Technology
Bertelsmann leads $27m round for India's AgroStar
Bertelsmann India Investments has led a $27 million Series C round for AgroStar, an Indian mobile retail platform focused on the agriculture sector.
Shunwei leads round for Chinese apparel platform Yi Shou
Shunwei Capital, a VC firm established by Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, has led a RMB55 million ($8 million) Series B round for B2B apparel sourcing and wholesaling platform Yi Shou.
SoftBank to invest $1.6b in China’s Didi Chuxing
SoftBank plans to invest around $1.6 billion in Chinese ride-hailing app operator Didi Chuxing, marking the Japanese internet giant’s third investment in the company.
Australia's King River launches debut VC fund
Newly established Australian venture capital firm King River Capital has confirmed the launch of its debut fund and two initial investments.
Korean cloud services provider gets $42m
MegazoneCloud, a Korean IT services provider that helps companies incorporate cloud-based systems, has raised $42 million from a group of domestic investors, including the National Pension Service (NPS).
HSBC, Singtel join $25m round for Singapore's CXA
Singapore-based digital health start-up CXA Group has raised $25 million in funding from a string of strategic backers, including HSBC and the Asia investment arms of Singtel and Sumitomo Corporation.
Chinese O2O retailer raises $59m from Alibaba-backed fund
KK Guan, a China-based online-to-offline (O2O) retailer that mainly sells imported goods, has received RMB400 million ($59 million) in Series C funding led by the Electronic World Trade Platform (eWTP) Ecosystem Fund, which is backed by Alibaba Group...
Chinese pet e-commerce player gets $30m Series B
Mollybox, a subscription-based pet e-commerce company based in China, has raised a $13 million Series B round led by DCM Ventures and Digitalis Ventures.
Chinese AI-driven search engine Tigerobo raises $33m
Tigerobo, an artificial intelligence-driven financial information search engine, has raised $33 million in Series A funding from PAC, CreditEase New Finance Industry Fund and existing investor Gaorong Capital.
Omidyar spins out fintech arm as Flourish Ventures
Omidyar Network, a global impact investment firm launched by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar that is an active investor in Asia, has spun out its financial technology division into a new VC firm called Flourish Ventures.
Baidu Capital leads $466m Series C for China’s WM Motor
WM Motor Technology, a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, has raised RMB3 billion ($466 million) in a Series C round of funding led by existing investor Baidu Capital.
Bain raises tender offer price for Japan's Kosaido
Bain Capital Private Equity has sweetened a tender offer initiated in January for Japan-listed printing and IT services provider Kosaido. The revised bid values the company at about JPY17.4 billion ($157 million).
Southeast Asia tech: Strategic incursions
Strategic investors are jockeying for position in Southeast Asia's blossoming technology space, hoping to gain a foothold with local start-ups before the market reaches a saturation point
GIC to invest $713m in India's Bharti Airtel
Singapore’s GIC Private has agreed to invest INR50 billion ($713 million) in India-based telecommunications provider Bharti Airtel.
China’s MSA reaches $200m first close on second VC fund
MagicStone Alternative Investments (MSA) has reached a first close of $200 million on its second venture capital fund, which will focus on technology companies in China.
VC-backed internet celebrity incubator files for US listing
Ruhan, an internet celebrity incubator backed by Legend Capital that is said to be the largest business of its kind by revenue in China, has filed to list on NASDAQ.
Quona leads $12.8m round for India's SMEcorner
Quona Capital has led a INR900 million ($12.8 million) investment in Indian microlending platform operator SMECorner.
Deal focus: 90 Seconds simplifies complex video variables
Singapore-based 90 Seconds raises $20 million to expand its online video production networking marketplace
Deal focus: Google offers AI expertise to Elsa
Google brings technological expertise as well as financial backing to its investment in Vietnam-based English education provider Elsa
SoftBank Vision Fund invests $1.5b in SE Asia's Grab
Southeast Asian ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab has secured a $1.46 billion investment from SoftBank Vision Fund. The commitment brings the capital raised in its ongoing Series H to over $4.5 billion.
Carlyle, Fosun join $415m round for India's Delhivery
The Carlyle Group and Fosun International have joined a INR29 billion ($415 million) Series F round for Indian e-commerce logistics services provider Delhivery led by SoftBank Vision Fund.
LP interview: CreditEase Wealth Management
Leveraging the online and offline infrastructure of its parent’s P2P lending platform, CreditEase Wealth Management has built a channel for Chinese high net worth money to enter private equity
Deal focus: Lalamove brings the Uber effect to logistics
Hong Kong-based online logistics platform Lalamove raises a $300 million Series D round to pursue expansion in Southeast Asia and India
Chinese e-commerce: Community counts
A host of Chinese community e-commerce start-ups want to replicate the group-buying might of Meituan-Dianping and the social media savvy of Pinduoduo. They are getting capital, but can they achieve scale?