Technology
Deal focus: Freightos looks to take shipping digital
GE Ventures leads a $25 million round for Freightos, giving the Hong Kong-based logistics software specialist dry powder to build out its price information marketplace for freight forwarders
Sequoia India leads Series C for Australia's HealthEngine
Sequoia Capital India has made its debut investment in an Australia-based start-up, leading a A$26.7 million ($20.2 million) Series C round of funding for HealthEngine, an online healthcare marketplace.
Multiples acquires India's PeopleStrong
Indian private equity firm Multiples Alternative Asset Management has acquired a controlling stake in domestic human resource (HR) services and technology company PeopleStrong.
Capital Square agrees Essar BPO carve-out
Singapore-based Capital Square Partners has agreed to acquire business process outsourcing (BPO) service provider Aegis from Indian conglomerate Essar Group.
VCs back China female-focused consumer finance start-up
Shanghai Mime Financial, a consumer finance platform targeting the young females in China, has raised a Series C round led by domestic investors Haier Capital, Xiyu Capital and Panda Capital.
Grab buys VC-backed Indonesian e-commerce player Kudo
Southeast Asian ride-hailing app operator Grab has agreed to acquire Kudo, an Indonesian online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce start-up backed by a number of venture capital firms.
Actis invests in Malaysia’s GHL, Creador exits
Emerging markets-focused private equity firm Actis has invested MYR290 million ($65.6 million) in Malaysia-listed payment services provider GHL Group, facilitating a full exit for Creador.
Redpoint, Sinovation lead round for China online TCM player
Redpoint Ventures and Sinovation Ventures have led a Series B round worth RMB100 million ($14 million) for Xiaolu Clinic, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) online services provider.
GE Ventures backs Hong Kong digital logistics business
GE Ventures, the VC arm of General Electric, has led a $25 million extended Series B round of funding for Freightos, a Hong Kong-based logistics technology company. It brings total funding for the business to $50 million.
Morningside closes debut renminbi VC fund at $143m
Morningside Venture Capital, a China-focused early-stage VC firm that used to manage only US dollar-denominated funds, has closed its first renminbi vehicle at RMB1 billion ($143 million).
ClearVue leads $30m round for Chinese convenience store chain
Consumer-focused GP ClearVue Partners has led a RMB200 million ($30 million) Series B round of funding for I Believe, a Chinese convenience store operator.
India's PE-backed Byju's gets $30m
Indian online education start-up Byju’s has received a $30 million investment from Verlinvest, an investment holding company created by the founders of Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Deal focus: Carlyle backs Delhivery’s cutting edge
The Carlyle Group believes Delhivery has the business model, technology and management expertise to fill the gap in India's high-end e-commerce logistics market
China personal lending platform Yongqianbao raises $68m
Yongqianbao, a Chinese mobile app that provides personal loan services, has raised a RMB466 million ($68 million) Series C round co-led by Golden Brick Capital and CICC Alpha.
B Capital leads $25m Series C for India's Icertis
B Capital Group - a VC firm launched by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin - has led a $25 million Series C round for Icertis, an India and US-based company that provides cloud-based contract management software.
China’s UCloud secures $140m Series D
Chinese cloud computing services provider UCloud has raised RMB960 million ($140 million) Series D round of funding from Oriza Holdings and CICC Alpha, a direct investment arm of China International Capital Corporation (CICC).
HgCapital invests $25m in New Zealand's Gentrack
HgCapital has agreed to invest NZ35.5 million ($25 million) in New Zealand industrial software specialist Gentrack to support an acquisition and expansion process in the UK.
CDB, Sino IC Capital commit $22b to Tsinghua Unigroup
Tsinghua Unigroup, which is controlled by an investment arm of Tsinghua University, has secured RMB150 billion ($22 billion) financing from two government-backed investors - China Development Bank (CDB) and Sino IC Capital.
India's Intex launches VC fund, backs local mobile player
Indian electronics manufacturer Intex Technologies has launched a technology-focused venture capital fund and made its first investment in online media platform Rooter.
Fund focus: Square Peg goes formal with $180 fund
In response to rising LP demand, Square Peg Capital left its deal-by-deal days behind and raised a formal VC fund. The firm is targeting start-ups in Australia, Southeast Asia and Israel
Deal focus: BlackBuck climbs the logistics ladder
BlackBuck receives $70 million in Series C funding as it continues its mission to cure the dysfunction in India's fragmented long-distance trucking industry
China edtech: Tangible teachings
Educational hardware remains an emerging investment segment globally. In China, cultural shifts are piquing expectations for a local boom, but success will depend on various cross-market diversifications
Korea to invest $102m in life science start-ups
The South Korean government has pledged to establish a KRW113.5 billion ($102 million) fund to support life science start-ups through related ecosystem and infrastructure investments.
China Growth Capital leads $14m round for Tiger Brokers
China Growth Capital has led an extended Series B round worth RMB100 million ($14 million) for Tiger Brokers, a Beijing-based online brokerage start-up, with participation from existing investor ZhenFund.