Sectors
Ascendent abandons China education take-private
A consortium led by Ascendent Capital Partners has abandoned its planned $230.6 million take-private of Tarena International, a China-based provider of adult professional and K-12 education services.
Indonesia's Ula extends Series B to $110m
Indonesian B2B e-commerce player Ula has extended its Series B round to $110 million with a $23.1 million investment from Tiger Global Management and Binny Bansal, co-founder of Flipkart.
CBC, APG launch China healthcare infra fund
Specialist healthcare investor CBC Group has teamed up with APG Asset Management to launch a $1.5 billion fund dedicated to the development of healthcare infrastructure in China.
CMC, Goldman lead $150m round for China's Cyclone Robotics
Cyclone Robotics, a Shanghai-based robotic process automation (RPA) start-up, has raised $150 million in a Series C round led by CMC Capital Group and Goldman Sachs Asset Management.
Japan's Olympus launches VC unit, $50m fund
Japan’s Olympus Corporation has launched a medical technology-focused venture capital unit, Olympus Innovation Ventures, with an initial commitment of $50 million for its debut fund.
Vision Fund backs China cleaning robot maker
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Capital Today have led a RMB1.2 billion ($188 million) Series C round for Chinese cleaning robot maker Gaussian Robotics.
India's A91 reaches $550m final close on Fund II
A91 Partners has closed its second India-focused fund with $550 million in commitments, nearly two-and-a-half years after raising $351 million for its debut vehicle.
Riverside backs Australia clinical trials business
The Riverside Company has acquired Avance Clinical, an Australia-based contract research organization (CRO) with a view to building out its clinical trials business.
India's Nykaa trades up after $719m IPO
India-based beauty e-commerce platform Nykaa is trading at more than 100% premium to its IPO price after completing a INR53.5 billion ($719 million) offering that facilitated partial exits for TPG Capital and Lighthouse Funds.
India's MyGlamm raises $150m Series D
Good Glamm Group, operator of Indian direct-to-consumer beauty marketplace MyGlamm, has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Warburg Pincus and Prosus Ventures.
Google backs Korea edtech player Mathpresso
Google has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Korean education technology provider Mathpresso, bringing total funding to around $105 million.
Centurium invests $100m in China caterer Meican
Centurium Capital has provided a $100 million Series E round for Meican, a Chinese corporate food services company.
GoTo gets $1.3b in first tranche of pre-IPO funding
Indonesia-based ride-hailing service turned super app GoTo has raised more than $1.3 billion in a first tranche of pre-IPO funding, which will be used to develop its digital ecosystem.
China's Red raises $500m at $20b valuation
Chinese social e-commerce app Xiaohongshu, also known as Red, has raised a $500 million round led by Temasek Holdings and Tencent Holdings at a valuation of $20 billion, up from $3 billion in 2018.
Indonesia's Alpha JWC closes Fund III at $433m
Indonesia’s Alpha JWC Ventures has closed its third fund at $433 million, beating a target of $250 million. It is said to be the largest early-stage VC fund targeting Southeast Asia.
East backs Singapore food surplus marketplace
East Ventures and Amasia have jointly led an $11 million Series A round for Singapore’s TreeDots, a company that describes itself as Asia’s first food surplus marketplace.
China regulation: Shock and awe
A raft of rules, largely targeting the technology sector, has challenged business cases and thwarted exits in China. It is also contributing to tweaks in investment strategy
Kedaara acquires India digital transformation player
Kedaara Capital has acquired a majority stake in Great Software Laboratory (GS Lab), an India-headquartered provider of digital product engineering services.
GL Capital leads $125m round for Hzymes Biotechnology
Wuhan-based Hzymes Biotechnology, a specialized enzymes developer, has raised RMB800 million ($125 million) in Series C funding led by healthcare specialist GL Capital
Potentia exits Australia SaaS provider to UK strategic
Australia’s Potentia Capital has exited compliance software-as-a-service (SaaS) supplier CompliSpace to UK-based Ideagen for about A$110 million ($81 million) after a less-than-two-year hold.
Hong Kong's Qupital secures $150m Series B
Hong Kong B2B financial technology provider Qupital has raised a $150 million Series B round led by Greater Bay Area Homeland Development Fund.
North Asia IPOs: Welcome eruptions
A steady rhythm of small and mid-sized IPOs in North Asia is now being punctuated by globally noticeable events. Valuations are up, but Korean and Japanese investors are game
Southeast Asia IPOs: Opportunity knocks
A breakthrough offering in Indonesia and regulatory progress in Singapore highlight Southeast Asia’s growing viability as a tech IPO market. It’s unclear how well this is being communicated globally
Hong Kong IPOs: Winner by default
New York’s loss is expected to be Hong Kong’s gain as regulatory and political turbulence drives Chinese start-ups to look for alternative listing destinations – unless valuations become a sticking point