Technology
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
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.
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.
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
MassMutual Ventures leads $33m round for Singapore's Aspire
The Southeast Asia arm of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance’s venture capital arm, has led a $32.5 million funding round for Singapore-based online banking platform Aspire.
China's Joy Capital raises $718m for VC, growth funds
Joy Capital has collected $718 million for its latest set of US dollar-denominated funds, closing its third venture vehicle at $391 million and securing $327 million for a debut growth fund.
Japan Industrial Partners makes tender offer for Nippon Avionics
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has agreed to buy NEC Corporation's majority stake in Tokyo-listed electronics supplier Nippon Avionics and launched a tender offer that values the company at about JPY3.1 billion ($28.4 million).
EQT to buy Australian cloud services provider
EQT has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Australia-based managed IT services provider Nexon Asia Pacific for an undisclosed amount.
Japan's Coral Capital names new partner
Coral Capital, formerly 500 Startups Japan, has named Google Japan’s head of start-ups and strategic relations Ken Nishimura (pictured) as a partner and chief editor.
China equipment rental player gets $167m in equity, debt funding
Zhongneng United, a Chinese construction equipment supplier specializing in aerial work platforms, has raised RMB150 million ($22 million) in equity funding as an extension to its Series B round and secured an additional RMB1 billion in bank financing.
Norwest leads $40m Series C for India's MindTickle
Norwest Venture Partners has led a $40 million Series C round for MindTickle, an online sales enablement platform based in India and the US.
China Renaissance collects $943m for renminbi fund
China Renaissance has closed the third renminbi-denominated fund raised under its flagship Huaxing Growth Capital arm with more than RMB6.5 billion ($943 million) in commitments.
China consumer: The low road
Pinduoduo's success in bringing e-commerce to China's lower-tier cities has inspired a host of other start-ups to do the same, but they must be mindful of broader consumer trends
Gates Foundation, global insurers back Indonesia's Halodoc
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made a rare direct investment in Southeast Asia, participating in an extended Series B round for Indonesian healthcare technology provider Halodoc.
Japan space tech start-up raises $100m
Synspective, a Japan-based satellite developer and orbital data services provider, has raised $100 million in a Series A round with participation from a group including SBI Investment.
Deal focus: Smartly plans pan-SE Asia robo advisory
Keir Veskivali defied the odds to introduce robo advisory services for retail investors to Singapore. Now he brought in VinaCapital to help take the business global
SoftBank expects at least $108b for second Vision Fund
SoftBank Group is set to establish its second Vision Fund focused on artificial intelligence (AI) with about $108 billion in initial commitments.
Legal tech segment to see consolidation
Rapid growth in the legal tech segment globally will create M&A opportunities as the market consolidates, according to Dan Jansen, CEO of US-based specialist investor Nextlaw Ventures.
Toyota invests $600m in China’s Didi
Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation has agreed to invest $600 million in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and to expand their joint venture focused on services for Didi’s drivers.
Bain forms Asia data center platform
Bain Capital has become the latest private markets investor to back a pan-Asian data center platform with the merger of existing portfolio companies covering China, Southeast Asia, and India.
Australia establishes wine industry accelerator
South Australia is launching an accelerator program to help start-ups in the wine and tourism industries take advantage of new technologies.
Sequoia, Lightspeed make partial exits from India’s Oyo
Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners have made a partial exit from India-based online hospitality platform Oyo through a $2 billion round comprising primary and secondary shares. The round brings the company’s valuation to around $10...