Technology
Carlyle joins $221m round for Japan's Spiber
The Carlyle Group’s Japan team has completed its first minority deal, participating as a cornerstone investor in a JPY24.4 billion ($221 million) round for local biomaterials developer Spiber.
Baring Asia tilts towards growth
Baring Private Equity Asia expects 10% of its eighth pan-regional fund to be deployed in growth-stage investments, underlining how Asia’s traditional large-cap buyout funds are increasing their focus on minority deals in high-growth sectors like technology....
China ride-hailing app Caocao raises $588m
Caocao Chuxing, the ride-hailing arm of Chinese automaker Geely, has raised a RMB3.8 billion ($588 million) Series B round from five state-backed investors.
PE investors exit Indonesia telecom towers business
The Carlyle Group has exited what was its debut investment in Indonesia – after a nine-year holding period – with the sale of telecom towers operator Solusi Tunas Pratama (STP).
PayPal to acquire Japan's Paidy for $2.7b
PayPal has agreed to buy Japan’s Paidy, a specialist in deferred e-commerce payments backed by several private equity investors, for about JPY300 billion ($2.7 billion).
Intudo raises $115m for third Indonesia fund
Intudo Ventures has closed its third VC fund focused exclusively on Indonesia at $115 million after less than three months in the market.
DST leads Series B for China cross-border brand Cider
Guangzhou-based cross-border fashion brand Cider has raised a $130 million Series B round led by DST Global with support from Greenoaks Capital and Andreessen Horowitz.
Deal focus: Affinity capitalizes on enforced divestment
Delivery Hero was instructed to offload Yogiyo as a condition of buying Woowa Brothers. Affinity, Permira, and GS Retail made the most of a $685 million opportunity to enter Korea’s food delivery space
Deal focus: Vision Fund throws its weight behind Opay
An introduction from SoftBank Ventures Asia prompted Vision Fund 2 to lead a $400 million Series C for Nigeria-based Opay, creating Africa’s newest technology unicorn in the process
China take-privates: Holding pattern
Pressure is mounting on Chinese companies listed in New York, from domestic and US regulators. Is another wave of PE-backed take-privates imminent?
Q&A: C Ventures' Ben Cheng
Ben Cheng, a managing partner of C Ventures, mixes lifestyle trends and corporate VC as he helps Adrian Cheng, scion of Hong Kong’s New World Development, usher the family empire into a digital future
Kakao, KDB join $30m round for Japan's H2O Hospitality
Kakao Investment and Korea Development Bank (KDB) have joined a $30 million Series C round for H2O Hospitality, a Japan-based tourism operator expanding in Korea and Southeast Asia.
Thailand insurtech player Sunday gets $45m Series B
Thailand-based insurance technology start-up Sunday has received $45 million in Series B funding from a group of investors including Tencent Holdings.
China launches Beijing Stock Exchange
China has set up its first new bourse since the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges in 1990. Beijing Stock Exchange is expected to facilitate exits for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
China data storage software start-ups gets $110m
Boyu Capital has led a RMB710 million ($110 million) Series E round for China-based data storage software services provider XSKY.
China's Baidu Ventures closes $400m fund
Baidu Ventures (BV), a venture capital firm established by Chinese internet giant Baidu, has raised $400 million for its third US dollar-denominated fund.
KKR leads Series B for Vietnam MSME digitalization platform
KKR has led a $45 million Series B funding round for KiotViet, a sales management software developer that serves Vietnam’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) community.
China car wash business achieves unicorn status
1km, China’s largest car wash company, has achieved a valuation of more than $1 billion on closing a Series D funding round across two tranches. It did not specify the size of the round.
China-focused NFT marketplace Cybertino raises $10m
A group of Chinese investors including Sky9 Capital, Ince Capital, and Draper Dragon have joined a $10 million round for non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Cybertino Lab.
WestBridge leads Series B for India voice AI start-up
WestBridge Capital has led a $23 million Series B round for India’s Skit, a voice recognition artificial intelligence (AI) supplier for the call center industry.
AGIC raises $1.2b for second Europe-Asia fund
AGIC Capital, a private equity firm that focuses on cross-border investments along the China-Europe axis, has closed its second fund with $1.2 billion in commitments.
Naspers-owned PayU to buy India's BillDesk for $4.7b
PayU, a payments provider owned by South African conglomerate Naspers, has agreed to acquire 100% of Indian payments app BillDesk for $4.7 billion, setting up several private equity exits.
Malaysia's Carsome raises $200m at $1.3b valuation
Malaysia-headquartered used car trading platform Carsome has achieved a valuation of $1.3 billion with the close of an extended Series D funding round worth $170 million.
Thai bank joins $41m round for local crypto platform
Thailand’s Bank of Ayudhya has joined a $41 million Series B round for local cryptocurrency exchange operator Zipmex.