Technology
KKR to raise Asia growth fund in 2022
KKR expects to raise a growth-stage fund in Asia – first flagged more than two years ago – in 2022 as part of ongoing efforts to boost its presence in the region across multiple strategies.
Altara raises $130m for Southeast Asia VC fund
Altara Ventures, a Singapore-based firm set up in 2020 by Boon Hwee Koh, former chairman of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Telecom, and DBS Bank, has closed its debut fund at USD 130m.
Monk's Hill names new partner in Indonesia
Singapore-based Monk’s Hill Ventures has appointed Jakarta native Susli Lie as a partner responsible for building the firm’s Indonesia business.
Indonesia's AC Ventures hires Helen Wong as venture partner
Helen Wong, previously a China and Southeast Asia-focused partner at GGV Ventures and Qiming Venture Partners, has joined Indonesia’s AC Ventures as a senior advisor and venture partner.
SoftBank leads Series A for China cashier-less vendor
SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) has led a CNY 300m (USD 47m) Series A for Feng1, a China-based cashier-less vendor start-up. CICC Capital and Shenzhen Capital Group also participated.
Korea's Shinsegae raises another $251m for e-commerce platform
SSG.com, the e-commerce platform of South Korean retailer Shinsegae Group, raised an additional KRW 300bn (USD 251m) from existing backers Affinity Equity Partners and BRV Capital Management.
Philippines digital bank Tonik raises $131m
Mizuho Bank has led a USD 131m Series B round for Philippines digital bank Tonik with support from Sequoia Capital India and Prosus Ventures.
Legend leads $63m round for China's Hoteam Software
Legend Capital has led a CNY 400m (USD 63m) Series C round for Chinese industrial software supplier Hoteam Software
Oriza raises $660m for China semiconductor fund
Oriza Puhua, a China semiconductor-focused strategy under Oriza Holdings, has raised CNY 4.2bn (USD 660m) for its third renminbi-denominated fund.
India B2B e-commerce player ElasticRun hits $1.5b valuation
Unicorn creation continues apace in India, with B2B e-commerce marketplace ElasticRun becoming the seventh company to achieve a USD 1bn since the start of the year, following the close of a USD 300m Series E round.
Korea autonomous driving tech supplier raises $20m
Morai, a Korean autonomous vehicle simulation technology supplier, has raised USD 20m in Series B funding from investors including Korea Investment Partners and Hyundai Motor Group.
India virtual events platform gets $35m Series B
Airmeet, a US-headquartered and Asia-focused virtual events platform with extensive operations in India, has raised USD 35m in Series B funding featuring Sequoia Capital India.
India blockchain player Polygon gets $450m
Sequoia Capital India has led a USD 450m investment in Polygon, an Indian platform for building, scaling and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks.
India BNPL start-up Mintifi raises $40m Series C
Norwest Venture Partners and Elevation Capital have led a USD 40m Series C round for Indian B2B buy now, pay later (BNPL) platform Mintifi.
India's Kedaara creates digital services platform
India’s Kedaara Capital is forming an outsourced digital services platform through the merger of Gavs Technologies and Great Software Laboratory (GS Lab), having acquired majority interests in the two companies over the past three months.
AVCJ Awards 2021: Fundraising of the Year - Venture Capital: 5Y Capital
5Y Capital’s history encompasses early bets on change across mobile internet, smart cars, and biotech in China. The VC firm remains committed to challenging consensus views
Q&A: AirTree Ventures' John Henderson
Q&A: AirTree Ventures’ John Henderson DECK Australia-based AirTree Ventures has established a crypto-focused vehicle alongside its latest fund. John Henderson, a partner at the firm, explained how they think about the Web3 opportunity
Deal focus: NPX adds tech to Korea's culture thesis
NPX Capital is creating a US-based media platform to tap rising global appetite for Korean entertainment. Early acquisitions emphasise artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and the metaverse
Deal focus: Fourier brings robotics to rehab
China-based Fourier will use its USD 63m Series D round to support an evolution of its business model from manufacturing rehabilitation robots to providing end-to-end treatment services
China's Taichi Graphics raises $50m
Taichi Graphics, a China-based 3D digital content creation platform has raised a USD 50m Series A led by Source Code Capital, GGV Capital and BAI. Existing investor Sequoia Capital China re-upped.
VCs invest in Japan sports analytics start-up
Global Brain has joined a JPY 770m (USD 7m) pre-Series B round for Japan’s Run.Edge, a sports video search and analytics platform.
Gobi-managed Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund hits first close
Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund II, a Greater Bay Area-focused vehicle managed by Gobi Partners, reached a first close of USD 100m at the end of June 2021 and total commitments now stand at USD 120m.
Tiger Global leads $40m round for India's Loadshare
Tiger Global Management has led a INR 3bn (USD 40m) Series C round for Indian logistics platform LoadShare.
India edtech player Scaler raises $55m
Lightrock India has led a USD 55m Series B round for Scaler Academy, an Indian education technology start-up that operates an upskilling platform focused on IT professionals.