Technology
Emerging Asia start-ups: Governance revisited
Even a modest cooling off from tech investment euphoria experienced in the peak of the pandemic could reveal big cracks in Asian start-up markets. Diligence efforts are ramping up, but is it enough?
Korean home interiors start-up gets $182m Series D
OHouse, a consumer-facing platform in South Korea used for sourcing materials and services relating to home furnishing and interior decorating, has raised USD 182m in Series D funding.
Singapore's Resolution hits first close on fintech VC fund
Resolution Ventures, a Singapore-based financial technology investor set up last year, has reached a first close of undisclosed size on its debut Southeast Asia seed fund. The target is USD 20m.
Sequoia, Tiger, Alpha Wave invest $100m in India agtech player
Indian agriculture technology start-up Absolute Foods has confirmed USD 100m in recent funding from Sequoia Capital India, Tiger Global Management, and Alpha Wave Global at a valuation of USD 500m.
Square Peg backs US, Malaysia-based LottieFiles
Square Peg Capital has led a USD 37m Series B round for US and Malaysia-based motion graphics platform LottieFiles.
IDG backs China surgical robot start-up
IDG Capital has joined a Series A round of several hundred million renminbi for China’s Sustao, which is developing a platform for fully automating surgical robots.
Maverick leads $75m round for Hong Kong SaaS player Coherent
Hong Kong-based no-code software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Coherent has raised a USD 75m Series B round led by Maverick Capital.
Korea space tech start-up gets $8m
Korean microsatellite and space data analysis start-up NaraSpace Technology has raised KRW 10bn (USD 8m) from Korea Development Bank (KDB) and several local VC firms.
China cloud services player Flywheel raises $45m
Chinese cloud-native database services provider Flywheel Technology, also known as Feilun Keji, has raised CNY 300m (USD 45m) in seed funding from Sequoia Capital China and IDG Capital.
GD1 launches New Zealand's first crypto VC fund
New Zealand’s GD1 has launched what it calls the first dedicated crypto and Web3 VC fund in its home market less than a week after a similar claim by PAC Capital in Australia.
Australia's Shippit secures $46m Series B
Tiger Global Management, Tidal Ventures, and SecondQuarter Ventures have led an AUD 65m (USD 46m) Series B extension for Australia-based logistics software provider Shippit.
Tiger backs India's Open Financial at $1b valuation
Indian digital banking start-up Open Financial Technologies has received funding from Tiger Global Management, Temasek Holdings, 3one 4 Capital, and IIFL at a valuation of USD 1bn.
Q&A: ZWC Partners' Michael Yao
Michael Yao, a partner at ZWC Partners, discusses valuations, exit obstacles, and artificial intelligence in China, as well as the scope for applying China knowledge in Southeast Asia
Deal focus: Laiye leverages European connections
M&A helped Chinese artificial intelligence start-up Laiye develop its product and gain a foothold in Europe. With more than USD 160m in Series C funding, the company is aggressively targeting global expansion
Fund focus: MassMutual Ventures widens remit
Having started a Southeast Asia specialist, MassMutual Ventures has broadened its regional coverage to include everything outside of China. Europe is also part of the equation for Fund III
India's Turtlemint closes $120m Series D
Amansa Capital, Jungle Ventures, and Nexus Venture Partners have led a USD 120m Series E round for Indian online insurance broker Turtlemint, taking its valuation close to the USD 1bn mark.
China's VisionNav Robotics raises $80m
5Y Capital and Meituan, China’s leading online-to-offline services provider, have led a USD 80m Series C extension for VisionNav Robotics, a local manufacturer of driverless industrial vehicles.
Singapore's Neuron Mobility gets $43.5m
Singapore-based e-scooter rental start-up Neuron Mobility has raised USD 43.5m in Series B funding co-led by GSR Ventures and Square Peg Capital.
China delivery player Gogox files for 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, has filed to list in Hong Kong
Quadria eyes $1b for Fund III, emphasizes health-tech
South and Southeast Asia healthcare specialist Quadria Capital is broadening its scope to include areas such as healthcare technology and digital health insurance for Fund III, which is expected to be up to USD 1bn in size.
Vulcan leads $65m Series B for Singapore's Bandlab
Vulcan Capital, an investment vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has led a USD 65m Series B round for Singapore-based social music platform BandLab.
MassMutual Ventures raises $300m for Asia, Europe
MassMutual Ventures (MMV), a global venture capital firm that counts US-based Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance as its sole LP, has launched a USD 300m fund that will invest in Asia Pacific and Europe.
Deal focus: Goldman embraces Japan robotics
Rapyuta Robotics offers solutions flexible enough to plug into existing warehouse infrastructure and nurtures ambitions to create a cloud-based operating system. This was enough to win over Goldman Sachs
China RPA player Shadowbot raises $100m
Shadowbot, a China-based robotic process automation (RPA) service provider, has raised USD 100m in its Series C funding led by Goldman Sachs and an undisclosed corporate venture capital investor.