Technology
GA, Dragoneer lead $250m Series B for Vietnam's VNLife
General Atlantic and Dragoneer Investment Group have led a $250 million Series B round for Vietnamese financial technology provider VNLife.
Ofbusiness becomes India's 18th unicorn of 2021
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led $160 million Series E funding round for OfBusiness, an India-based B2B platform focused on industrial supply chain and procurement services, at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
India education platform Unacademy raises $440m
India-based education platform Unacademy has closed a $440 million funding round – at a valuation of $3.44 billion – led by Temasek Holdings.
EQT pursues $2.2b Australia software take-private
Iress, an Australia-listed software developer that serves the financial services sector, has invited EQT to conduct further due diligence following receipt of a take-private offer worth up to A$3 billion ($2.2 billion).
India crypto platform raises $25m Series A
Indian cryptocurrency borrowing and lending platform Vauld has raised a $25 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Sequoia China leads $100m Series B for Bota Biosciences
Sequoia Capital China had led a $100 million Series B round for Bota Biosciences, a China-based biotech company that has developed a next-generation platform for manufacturing high-performing industrial compounds.
TDM, Sequoia lead Series F for Australia's Culture Amp
Culture Amp, an Australia-headquartered enterprise technology provider specializing in human resources (HR), has $100 million in Series F funding at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
Japan sneaker marketplace raises $56m
SoftBank Ventures Asia has led a JPY6.2 billion ($56.4 million) Series C round for Japanese sneaker marketplace and e-commerce start-up Soda.
India's Droom secures pre-IPO funding at $1.2b valuation
India-based automobile marketplace Droom has raised $200 million in the first tranche of a pre-IPO funding round that values the company at $1.2 billion.
Airwallex founders launch VC fund
The founders of Hong Kong-headquartered financial technology provider Airwallex, which has received $500 million in VC funding, have launched their own venture capital fund.
Everstone backs $1b India data center JV
Everstone Group has teamed up with data center operator Yondr Group to invest $1 billion in facilities across India, leveraging the country’s push for greater data localization.
China automotive chip maker Semidrive raises $154m
Semidrive Technology, a specialist semiconductor manufacturer for the automotive industry, has raised RMB1 billion ($154 million) in Series B funding led by Pro Capital and V Fund.
India B2C messaging start-up Gupshup raises $240m
Gupshup, an India-based messaging services provider, has received $240 million from Fidelity, Think Investments, Malabar Investments, Harbor Spring Capital, Neuberger Berman, and White Oak.
India's ShareChat raises additional $145m
Temasek Holdings, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Mirae Asset Global Investments have led a $145 million Series F round for Indian social media platform ShareChat at a valuation of $3 billion.
Accel leads Series C top-up for India's MyGlamm
Accel has led a Series C top-up for MyGlamm, an India-based direct-to-consumer (DTC) beauty products marketplace, taking the overall round to INR5.3 billion ($71.1 million).
China's Genesis targets $1.2b for Fund III
Genesis Capital, a China growth-stage technology investor established by Richard Peng, who previously led the investment program at Tencent Holdings, is seeking $1.2 billion for its third US dollar-denominated fund.
India IPOs: A pleasant surprise
The lack of a reliable IPO channel is a longstanding exit obstacle for venture capital investors in India. Domestic listings may, unexpectedly, prove to be the answer
Q&A: IPV Capital's Alex Banh
Semiconductors are a popular investment target in China on the back of US decoupling and a push for self-sufficiency. Alex Banh, a managing partner of sector specialist IPV Capital, shares his views
China regulatory crackdown threatens PE education deals
China has imposed severe restrictions on private tutoring that appear to undermine the commercial viability of companies in the space, potentially making private equity investment unviable.
Asia Partners, Falcon Edge back Indonesia's GudangAda
Asia Partners and Falcon Eduge Capital have led a $100 million Series B round for GudangAda, an Indonesian online marketplace that targets wholesale and small-scale retailers.
China autonomous driving developer CalmCar raises $150m
CalmCar, a China-based provider of self-driving solutions, has closed a $150 million Series C round led by German auto parts supplier ZF Group. The company is targeting an IPO in 2022.
Singapore's PropertyGuru set for $1.35b SPAC merger
PropertyGuru, a PE-backed Southeast Asia real estate portal, has agreed to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) established by Peter Thiel and Richard Li, son of Hong Kong billionaire Li-ka Shing, for an enterprise valuation of $1.35...
Sequoia leads $150m Series E for AIOps player Cloudwise
Cloudwise, a Beijing-based artificial intelligence operations (AIOps) provider, has raised $150 million in Series E funding led by Sequoia Capital China.
China DNA sequencing start-up gets $116m Series C
Chinese next-generation sequencing (NGS) player Geneplus Technology has raised a RMB750 million ($116 million) Series C round led by China Construction Bank’s venture unit CCB International.