Sectors
India's Mela Ventures reaches $17.5m first close
Mela Ventures, an Indian venture capital firm launched by the co-founders of IT outsourcing player Mindtree, has achieved a first close of INR1.3 billion ($17.5 million) for its debut fund.
Blackstone agrees $2.3b carve-out from Japan's Takeda
Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical has agreed to sell a portfolio of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and health products to The Blackstone Group for JPY242 billion ($2.3 billion).
CDC commits $10m to India’s Chiratae
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group has committed $10 million to the fourth fund being raised by India’s Chiratae Ventures.
Chinese robotics player XYZ raises $20m
Source Code Capital has led a $20 million Series A round extension for XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specializing in robotic hand-eye coordination. Other investors include Gaorong Capital and Morningside Venture Capital.
India's FarEye gets additional $13m for Series D
Indian logistics platform FarEye has received additional funding of $13 million from The Fundamentum Partnership and a fund managed by South Korea’s KB Investment.
Carlyle exits Korean garment manufacturer
The Carlyle Group has agreed to sell its majority stake in Korean apparel manufacturer Yakjin Trading Corporation to domestic fashion giant JS Corporation for around KRW14.3 billion ($12 million).
Q&A: ChrysCapital Partners' Sanjay Kukreja
Sanjay Kukreja, managing partner at India-focused ChrysCapital Partners, discusses timing, healthcare, technology, and why it makes sense to back entrepreneurs you’ve backed before
Deal focus: China's Xpeng moves into top gear
Investor appetite for Xpeng grew over the course of 2020 as China's electric vehicle industry showed signs of recovery after a difficult 2019. A $500 million Series C extension was soon followed by an IPO filing
B Capital to support Yalochat's Asia expansion
B Capital has led a $15 million Series B round for Yalochat, a US-headquartered messaging-focused customer relations management platform, with plans to help it introduce its solutions to emerging markets in Asia.
India venture capital: Local largesse
India’s venture capital industry is entering a new decade with a growing pool of local early-stage managers, a wider variety of funding sources, and a host of new risks and opportunities
OMERS names new Asia infrastructure head
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has appointed Prateek Maheshwari, an existing managing director at the firm, as its head of infrastructure in Asia.
Baring Asia leads $209m round for India’s RBL Bank
A consortium of investors led by Baring Private Equity Asia will invest INR15.6 billion ($209 million) for a 19.55% stake in listed Indian lender RBL Bank.
China insurance tech platform Waterdrop receives $230m
Shuidi, a China-based insurance technology platform also known as Waterdrop, has raised $230 million in Series D funding jointly led by Tencent Holdings and Swiss Re Group. Existing investors IDG Capital and Wisdom Choice Global Fund re-upped.
US-China tensions worry tech investors - M&A Forum
Asia technology investors warned that an escalation in US-China tensions that impedes the development of start-ups will ultimately cost end-consumers as well as public market investors.
Japan's iSpace raises $28m Series B
Japanese lunar exploration company iSpace has raised $28 million Series B round led by Incubate Fund.
India space tech start-up Pixxel raises seed funding
Indian space technology start-up Pixxel, which plans to launch micro-satellites to support an Earth imaging software platform, has raised a $5 million seed round featuring Lightspeed India Partners.
Partners Group-backed SPi completes India edtech bolt-on
SPi Global, a Philippines-based enterprise technology provider controlled by Partners Group, has paid an undisclosed sum for a majority stake in Indian education technology company LearningMate.
Australia's Buildkite hits $144m valuation with Series A
US-based VCs General Catalyst and OpenView have provided A$28 million ($20 million) in Series A funding to Australian enterprise software player Buildkite at a valuation of about $144 million.
Taiwan AI player iKala gets $17m Series B
Taiwan-based IT hardware manufacturer Wistron has led a $17 million Series B round for local enterprise-facing artificial intelligence (AI) developer iKala.
China drug developer Dizal raises $100m
Chinese drug developer Dizal Pharmaceuticals has raised a $100 million round led by Lilly Asia Ventures, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Trinity Innovation Fund, and Wuxi NewForce Fund.
Southern Capital secures Malaysia creamer carve-out
Southern Capital Group has completed the MYR1 billion ($240 million) acquisition of F&B Nutrition – a producer of sweetened creamer, an oil-based equivalent of condensed milk – from Malaysian food packaging player Can-One International.
Indonesia's MDI Ventures raises $500m fund
MDI Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of state-controlled Telkom Indonesia, has closed its latest fund at $500 million.
India pharma: The pills are popping
India’s pharmaceuticals industry is thriving on the macro ills of the day. Private equity is well placed to benefit, but the opportunity set is no secret
India-China-US: Byte back
Historically a neutral power, India appears to be siding with the US in a multi-faceted war with China. This could have far-reaching consequences for VC investors and the technology ecosystem