Technology
DCM leads $75m round for China's Maimai
DCM Ventures has led $75 million Series C round for Maimai, a Chinese social networking app for professionals, with participation from existing backers IDG Capital and Morningside Venture Capital.
Singapore to invest $20m in local fintech ecosystem
The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has set up a S$27 million ($20 million) grant to support the country’s financial technology development ecosystem.
New opportunities breed new VCs in Asia – AVCJ Forum
A byproduct of Asia’s technology boom is the emergence of a new generation of GPs that have spun out from global venture capital players and internet companies, with a view to capturing opportunities presented by this fast-moving sector.
Singapore's VC-backed Quoine raises $105m via ICO
Singapore-based Quoine, a financial technology company backed by Japan’s Jafco, has raised $105 million via an initial coin offering (ICO).
Vertex co-leads $8m round for Singapore's Active.ai
Vertex Ventures, the VC arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has co-led an $8.25 million Series A round for Singapore-based financial technology platform Active.ai.
VC-backed LexinFintech files for US IPO
LexinFintech, a China-based financial technology portal backed by several VC investors, has filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
SBCVC leads $33m round for China’s Malong Technologies
SBCVC has led a RMB220 million ($33 million) Series B round for Shenzhen-based Malong Technologies – its first investment in an artificial intelligence (AI) technology company in China.
A significant birthday
Among the various events that have contributed to the development of private equity in Asia over the 30 years since AVCJ was established, three stand out as particular game changers
Q&A: Qiming Venture Partners' Gary Rieschel
Gary Rieschel, founding managing partner at Qiming Venture Partners, got his first taste of China VC while working for SoftBank in the 1990s. He recollected to AVCJ how the industry made its mark on a global scale
VC-backed Razer raises $504m in Hong Kong IPO
Razer, a manufacturer of gaming peripherals with several venture capital backers, has raised HK$3.93 billion ($504 million) in its Hong Kong IPO.
China's Bytedance to acquire VC-backed Musical.ly
Beijing Bytedance Technology, the parent company of Chinese news aggregator Toutiao, has agreed to acquire Musical.ly, a VC-backed short video social networking platform.
UK travel player gets $15m for Asia push
UK-based Airbnb management company Hostmaker has received a $15 million round led by Hong Kong private equity firm Gaw Capital and Thailand real estate developer Sansiri for an Asian expansion.
NewQuest joins $31m round for China video cloud player
Asia-dedicated secondaries investor NewQuest Capital Partners has participated in a RMB208 million ($31 million) Series C round for Bokecc.com, a China-based company that offers video cloud computing solutions.
Japan home health tech player gets $4.4m
Nissay Capital and 2020, the Japanese investment arm of Foxconn Technology Group, have invested JPY500 million ($4.4 million) in a pre-Series B round for Tokyo-based healthcare technology start-up Triple W Japan.
South Korea's MyMusicTaste gets $11m Series C
KTB Network has led an $11 million Series C funding round for MyMusicTaste, a Korean crowdsourcing platform operator focused on organizing fan-requested concerts.
Singtel Innov8, Harmony anchor Qubole's $25m Asian push
Singtel Innov8 and Harmony Partners have led a $25 million round of funding to support the Asia expansion of Qubole, a big data firm based in India and the US.
Fintech funds: Treasuries apart
Investment strategies targeted exclusively at the convergence of financial services and technology have become commonplace. As competition picks up, success will depend on adopting skills and a global view
Yunfeng, Xiaomi lead $40m round for China’s Jinying
Yunfeng Capital and Chinese smart-phone maker Xiaomi have jointly led a $40 million Series B round for Beijing Jinying Technology, a China-based online content publisher. Fosun International and SIG Asia also participated.
Meridian, Eastern Bell in $14m round for China's Putiandi
A group of investors including Meridian Capital and Eastern Bell Venture Capital has invested RMB90 million ($13.6 million) in China-based retail property-leasing platform Putiandi.
Sector funds: Special forces
The proliferation of fund managers targeting relatively focused investment segments signals a new maturity in Asian private equity. The trend will evolve in step with regional markets
PE-backed China Literature raises $1.1b in HK IPO
China Literature, a PE-backed online reading unit being spun out by Tencent Holdings, has raised HK$8.3 billion ($1.1 billion) in a Hong Kong IPO.
Hong Kong's WeLab raises $220m
Alibaba Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have led a Series B+ round of funding for Hong Kong financial technology provider WeLab.
VCs join $25m round for Singapore's ShopBack
Singapore-based e-commerce aggregator ShopBack has raised a $25 million funding round from investors including East Ventures, SoftBank, and 33 Capital.
Sequoia leads Series B for Singapore's Smartkarma
Sequoia Capital India has led a Series B round for Smartkarma, bringing the Singapore-based financial technology company’s total funding to $21 million.