Technology
Northstar leads pre-Series C for Singapore's Una Brands
Northstar Group had led a USD 30m pre-Series C round for Una Brands, a Singapore-based brand agglomeration platform that operates across Asia.
China chatbot developer raises funding to ride ChatGPT wave
Emotibot, a China-based chatbot developer, has raised a Series D extension of undisclosed size from GP Capital, KYMCO Capital, Jiangsu Cultural Investment, and Junci Investment.
India's Nexus Venture closes Fund VII on $700m
Nexus Venture Partners has reached a final close on its seventh India venture capital fund with USD 700m in commitments, taking the firm’s total assets under management past the USD 2bn mark.
Japan enterprise blockchain supplier LayerX raises $40m
Japan’s LayerX, an enterprise technology supplier that incorporates blockchain into functions such as expense management, has raised JPY 5.5bn (USD 40m) from a mostly local VC syndicate.
New Zealand electronic waste start-up gets $37m
New Zealand’s Mint Innovation, a precious metals refiner that salvages electronic waste, has raised NZD 60m (USD 37m) in Series C funding featuring Australian PE firm Liverpool Partners.
GP profile: Yunqi Partners
It took seven years for Yunqi Partners' 2B investment thesis to be proven with the emergence of a swath of unicorns. The Chinese VC firm expects much more from the space – at rational valuations
Deal focus: Going regional to fill the coding gap
NxtWave is helping India’s massive engineering community get up to snuff in much-needed software-related skillsets. This is most difficult and most rewarding in lower-tier cities
Q&A: Blackbird Ventures’ Rick Baker
Rick Baker, co-founder of Australia’s Blackbird Ventures, on pricing adjustments in the tech space, fundraising and secondaries, valuing unicorns, and the rise of ChatGPT
Deal focus: Indian drone maker takes flight
Recently launched Indian VC firm SphitiCap is making a high-conviction investment in local industrial drone maker Garuda Aerospace. It hopes a sizeable debut fund will help carry the start-up to IPO
China edtech player Nowcoder raises $50m
Beijing-based Nowcoder Technology, a Chinese campus recruitment platform also known as Niuke, has raised USD 50m in Series B funding from Sequoia Capital China, Shunwei Capital, 5Y Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Pegasus Capital.
Japan's Astroscale raises $76m Series G
Japan’s Astroscale, a start-up specialising in on-orbit space debris removal, has raised USD 76m in Series G funding featuring Mitsubishi Corporation.
Singapore's Grayscale hits first close on debut VC fund
Grayscale Ventures, a Singapore-based VC firm set up last month by South Asia-focused investors at Japan’s Strive, has achieved a first close of about USD 10m on its debut fund.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Fundraising of the Year – Mid Cap: Potentia Capital
For Australia’s Potentia Capital, the beauty of its sophomore fundraise was not that it took four months, but that it took two years. Putting out feelers well before the official launch created buzz
Fengyuan leads Series A for China battery components maker
Fengyuang Capital has led a CNY 150m (USD 22m) Series A round for Haodyne Technology, a China-based battery materials supplier.
Potentia makes improved buyout offer for Australia's Nitro
Potentia Capital has submitted a new bid for Nitro Software that values the listed Australian business at approximately AUD 532.3m and eclipses a competing offer from a strategic investor.
Greater Pacific Capital leads round for India's NxtWave
Greater Pacific Capital has led a USD 33m round for NxtWave, an India-based online training platform that looks to develop skilled professionals suitable for employment in the technology sector.
Hong Kong pledges more capital for local start-ups
The Hong Kong government is stepping up its investments in technology start-ups, pledging additional funding to programmes run by HKSTPC, an incubator under Hong Kong Science & Technology Park, and Cyberport.
Capital Square secures post-merger India IT services deal
Capital Square Partners (CSP) has announced its first deal since merging with Basil Technology Partners (BTP) with an investment in Relevance Lab, an IT services provider that has a sizeable operation in India.
Profile: Lightspeed China Partners’ James Mi
Rejecting a life-changing job offer from Google and overseeing a failed start-up are two of James Mi’s mistakes. He learned from them and then made a success of Lightspeed China Partners
Deal focus: Affine builds software for an office beyond Office
Affine is one of many start-ups working on a set of collaborative tools to replace Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Its open-source model struck a chord with investors at a time when capital is scarce
Data sovereignty: Compliance complex
Deglobalisation is broadening the concept of cyber risk management from simply preventing attacks to navigating a minefield of data regulations. The pressure on PE spans investment, operations, and exits
Deal focus: Small is beautiful at Quantum Brilliance
Australia-based Quantum Brilliance has raised USD 18m in pre-Series A funding on the back of technological breakthrough that delivers quantum computing without large-scale cooling infrastructure
Deal focus: Loam Bio’s agri-climate offering resonates with investors
Soil carbon sequestration specialist Loam Bio’s Series B is the largest ever seen in Australian agricultural technology. The company’s backers expect it to go big and go global
Gobi-Core named partner for Philippines start-up fund
A Philippines-focused fund supported by Gobi Partners has been selected as a co-investment partner for the government’s Startup Venture Fund (SVF), which was launched in 2021 to support early-stage investment.