. SIG and Lun Partners, a Hong Kong-based global financial technology investor, also took part.
India's PE-backed Pine Labs acquires Malaysia's Fave
Pine Labs, an India payments start-up backed by MasterCard, PayPal, and Sequoia Capital India, has acquired Fave, a Malaysian counterpart also backed by Sequoia India, for $45 million.
Southeast Asia's Grab to merge with SPAC at $30.4b valuation
Southeast Asia-focused ride hailing and local services platform Grab has agreed to go public in the US through a merger with a special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC) at an enterprise valuation of $30.4 billion.
Hong Kong's Lever VC hits $46m fourth close on food fund
Lever VC, a Hong Kong-based food tech investor, has achieved a fourth close of $46 million on its debut fund, claiming 2.3x growth in the value of the portfolio since 2019.
Deal focus: Gobi sees 100x return on Airwallex
Gobi Partners became Airwallex's first institutional investor in 2016 due to a lack of support in the Australian company's home market. The GP made a partial exit in a recent Series D round at a valuation of $2.6 billion
Fund focus: Long Hill burns the midnight oil
Embarking on its first Zoom-based fundraise, China's Long Hill Capital succeeding in closing just above target on $300 million while significantly diversifying the LP base
Deal focus: Partners Group-backed IT play ripens early
Partners Group is set to generate a 5x return on the sale of its 45% stake in GlobalLogic to Hitachi as momentum in corporate digital transformation makes the IT services player a hot commodity
1Q analysis: American dreams
New York makes an unexpected reappearance as the preferred IPO destination for Asian companies; the growth-stage tech investment revival continues; KKR lights up lackluster fundraising environment
Q&A: Hike Capital’s Anna Xu
China-focused Hike Capital positions itself as an entrepreneur-led VC firm, having been established by two start-up founders. One of them, Anna Xu, explains why this makes a difference
Fund focus: Qingsong plays the long game
Qingsong Fund differs from most renminbi fund managers by virtue of its uncommon diversification and farsighted strategy. Data and deep tech will be key focus areas for the firm’s new $153 million fund