Sectors
China’s two largest VC-backed taxi-booking apps to merge
Didi Dache and Kuaidi Dache, China's two largest venture capital-backed taxi-booking app start-ups, are planning to merge to create one of the largest companies of its kind in the world.
Unison to exit Japan wine retailer Enoteca to Asahi
Japanese mid-market GP Unison Capital has agreed to exit wine retailer Enoteca to brewing giant Asahi Group. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
PE-backed La Chapelle invests in China e-commerce platform
PE-backed ladies apparel manufacturer Shanghai La Chapelle has invested RMB200 million ($32 million) in Hangzhou Anshe E-Commerce, the business behind Chinese online fashion retailer QiGeGe, in exchange for a 54% stake.
Warburg Pincus to invest $125m in Indonesia shopping mall JV
Warburg Pincus plans to invest $125 million into a joint venture (JV) formed with Indonesian property developer Nirvana Development to build shopping malls in the country.
Sequoia, Matrix commit $30m to Indian doctor search site
Sequoia Capital India and Matrix Partners have invested $30 million in a Series B round of funding for Practo Technologies, an Indian start-up that provides a search portal matching patients and doctors.
IDFC agrees partial exit from India’s Green Infra
IDFC Alternatives will make a partial exit from Indian wind and solar power producer Green Infra after Singapore-based Sembcorp Utilities agreed to pay INR10.6 billion ($167 million) for a 60% stake in the asset.
Australia's QIC raises an initial $528m for global infrastructure fund
QIC, an investment manager controlled by the Queensland government, has secured initial commitments of $528 million from four institutional investors for a global infrastructure fund.
Club Med battle ends with Fosun consortium victory
Shareholders in French vacation resort operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med) have accepted a EUR939 million ($1.1 billion) takeover offer from a consortium led by China's Fosun International, bringing the longest takeover battle in French history to...
Actis invests $230m in Indian renewables platform
Emerging markets-focused UK GP Actis is investing $230 million to create an Indian renewable energy platform - Ostro Energy.
NSI Ventures leads round for Singapore insurance marketplace
NSI Ventures, the VC unit of Northstar Group, has led Series A round of funding worth $8 million for Asian insurance and wellness marketplace CXA, alongside consumer and technology fund F&H and healthcare investor BioVeda.
YJ Capital invests $3.4m in Japanese online laundry service
WhitePlus - the Japanese start-up behind an online laundry service called Lenet - has managed to raise JPY408 million ($3.4 million) from Yahoo! Japan's corporate investment arm, YJ Capital.
Japanese app monetization platform raises $36m Series C round
Metaps, a Japanese start-up that provides an app monetization platform using artificial intelligence (AI), has raised a $36 million Series C round of funding.
KIP leads $10m Series A round for China cosmetics review app
Korean Investment Partners (KIP), South Korea’s biggest venture capital firm, has led a $10 million Series A round of investment for Cosmeapp, a Chinese mobile app that provides cosmetics reviews.
Southeast Asia education: Top of the class?
With an emerging middle class willing to pay a premium for better services, Southeast Asian education has clear attractions. But investors seeking scale opportunities must pick their markets and strategies carefully.
Equis in $1.7b fundraising bonanza
Equis Funds Group's first foray into Japan’s solar energy sector was at least 18 months in the making. The energy and infrastructure-focused GP mapped the entire region in terms of solar power potential and regulatory factors then, working with Partners...
China B2B platform targets supply chain disruption
Chinese B2B trading platforms Zhaogang.com and Zhaosuliao.com share more than just a desire to bring about technology-enabled disruption of inefficient offline industry supply chains. They also have several backers in common: IDG Capital Partners, Matrix...
Profile: Lunar Capital's Derek Sulger
In 1999, Derek Sulger turned his back on a career with Goldman Sachs to start a company in China. Fifteen years on, having founded mid-market consumer buyout firm Lunar Capital, he has no regrets.
Australian biotech start-up raises $20m Series B round
Vaxxas, an Australian biotechnology start-up developing a novel vaccination platform, has raised a A$25 million ($20 million) Series B round of funding from a group of new and existing investors led by OneVentures.
Creador invests $16.2 m in India's Ashiana Housing
Southeast Asia and India-focused GP Creador has paid INR1 billion ($16.2 million) for a minority stake in Ashiana Housing, a publicly-listed Indian property developer.
China’s Heaven-Sent Capital invests $32m in media enterprise
Chinese private equity firm Heaven-Sent Capital has invested RMB200 million ($32 million) in Great Wall Movie and Television, a Shenzhen-listed television and movie producer.
SAIF, Innovation Works back China healthcare start-up
SAIF Partners and Innovation Works have provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing Dnurse Technology, a Chinese company that develops technology used to track sugar levels in the body.
INCJ to invest up to $27m in Japan DNA research start-up
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) will invest up to JPY3.3 billion ($27 million) in Quantum Biosystem (QB), a VC-backed Japanese start-up that develops instruments used to automate the DNA sequencing process.
Warburg Pincus exits China Tulip Media via trade sale
Warburg Pincus has fully exited Chinese outdoor advertising firm Tulip Media Corporation following an acquisition by Shanghai New Culture Media Group.
Japan messaging app Line launches $42m investment fund
Japanese messaging app developer Line Corporation has launched a JPY5 billion ($42 million) investment fund to invest in start-ups.