Technology
Fund focus: AC Ventures hits its stride early
AC Ventures rallies global investors for an Indonesia-heavy Southeast Asia thesis, more than doubling its expected corpus as pandemic disruption changes everything but the plan
China surgical robotics player RainMed raises $100m
Ping An Capital has led a Series D round of approximately $100 million for RainMed Medical, a China-based surgical robotics business. Other investors include Seresia Asset Management and Lighthouse Canton.
Korea anti-aging polymer maker gets $22m
Dexlevo, a Korean biotech company specializing in anti-aging dermal fillers, has raised KRW26 billion ($22 million) in pre-IPO funding led by local GPs Magna Investment and Smilegate Investment.
China 3D printing start-up WeNext raises $55m
Temasek Holdings, Cathay Capital Private Equity, and Haochen Capital have led a $55 million Series B round for WeNext Technology, a China-based 3D printing specialist.
Vision Fund backs Japan sneaker marketplace
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has made a Series D investment of undisclosed size in Japan’s Soda, operator of sneaker reselling platform Snkr Dunk, at a valuation of JPY38 billion ($336 million).
Chinese language learning platform raises $105m
Singapore’s LingoAce, a Chinese language learning app, has raised $105 million in Series C funding led by Sequoia Capital India. It comes within a year of a $55 million Series B.
CVC backs take-private of Hong Kong-listed Razer
CVC Capital Partners is supporting a proposed founder-led privatization of Hong Kong-listed gaming hardware and software provider Razer that values the business at HK$24.7 billion ($3.17 billion).
China's Didi to delist in New York
China ride-hailing platform Didi, which has traded poorly ever since being targeted by regulators in the wake of its IPO in June, plans to delist from the New York Stock Exchange and relist in Hong Kong.
Bain leads $63m Series C for Korea's PeopleFund
Bain Capital has led a KRW75.9 billion ($64.5 million) Series C round for PeopleFund, a Korean lending platform. It is described as the largest funding round in the country’s P2P finance industry.
China blockchain security company Certik raises $80m
China and US-based blockchain security company Certik has raised $80 million in the third tranche of a Series B round led by Sequoia Capital China.
KKR hires Asia growth equity head
KKR has appointed Mukul Chawla, formerly of Temasek Holdings, to the newly created position of partner and head of growth equity for Asia Pacific.
Wise Road buys semiconductor assets from Taiwan's ASE
Wise Road Capital, a China-based private equity firm that focuses on high-tech investments, has agreed to buy a package of assets from Taiwan-listed semiconductor business ASE Technology Holding for $1.46 billion.
Grab completes SPAC merger, sees volatile trading debut
Southeast Asia ride-hailing platform turned super app Grab experienced a tumultuous first day of trading on NASDAQ following the completion of its merger with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an enterprise valuation of $30.4 billion....
Vision Fund leads $188m investment in Naver's metaverse
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is the largest participant in a KRW223.6 billion ($187 million) investment in Naver Z, the metaverse platform unit of Korean internet giant Naver Corporation.
Horizons leads Series B for Australia healthcare AI start-up
Horizons Ventures, the private investment arm of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing, has led a A$129 million ($92.3 million) Series B round for Australia’s Harrison.ai, a clinical artificial intelligence (AI) developer.
Airbus backs Australia quantum computing player
Airbus Ventures has led a $25 million Series B round for Australia’s Q-Ctrl, a quantum computing developer increasingly geared toward space tech and orbital infrastructure.
China cleantech: Policy tailwinds
Private equity investment in China cleantech and renewables is at record levels, spurred by robust government support for the industry and a recognition that this time the boom might be sustainable
Lightspeed China closes US dollar fund at $920m
Lightspeed China Partners has closed its latest US dollar-denominated fund at $920 million. It is the largest fund raised by the firm and brings assets under management to $3 billion.
Indonesia's AC Ventures closes debut fund at $205 million
AC Ventures, an early-stage investor created through the merger of Indonesia’s Agaeti Ventures and Convergence Ventures, has closed its debut fund at $205 million. The target was $80 million.
Tiger Global, Insight lead $220m round for India's Slice
Tiger Global Management and Insight Partners have led a $220 million round for Indian financial technology provider Slice at a valuation of about $1 billion.
Legend hits first close on healthcare fund, launches TMT vehicle
Legend Capital has reached a first close of $177 million on its third US dollar-denominated China healthcare fund. It is one of five vehicles the GP has in the market, including its recently launched ninth flagship technology, media, and telecom (TMT)...
Qiming leads $40m round for Allorion Therapeutics
China and US-based precision medicine company Allorion Therapeutics has raised a $40 million Series A round led by Qiming Venture Partners.
Japan space debris start-up Astroscale gets $109m Series F
Astroscale, a Japanese space tech start-up dedicated to cleaning up orbital debris, has raised $109 million in Series F funding from investors including London-listed Seraphim Space Investment Trust, Japan Growth Capital Investment, and Axa Life Insurance....
HESTA backs PEP-owned Australia software business
HESTA has acquired a A$120 million ($85 million) equity stake in Australian enterprise software and IT services provider Citadel, following its merger with medical practice software specialist Genie Solutions.