Technology
Headline leads Series B for Australian payments start-up Zeller
Australian payments provider Zeller has closed an AUD 100m (USD 73m) Series B round led by Headline, a US venture capital firm, and supported by domestic superannuation fund Hostplus.
China VC: Funding puzzles
Late-stage investors are appearing in earlier funding rounds in China, offering premium valuations but potentially leaving start-ups in situations where they have too much too soon
China 5G chip designer Cygnus raises $100m
Chinese 5G chip design company Cygnus Semiconductor has raised USD 100m in Series A funding and an extended pre-Series A round led by Matrix Partners China and Wofo Capital.
China e-commerce SaaS player secures $100m Series C
China-based e-commerce software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Dianxiaomi has secured a USD 100m Series C round led by Tiger Global Management and Huaxing Growth Capital.
Singapore's Volopay gets $29m Series A
Singapore’s Volopay, a B2B financial technology provider specialising in cross-border transactions, has raised USD 29m in Series A funding led by Justin Mateen, co-founder of Tinder.
AVCJ Awards 2021: Exit of the Year – IPO: Zomato
Zomato’s milestone offering last year saw a pandemic-ready business model awaken the local market to internet-based risk profiles as global investors shifted interest from China to India
AVCJ Awards 2021: Exit of the Year – Small Cap; Operational Value Add: Integreon
Helping Integreon, an over-diversified outsourcing services company, re-focus and renew management was all part of the plan. Postponing the exit as COVID-19 amplified demand was the unexpected coup
Australia VC: An ideal match?
Having backed Australian VCs for Hostplus, Neil Stanford is now raising a fund-of-funds with a view to catalysing a state-wide start-up ecosystem. A preferred return structure is being used to lure LPs
Hong Kong's Future Fund to set up tech investment pool
A HKD 5bn (USD 640m) strategic tech fund will be established under Hong Kong’s Future Fund as part of an initiative to make direct investments that underpin the territory’s status as a hub for finance, commerce, and innovation as well as generate returns....
Crescendo closes third Korea fund on $910m
Korean middle-market private equity firm Crescendo Equity Partners has confirmed a final close of USD 910m on its third flagship fund, beating a target of USD 700m.
Sequoia, Legend back China autonomous driving player Inceptio
Sequoia Capital China and Legend Capital have led a USD 188m Series B extension for Inceptio, a Chinese autonomous driving technology developer that specialises in line-haul trucking.
Baring Asia completes $386m recap of CitiusTech
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) has completed a USD 385.9m dividend recap and refinancing of loans tied to its 2019 acquisition of India-based healthcare IT services business CitiusTech.
Deal focus: Affirma sees promise in Asia e-scooters
Affirma Capital has led a USD 93m Series B round for Singapore-based e-scooter provider Beam, citing its ability to internationalise a locally-focused and increasingly popular business model
Pakistan fintech player NayaPay gets $13m seed round
NayaPay, a Pakistan-based financial technology start-up has secured USD 13m in what is claimed to be one of the country’s largest-ever seed rounds.
China cross-border fintech start-up secures $20m
Dowsure, a Shenzhen-based financial technology start-up that has developed credit-checking software that enables banks to lend to small-scale e-commerce vendors, has secured USD 20m in Series B funding.
India banking start-up Niyo raises $100m Series C
Accel Partners and Lightrock India have led a USD 100m Series C round for India’s Niyo, which offers digital savings accounts and other banking services in partnership with traditional banks.
Investcorp seeks $400m for India private equity fund
Investcorp is targeting USD 400m for its third India private equity fund as part of efforts to quadruple its assets under management (AUM) in the country to USD 2bn within six years.
ZWC, IDG back China social CRM service provider
Wshoto – a Chinese social customer relationship management (SCRM) service provider that focuses on the WeChat ecosystem - has raised a CNY 300m (USD 47m) Series B round across two tranches.
A91, Z3Partners lead Series B for India's Shipsy
A91 Partners and Z3 Partners have led a USD 25m Series B round for India-based Shipsy, an artificial intelligence (AI) platform that helps companies automate logistics.
India's IvyCap secures foreign LP backing for Fund III first close
India’s IvyCap Ventures is progressing on efforts to diversify its LP base, with 15% of the first close commitments in Fund III coming from international investors, while many of its domestic institutional backers re-upped.
Ex-Hostplus PE head launches state-level early-stage fund
V-Ignite, an investment firm established by the former PE and VC head at Australian superannuation fund Hostplus, is looking to raise AUD 120m (USD 86m) for a fund-of-funds that will support managers in the state of Victoria.
Apis doubles down on Asia rewards, incentives space
Apis Partners has backed India-based rewards and incentives start-up Xoxoday through a USD 30m joint investment with Giift, one of its portfolio companies.
India's MediBuddy gets $125m Series C
Quadria Capital and Lightrock India have led a USD 125m Series C round for Indian healthcare platform MediBuddy.
Mubadala leads $500m round for Princeton Digital
Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment has contributed USD 350m to a USD 500m equity round for Singapore-based data centre developer Princeton Digital Group (PDG).