Technology
India's Zomato buys PE-backed Blinkit for $567m
India-based online food services platform Zomato has agreed to acquire Blinkit – a private equity-backed quick commerce start-up formerly known as Grofers – for INR 44.5bn (USD 567m).
PE-backed Gogox sinks on debut after $98m Hong Kong IPO
Gogox, a last-mile logistics company formed through the merger of Hong Kong's GoGoVan and an affiliate of mainland China-based 58.com, fell 22% on its Hong Kong trading debut following a HKD 771.4 (USD 98.3m) IPO.
Matrix seeks $450m for fourth India fund
Matrix Partners has launched its fourth India venture capital fund with a target of USD 450m.
Openspace, VI Group lead $25m round for Vietnam's Finhay
Openspace Ventures and VI Group have led a USD 25m Series B round for Vietnamese digital investment platform Finhay.
China fashion software platform Linctex raises $100m
Linctex Digital, a Shanghai-based design services platform for the fashion industry, has raised an extended pre-Series B round of nearly USD 100m from GL Ventures and CDH Investments.
India's LeadSquared raises $153m Series C
Indian customer relationship management software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider LeadSquared has raised a USD 153m Series C round led by WestBridge Capital at a post-money valuation of USD 1bn.
Singapore e-commerce aggregator gets $45m
Singapore’s Rainforest, an aggregator of Amazon marketplace sellers, has raised a USD 45m round led by Southern Capital, which provided USD 15m.
China's ZWC hits first close on debut renminbi fund
Chinese venture capital firm ZWC Partners has reached the first close of CNY 1bn (USD 149m) on its debut renminbi-denominated fund. The overall target is CNY 1.5bn.
Deal focus: Software Combined sees sense in aggregation
Backed by majority owner Navis Capital Partners, Australia-based Software Combined wants to reach up to USD 35m of EBITDA within three years through acquisitions of smaller B2B players
Deal focus: Pakistan's Dastgyr aspires to emulate Alibaba
SOSV sees parallels between the e-commerce awakenings in Pakistan and China, though 20 years apart. Dastgyr has positioned itself at the fore, but it wants to be asset-light rather than asset-heavy
Fund focus: LPs endorse Potentia's software thesis
Potentia Capital took just four months to close its second fund on USD 438m, emphasizing the growing appeal of B2B technology opportunities in Australia and New Zealand
Indonesia blockchain player Ekta raises $60m
Indonesia’s Ekta, a blockchain ecosystem operator with a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace and eponymous cryptocurrency, has raised USD 60m from US-based Global Emerging Markets (GEM).
Australia's Infomedia entertains three buyout offers
Australia-listed automotive software supplier Infomedia has received its third buyout offer in the past two months, with PE-backed counterpart Solera proposing to acquire the business at a valuation of AUD 638.8m (USD 445m).
Capital Today leads $40m Series B for China's XYZ Robotics
XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specialising in robotic hand-eye coordination, has raised an extended Series B round of USD 40m led by Capital Today China Group.
Hillhouse reaches first close on China carbon neutrality fund
Hillhouse Capital has reached the first close on its debut renminbi-denominated carbon neutrality fund, which has an overall target of around CNY 4bn (USD 597m).
Alpha Wave backs India e-sports platform FanClash
Alpha Wave Global has led a USD 40m Series B round for Indian e-sports platform FanClash with support from Sequoia Capital India, Info Edge Ventures, and web3 platform Polygon Technology.
Legend axes consumer from latest China TMT fund
Legend Capital has excluded the consumer-facing segment from its latest China technology, media, and telecom (TMT) fund, reflecting a broader sense of uncertainty among local managers regarding the regulatory environment.
India's ShareChat closes $520m round, hits $5b valuation
Indian social media platform ShareChat has raised USD 255m from Google, Times Group, and Temasek Holdings, capping a USD 520m Series G round at a valuation of USD 5bn.
Japan's WiL raises USD 1bn
US-Japan cross-border investor World Innovation Lab (WiL) has raised USD 1bn across its third flagship fund and several other vehicles.
China life sciences research business gets $300m Series C
MegaRobo Technologies, a China-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics-enabled research services to the life sciences industry, has raised USD 300m in Series C funding.
India's 8i Ventures seeks $50m for Fund II
8i Ventures, an India-based early-stage venture capital firm that recently made a partial exit from software supplier M2P Fintech with a 36x return, is targeting USD 50m for its second fund.
Vulcan leads $10.5m Series A for Singapore's Amili
Vulcan Capital, an investment vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has led a USD 10.5m Series A round for Singapore-based microbe analytics start-up Amili.
Pakistan B2B marketplace Dastgyr secures $37m Series A
Dastgyr, a Pakistan-based B2B e-commerce marketplace, has raised USD 37m in Series A funding led by Veon, an Amsterdam-listed telecom provider that owns Pakistan’s largest mobile network.
Tencent, Block join Series B for Indonesia's Flip
Indonesian consumer payments platform Flip has upsized its Series B round to more than USD 100m with the addition of Tencent Holdings and Block – formerly Square – to the investor roster and re-up from Insight Partners.