Technology
Flipkart co-founder invests $91m in India’s Ola
Sachin Bansal, a co-founder of Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart, has invested INR6.5 billion ($91 million) in ride-hailing platform Ola.
Hong Kong’s Lalamove secures $300m Series D
Hong Kong-based delivery start-up Lalamove - known as Huolala in mainland China - has raised $300 million across two tranches in a Series D round led by Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital China.
Deal focus: EQT bets on bank cards
China leads the world in mobile payments, but bank and credit card transactions still surpassed $5 trillion last year. EQT wants to help VBill expand its presence in the space, at home and overseas
TPG-SoftBank fund backs Chinese restaurant services platform
Shiheng Technology, a Chinese company that helps restaurants manage their online food delivery businesses, has completed the second tranche of a Series B round led by a TPG Capital and SoftBank Ventures Korea fund.
Singapore AI start-up raises $20m
ViSenze, a Singaporean artificial intelligence (AI) provider focused on e-commerce has received a $20 million Series C round led by China’s Gobi Ventures and the VC arm of Portuguese retail and technology group Sonae.
Fund focus: Intudo proves a tight focus has broad appeal
Intudo Ventures has raised $50 million for its second Indonesia-focused fund, drawing on strong support from international investors such as Founders Fund
Singapore to invest $74m in local start-ups
Singapore’s government plans to invest S$100 million ($74 million) in Singapore-based start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2019, along with other measures aimed at promoting local businesses.
Chinese online K12 education provider raises $350m
Zhangmen, a Chinese online tutoring platform aimed at elementary through high school students, has raised $350 million in the first tranche of a Series E funding round.
China-US tensions: Foggy flashpoints
Rhetoric shaping the debate over China's ambitions to become the prime mover in global technology - and what the US could do in response - reflects the geopolitical significance of the issue. Private equity investors are not immune to its impact
Novo Tellus buys stake in data center equipment supplier
Novo Tellus Capital Partners has invested S$12 million ($8.8 million) in Procurri, a Singapore-listed provider of IT services and data center equipment.
Bain buys Chinese data center services business
Bain Capital has acquired a majority interest in the data center construction and maintenance division of Shenzhen-listed NetScience Technology for RMB990 million ($147 million).
Thailand's Beacon leads $6.5m round for local fintech player
Beacon Venture Capital, the VC unit of Thailand’s Kasikornbank, has led a $6.5 million investment in Jitta, a local financial technology provider and stock analysis platform operator.
Didi invests $100m in India's Oyo to close Series E round
Chinese ride-hailing app operator Didi Chuxing has invested $100 million in India-based online hospitality platform Oyo to close its $1 billion Series E round announced last year.
EQT buys stake in Chinese payment services provider VBill
EQT has agreed to acquire a minority stake in VBill, a third-party payment services provider in China that focuses on small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) for RMB378 million ($55.8 million).
Chinese self-driving truck player TuSimple raises $95m Series D
TuSimple, a China and US-based developer of autonomous driving technology for trucks, has closed its Series D round at $95 million, achieving a pre-money valuation of $1 billion.
Deal focus: From space food to sustainable food
Sustainable Bioproducts left stealth mode to raise a $33 million Series A round as it targets commercialization for an edible protein technology that won early backing from NASA
Sequoia leads $226m Series D for Singapore’s Zilingo
Sequoia Capital India has led a $226 million Series D round for Singapore-based Zilingo, a fashion e-commerce platform and provider of ancillary services.
Japan's J-Will set for $272m buyout of ND Software
J-Will Partners has won board support for its proposed acquisition of ND Sofware, a Japanese software developer that serves the healthcare sector, through a tender offer at a valuation of JPY29.9 billion ($272 million).
1955 Capital leads Series A for sustainable foods specialist
1955 Capital, a cross-border PE firm that invests in US and European technologies with application potential in Asia, has led a $33 million Series A round for edible protein developer Sustainable Bioproducts.
PE-backed ticketing player falls on debut after $287m HK IPO
Maoyan Entertainment, a Chinese online movie ticketing business backed by Tencent Holdings and several private equity investors, fell on its trading debut in Hong Kong following a HK$2.25 billion ($287.1 million) IPO.
Indonesia's Go-Jek completes first phase of Series F
Google, JD.com and Tencent Holdings are among the returning investors in the first phase of the Series F round for Indonesia-based ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek, which amounts to around $1 billion.
Fund focus: Redpoint China leverages its brand
Redpoint China Ventures secures $400 million for its traditional early-stage investments as well as for an expansion into growth round coverage
Thailand's Central Group invests $200m in Grab
Thai retail conglomerate Central Group has agreed to invest $200 million in ride-hailing and online-to-offline (O2O) services platform Grab, adding to the list of strategic players that have backed the Southeast Asia company in the past year.
China reveals qualification criteria for Shanghai tech board listings
China has unveiled details of the highly anticipated new technology and innovation board, which is set to adopt a registration-based system that should allow a shorter route to liquidity for PE and VC investors.