Technology
Deal focus: India's WayCool in fresh approach
A $32.9 million equity and debt investment is unusually large for an Indian agricultural technology start-up.
Deal focus: Circles.Life strives to be different
Circles.Life wants to think bigger, and broader, about its telecom offering than competing mobile virtual network operators in Asia. A $75 million investment from Warburg Pincus will fuel these ambitions
India’s Unacademy secures $110m round
Indian educational learning platform Unacademy has closed a $110 million funding round, bringing Facebook and General Atlantic on to its investor roster.
Chinese GPs provide Series A for Mexican digital bank
Stori, a Mexican digital bank founded by a team with China backgrounds, has raised $10 million in an extended tranche of Series A led by Source Code Capital and Bertelsmann Asia Investments (BAI). Existing investor Vision Plus Capital also participated.
India’s Blume closes Fund III at $102m
Indian venture capital investor Blume ventures achieved a final close of $102m on Blume Ventures Fund III, its third early-stage fund.
Indonesia's Eureka AI gets $20m Series B
Eureka AI, an Indonesia-based artificial intelligence-enabled enterprise software platform, has received $20 million in Series B funding led by Apis Partners, Gobi Partners, Riyad Capital’s Riyad Taqina Fund, and MEC Ventures.
Affirma backs Vietnam recruitment business
Affirma Capital, a PE firm launched last year as a spin-out of Standard Chartered’s private equity business, has agreed to invest $34 million in Transcendental Human Resources, a Vietnam-focused online recruitment platform.
Kinnevik cuts valuation for India's Quikr
Swedish investment firm Kinnevik has revised downward its valuation of Indian online classifieds platform Quikr, citing fraud-related concerns and a changed measurement metric.
China technology training platform 51CTO raises $20m
51CTO, a Chinese online technology training platform, has raised $20 million in a Series C funding round led by Gaocheng Capital.
First responders: China VCs on a healthcare crisis
The coronavirus outbreak has thrust Chinese healthcare services into the spotlight, prompting investors to identify to sub-segments with potential for significant growth
AI hype: Primeval posturing
Industry attempts to contextualize the advent of artificial intelligence as a key moment in the history of humanity risk overheating a market already on fire
India’s Z3 Partners invests in cybersecurity firm
Indian technology-focused private equity firm Z3 Partners has invested in Cyfirma, an analytics platform that helps enterprise clients identify potential cyber threats.
China space tech: Aligning the stars
SpaceX-inspired global fervor about the possibilities of space technology has infiltrated China. Some start-ups appear well set for commercial lift-off, but many others will misfire
India’s Inflexor seeks $100m for debut fund
Inflexor Ventures, a recently established venture capital firm, is looking to raise $100 million for its debut fund, which will focus on early-stage deals.
GGV leads $24m round for India's Vedantu
Indian online tutoring service Vedantu raised $24 million in an extended Series C round led by GGV Capital. It is the latest example of the primarily China-focused manager's push into India.
Chinese fashion design platform raises $14m
Linctex Digital, a Shanghai-based design services platform for the fashion industry, has raised RMB100 million ($14 million) in funding led by Gaorong Capital. Shunwei Capital, Vision Plus Capital, Baidu Ventures and Yinxinggu Capital also took part.
Chinese online insurance player raises $55m in US IPO
Huize Holding, a Shanghai-based insurance platform backed by SAIF Partners, has raised about $55 million in a US IPO.
Hamilton Lane backs Legend Capital fund restructuring
Hamilton Lane has led a $200 million restructuring of a VC fund managed by China-based Legend Capital, transferring 12 investments into a new vehicle as a means of extending the holding period.
EQT-backed Nexon announces trio of Australia bolt-ons
Nexon Asia Pacific, an Australian enterprise IT services provider controlled by EQT Partners, has acquired three local IT businesses.
VC and age: No industry for old men
The trendy, shape-shifting world of venture capital is broadly seen as a young person’s game, although hard evidence to this effect remains in scarce supply
Quadrant acquires Australia enterprise IT business
Australia’s Quadrant Private Equity has agreed to acquire the enterprise services division of listed IT specialist Arq Group for A$35 million ($23.5 million).
Eight Roads invests in Indian mobile marketing platform
MoEngage, an India and US-focused business that helps corporate clients improve mobile engagement with consumers, has received $25 million in Series C funding led by Eight Roads.
China B2B platform Yijiupi raises new round, buys Zskuaixiao
Yijiupi, a Chinese B2B e-commerce platform that initially focused on liquor products, has acquired local B2B consumer goods distributor Zskuaixiao. It has also secured a new round of funding backed by several Zskuaixiao investors.
Sequoia seeks up to $1.35b for India, Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital is looking to raise between $1.28 billion and $1.35 billion for its latest set of funds – comprising separate venture and growth vehicles – for deployment in India and Southeast Asia.