Sectors
PE buyout talks with Australia's Bradken fall through
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital have pulled their take-over bid for Australian mining industry supplier Bradken due to volatility in the commodities market.
YJ Capital launches Fund II, backs Indonesia fashion site
YJ Capital - the corporate VC arm of Yahoo! Japan - has announced the launch of its second fund, which has made its first investment in Indonesia fashion flash sale site VIP Plaza.
Japan’s Wizpra raises $2m from VCs
A consortium of Japanese investors including Gree Ventures, Mobile Internet Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, and Mizuho Capital has invested JPY230 million ($1.9 million) in internet-based market research platform Wizpra.
CVC makes another partial exit from Matahari - report
CVC Capital Partners has reportedly reduced its stake in Indonesia’s Matahari Department Store from 14% to around 2% after making two separate sales.
China food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $350m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has received $350 million in a Series E round of funding from CITIC Private Equity and Sequoia Capital as well as strategic investors Tencent Holdings, JD.com and Dianping.
Sailing invests $100m in China cross-border e-commerce site
Sailing Capital, a PE firm backed by Shanghai International Group, has committed $100 million in Series B funding to Ymatou, an e-commerce site that connects global retailers to Chinese consumers.
Chinese local supermarket O2O player gets $100m
CITIC Private Equity, Fortune Capital, GP Capital and Zhejiang Zheshang Investment Management have invested $100 million in Huimin, a Chinese B2B and B2C e-commerce platform that focuses on small-scale supermarkets.
ClearVue’s cross-border cosmetic play
Beauty is a big business for ClearVue Partners. Sales of cosmetic products in China grew 10% year-on-year between 2008 and 2013. The market is thought to be worth $80 billion with plenty of room for further growth.
China's Meituan enters the big league
Asked whether, two years ago, he could have envisaged Chinese group-buying site Meituan achieving a $7 billion valuation Feng Deng, founding managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital, gives a swift no.
Goldman backs Antuit’s big data ambitions
Various factors influence the amount of milk a cow produces – breed, diet, weather, living conditions and the calving cycle among them. Working with one of its clients, dairy giant Fonterra, Singapore-headquartered big data analytics firm Antuit now...
China VIEs: An end to uncertainty?
China has proposed a new set of rules that would regulate the use of variable interest entity (VIE) structures that underpin VC investment in restricted industries. It is a positive sign but questions remain
Asia start-ups: The SoftBank effect
SoftBank has laid down a marker in Asia’s technology space over the past six months, investing nearly $2 billion and promising much more. What does this say about the Japanese giant’s broader ambitions?
Singapore: Start-up central
When looking for an example of how Singapore start-ups previously struggled to get funding, one of the founders of tenCube was happy to oblige. Bootstrapped into existence in 2005, the mobile security solutions provider spent a frustrating 18 months trying...
Quadria seals landmark Indonesia pharma deal
Southeast Asia-focused healthcare investor Quadria Capital, which is expected to close its latest fund in the next two months, has taken a minority stake in Indonesian drug manufacturer Soho Global Health.
Legend Capital leads $100m round for China’s Innovent Biologics
Legend Capital has led a Series C round of funding worth $100 million for Innovent Biologics, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company.
China’s Renren invests in US online broking platform
Chinese social networking platform Renren has committed $40 million to Motif Investing, a US-based online broking platform that has previously received funding from several venture capital investors.
Taiwan’s NDF commits $84m to VC funds
Taiwan’s National Development Fund (NDF) will invest up to $84 million into four venture capital funds as part of efforts to support local start-ups.
China Merchants invests $67m in United Photovoltaics
China Merchant Fund Management, an investment arm of China Merchants Bank, has subscribed to RMB420 million ($67 million) worth of convertible bonds issued by solar plant operator United Photovoltaics.
Shenzhen Capital leads $16m round for China game review site
Shenzhen Capital Group has led a RMB100 million ($16 million) Series A round of funding for Mofang.com, a Chinese mobile gaming reviews site, with participation from Matrix Partners.
Kaizen backs India's Impartus Innovations
Education-focused Indian GP Kaizen Private Equity has made a $4.1 million Series A investment in video learning platform Impartus Innovations.
Singapore expands Block 71 tech start-up hub
Singapore start-up hub JTC LaunchPad @ one-north – better known to many as Block 71 – has been expanded to accommodate 500 companies and 35 incubators, with plans to create space for 250 more.
Frontier markets-focused classifieds platform receives $40m
Saltside Technologies, which operates online classifieds platforms in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Ghana, has received a $40 million round of funding led by Chinese investor Hillhouse Capital.
Chinese radio mobile app raises $20m Series C round
Lizhi.FM, a Chinese radio broadcasting mobile app, has raised $20 million in a Series C round of funding from Chinese smart phone manufacturer Xiaomi and Shunwei Capital Partners.
IFC backs Vietnam's Pan Pacific Corp
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $6.5 million in Vietnamese agribusiness and food conglomerate Pan Pacific Corp. in exchange for a 5% stake.