Technology
China agriculture supply chain player adds $26m to Series B
Songxiaocai, a business-to-business (B2B) platform that provides agricultural wholesale services to Chinese retailers, has raised RMB180 million ($26.4 million) in the second tranche of its Series B funding, taking the overall round to RMB410 million.
China tech: Speedy returns
The emergence of a younger generation of Chinese consumers willing to pay for online content and services has shortened the path to profitability - and perhaps to IPO as well - for some start-ups
Goldman, Alibaba lead $600m round for China's Suning Sports
Goldman Sachs and Alibaba Group have led a $600 million Series A round of funding for the sports unit of Chinese electronics retailer Suning, which holds the domestic media rights to a range of sporting competitions. The deal values the business at more...
Chinese voice AI specialist Unisound receives $89m
Unisound, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) solutions provider that specializes in voice recognition and language processing, has received RMB600 million ($89 million) in Series C-plus funding.
Jungle targets $150m for third SE Asia VC fund
Singapore-based Jungle Ventures has launched its third Southeast Asia-focused VC fund with a target of $150 million.
Deal focus: Keep makes a sport of data monetization
After raising a $127 million Series D round from the likes of Goldman Sachs and GGV Capital, Chinese fitness app operator Keep is set to find new ways of monetizing its user behavior data
Blackbird leads $40m round for Australia's Culture Amp
Blackbird Ventures has led a $40 million Series D round for Culture Amp, an Australia-based company focused on analytics technology that helps enterprise customers manage staff morale and performance.
SCPE buys stake in India travel business from Naspers
Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) has invested an undisclosed amount in Indian online travel company Travel Boutique Online (TBO) to acquire a stake held by South African internet conglomerate Naspers.
Coatue leads $350m round for China education player Zuoyebang
Coatue Management has led a $350 million Series D round of funding for Zuoyebang, a Chinese K-12 education platform that spun out from domestic search giant Baidu.
SE Asian corporates eye PE collaborations – AVCJ Forum
Private equity firms present attractive partnership opportunities for corporate investors in Southeast Asia as both public and private companies seek to augment their existing strengths and fuel growth strategies.
GP profile: Golden Gate Ventures
Golden Gate Ventures was founded in order to bring much-needed support to Southeast Asia’s fledgling start-up community. The firm has found success by promoting an entrepreneurial culture within its team
India's OfBusiness gets $29m Series C
OfBusiness, an India-based financial technology company focused on smart financing services has received an INR2 billion ($29 million) Series C funding round led by Creation Investments and Falcon Edge.
Chinese AI player Yitu raises another $100m
Yitu Technology, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has received $100 million in funding from China Industrial Asset Management (CIAM). It comes a month after the company raised a Series C-plus round of $200 million.
Advance.AI raises $50m, targets Southeast Asia expansion
A group of Southeast Asian and Chinese investors has provided a $50 million extended Series B round of funding for Advance.AI, a big data specialist with offices in Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta, and Manila.
China fintech specialist Pintec files for US listing
Pintec Technology, a Chinese financial technology business backed by Ventech China, Xiaomi Ventures, and Matrix Partners China, among others, has filed for a US IPO.
Fund focus: Unicorn sticks to early-stage remit
China venture capital-focused fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners raises $250 million with an eye on an increasingly challenging but rewarding early-stage technology space
Booking.com owner invests $500m in China’s Didi
Booking Holdings, which operates a number of online travel businesses including Booking.com, has invested $500 million in Didi Chuxing, a Chinese ride-hailing company with substantial PE and VC backing.
Deal focus: L Catterton taps the China luxury story
L Catterton Asia aims to help Chinese online luxury goods retailer Secoo expand its frontiers with technological and logistical support from e-commerce giant JD.com
China biotech: Finding the formula
An eruption of investment and company creation in Chinese biotech has signaled the dawn of a raw but promising market. First-movers must negotiate immediate pitfalls while targeting long-term upside
India’s Unacademy raises $21m Series C round
Indian online education platform Unacademy has raised a $21 million Series C round of funding from a group of investors led by Sequoia Capital India.
China's Snowball Finance raises $120m Series D
Snowball Finance, a Chinese online financial information platform that subsequently expanded into asset management, has raised $120 million in a Series D round of funding led by Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s financial services affiliate.
Chinese car transaction services platform targets $150m US IPO
Cango, a private equity-backed Chinese automotive transaction services platform that brings together car dealerships, buyers, and financial institutions, is seeking to raise up to $150 million through a US IPO.
Andreessen Horowitz promotes Connie Chan to partner
Connie Chan (pictured), the executive at US venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz responsible for managing the Asian network, has been promoted to general partner.
China-owned Opera Software files for US offering
Opera Software, a Norwegian web browser developer acquired by a PE-backed Chinese consortium in 2016, is looking to raise up to $115.2 million in a US IPO.