Technology
China's Cootek struggles on trading debut, vows to push forward
CooTek – the VC-backed Chinese app developer behind the TouchPal smart phone keyboard – shrugged off a disappointing trading debut in New York and pledged to cultivate new products with a view to easing reliance on its flagship offering.
Blackbird joins $14m round for Australia space player
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has joined a A$19 million ($13.7 million) Series B round for local rocket developer Gilmour Space Technologies.
NewQuest, Committed Advisors back $175m restructuring
NewQuest Capital Partners and Committed Advisors have bankrolled the formation of a $175 million fund that will acquire the existing portfolio of Singapore-based Basil Partners and provide additional capital for follow-on investments.
Tiger Global leads $44m Series C for China's Udesk
China-based customer services outsourcing provider Udesk has raised RMB300 million ($43.6 million) in a Series C round of funding led by Tiger Global Management, with participation from existing investors Legend Capital and DCM.
China sports streaming: Match of the day
Private capital entering China’s sports streaming space is gravitating to platforms backed by the incumbent internet giants. But how long will it be before the big content bets pay off?
China's Liulishuo posts modest gain following $72m US IPO
Liulishuo, a Chinese English language learning app that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver customized teaching solutions for adults, ended its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange up 1.2%.
PE-backed Chinese crypto player set for Hong Kong IPO
Bitmain, a five-year-old Chinese company that is the dominant global player in manufacturing chips for bitcoin mining, with revenues ballooning nearly tenfold to $2.5 billion last year, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
TPG, SoftBank Ventures Korea team up for $300m China fund
TPG Capital and SoftBank Ventures Korea are launching a $300 million China fund that will invest in start-ups focusing on technology, media, and the internet.
CLSA co-leads funding round for Taiwan's ACT
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has co-led a funding round of undisclosed size for ACT Genomics, a Taiwan-based developer of genetic sequencing and diagnostic services.
Eight Roads leads Series C for India's PharmEasy
Indian online pharmacy PharmEasy has raised a $50 million Series C funding round led by Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International.
SoftBank, Sequoia back $1b round for India's Oyo
India-based online hospitality platform Oyo has raised a $1 billion funding round aimed at supporting domestic and overseas expansion from existing investors including SoftBank Vision Fund and Sequoia Capital India.
India's Pi Ventures closes early-stage fund at $31m
Pi Ventures, an Indian early-stage investor focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, has closed its debut fund at INR2.25 billion ($30.9 million).
Japan payments player Origami raises $60m Series C
Origami, a Tokyo-based mobile payments platform, has raised JPY6.6 billion ($60 million) in Series C funding from investors including SBI Investment, Union Pay International, Mitsui Sumitomo Card, and Credit Saison.
Chinese B2B liquor trading platform gets $200m Series C
Tencent Holdings and Meituan-Dianping have led a $200 million Series D funding round for business-to-business (B2B) online liquor trading platform Yijiupi.
AGIC exits Italian robotics business for $436m
AGIC Capital, a private equity firm focused on cross-border investments, has exited its stake in Italian robotics supplier Gimatic to US-based industrial products manufacturer Barnes Group for EUR370 million ($436 million) in cash.
Shunwei leads $23m round for Chinese robotics player
Shunwei Capital has led an RMB160 million ($23 million) Series B round of funding for Rokae, a Chinese industrial robotics developer, with participation from GSR Capital, THG Ventures and Plum Ventures.
Meituan-Dianping gains on debut after $4.2b Hong Kong IPO
Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) lifestyle services platform Meituan-Dianping gained 5.3% on its trading debut in Hong Kong following a HK$33.1 billion ($4.2 billion) IPO.
TPG, Goldman invest $70m in India's Livspace
Indian home design portal Livspace has raised $70 million in Series C funding led by TPG Growth, the middle market investment platform of TPG Capital, and Goldman Sachs.
China technology: Burnout
Questions about the sustainability of Meituan-Dianping's expansion strategy suggest that even newly listed unicorns are not immune to the changing sentiment in China's technology sector
Investcorp makes China debut, backs Everbright fund
Investcorp, a Bahrain-listed asset manager, has made its first foray into China by committing $150 million to China Everbright’s New Economy Fund. There is an additional co-investment right of up to $100 million.
Deal focus: Video++ targets digital dollars
Chinese start-up Video++ raises Series C1 round to grow its AI advertising business aimed at China's streaming video platforms
Chinese investors commit $50m to India's Ola
Indian ride-hailing app Ola has raised a $50 million round of funding from Sailing Capital and the China-Eurasian Economic Cooperation Fund (CEECF), a vehicle backed by the Chinese government to support the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.
Anacacia sells Australian chilled food business
Anacacia Capital has exited Yumi’s Quality Foods, an Australian chilled food manufacturer that it acquired in 2014, to George Weston Foods (GWF) for an undisclosed sum.
Q&A: Emerald Media's Paul Aiello
KKR-backed Emerald Media was formed to invest in Asia’s media landscape, but it has found a growing number of opportunities in technology. Managing Director Paul Aiello discusses how the sectors have grown together