Sectors
China's Biocytogen gets $78m Series D
Chinese contract research organization (CRO) Biocytogen has raised a RMB543 million ($78 million) Series D round led by China Life Insurance and SDIC Venture Capital, a VC arm of the State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC).
Partners Group invests Australian wind farm
Partners Group has made an investment of undisclosed size in an Australian wind power project. It is the firm’s fourth wind farm investment in the country in three years.
Women entrepreneurs: Tales from the coalface
Women remain underrepresented in start-up ecosystems across Asia, but for those who have taken the plunge, there is potential to make a social impact that transcends their respective target markets
JC Flowers plans near-full exit from Japan's Shinsei Bank
US-based private equity firm JC Flowers is planning to sell nearly all of its stake in Japanese financial institution Shinsei Bank for an undisclosed amount.
Hong Kong’s AMTD trades up after US IPO
Shares in AMTD International, a PE-backed division of Hong Kong financial advisor AMTD Group, traded as much as 28% above initial pricing following a $174 million IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
Carbon recycling specialist raises $72m Series E
Novo Holdings, a Danish venture and growth equity investor focused on life sciences, has provided $72 million in Series E funding to LanzaTech, a US carbon recycling specialist with a significant Asia presence.
Integral agrees carve-out of Japanese refrigerator supplier
Integral Corporation has agreed a JPY50 billion ($471 million) carve-out of a subsidiary of Tokyo-listed Sanden Holdings Corporation that supplies refrigerators for use in convenience stores and vending machines.
Q&A: Betatron's Erika Cheung
Erika Cheung, who helped bring the fraud at Theranos to the attention of regulators, discusses her current role as an advisor at Hong Kong accelerator Betatron and the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs
Pakistan's i2i launches $15m venture fund
Invest2Innovate, an accelerator program for technology start-ups in emerging markets, has launched a $15 million venture capital fund focused on Pakistan.
CDC leads $21m round for Indian fintech player
UK government-backed development finance institution CDC Group has led a $21 million round for Indifi Technologies, a company that facilitates loans for small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) in India.
BlackRock, CLSA invest $53m in India's GoWork
Indian co-working space provider GoWork has raised a $53 million round of debt financing led by BlackRock’s private credit team, with participation by CLSA Capital Partners’ special situations group.
Macro and diversity: All hands on deck
As women participate in economies across Asia in larger numbers, investors must consider how this impacts their target markets. Gender-balanced portfolios will no longer be a nice-to-have
GIC to invest $621m in Indian toll road assets
Singapore’s GIC Private has agreed to invest up to INR44 billion ($621 million) in nine toll road assets controlled by Indian private road and highway firm IRB Infrastructure Developers.
ChrysCapital joins $30m round for Indian co-working space Awfis
Indian private equity firm ChrysCapital has led a $30 million Series D round for local co-working player Awfis Space Solutions.
EDBI joins $89m round for US agtech player Inari
EDBI, the investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, has joined an $89 million Series C round for US agricultural technology developer Inari.
Hong Kong's CompareAsiaGroup gets $20m
Data and financial services company Experian has led a $20 million investment in Hong Kong-based financial comparison platform CompareAsiaGroup.
Japan Post Capital leads $29m Series E for SmartNews
Tokyo-based news app operator SmartNews is said to have achieved unicorn status following a JPY3.1 billion ($29.2 million) Series E round led by Japan Post Capital.
Singapore's Carro raises $30m for extended Series B
Singaporean auto marketplace operator Carro has raised $30 million from investors including SoftBank Ventures Asia as part of an extended Series B round.
Australia's SpeeDx raises $15m from US-based Northpond
SpeeDx, an Australian developer of molecular diagnostics solutions, has raised $15 million from US-based VC firm Northpond Ventures across two tranches.
Venturous, Lioncrest launch $200m China smart city fund
Beijing-based investment firm Venturous has merged Lioncrest Global, which specializes in bringing deals to high net worth individuals and family offices, to raise a $200 million fund that will focus on smart cities in China.
Pemba exit from Australia's Coverforce challenged by founder
Australian insurance broker network AUB Group has agreed to buy a 49% stake in Coverforce Holdings from Pemba Capital Partners with a view to taking full ownership, but the company’s founder is seeking to block the transaction.
Tiger Global leads $75m Series E for India's UrbanClap
India-based local services marketplace UrbanClap has raised a $75 million Series E round led by Tiger Global Management that will provide an exit for some unnamed investors.
India exits: Milking unicorns
Partial exits from Oyo by Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners underline the importance of securing liquidity from a technology unicorn while it is still on the rise
KKR buys Australian biscuit business Arnott's for $2.2b
KKR has agreed to buy a portfolio of Asian assets – the most significant of which is Australian biscuit brand Arnott’s – from US-listed food multinational Campbell Soup for an enterprise valuation of $2.2 billion.