Technology
2Q analysis: Still scrambling
State-supported deals prop up Asia private equity investment; GPs hustle for liquidity in an unforgiving exit landscape; ex-China mid-market players gain some traction in fundraising
China chip designer Senasic raises $70m
China-based chip company Senasic has raised CNY 500m (USD 70m) in Series D funding led by state-owned Enterprises Mixed Ownership Reform Fund.
Japan's 01Booster Capital closes debut fund
01Booster Capital, a Japanese accelerator and VC investor set up in 2012, has closed its debut fund at an undeclared size. It was launched in late 2021.
China’s Cornerstone Robotics raises $112m
China-based Cornerstone Robotics, a surgical robots specialist, has raised a CNY 800m (USD 112m) round featuring BridgeOne Capital and Lenovo Capital & Incubator Group.
Lightspeed leads $20m round for India SaaS player Zluri
Lightspeed India Partners has led a USD 20m Series B round for Zluri, an India and US-based platform that helps companies manage and optimise their software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecosystems.
New Zealand supply chain traceability player gets $57m
New Zealand’s Oritain, a supply chain traceability and authentication company with a presence in the US, Europe, and Australia, has raised USD 57m led by UK-based VC firm Highland Europe.
China Merchants Capital moves for Bain target Chindata
China Merchants Capital is challenging Bain Capital for Chindata Group, a largely China-focused data centre operator, having submitted a USD 3.4bn all-cash offer for the US-listed company.
Australia cybersecurity training platform getes $50m Series C
Paladin Capital Group, a US-based specialist investor in cyber solutions and infrastructure, has led a USD 50m Series C for Australia-founded Secure Code Warrior, a security training platform aimed at coders.
Antler expands into Malaysia through Khazanah partnership
Singapore-based accelerator and VC investor Antler is opening an office in Kuala Lumpur as it becomes the latest GP to join Khazanah Nasional’s Future Malaysia Programme.
China regulators look to streamline private equity oversight
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has signed off on new regulations aimed at facilitating private equity investment and guiding it into policy-aligned areas like semiconductors and biotech.
Deal focus: Aerofugia wins support for eVTOL tilt
China’s Tsinghua Holdings Capital (TH Capital) regards eVTOL as the best way to leverage electrification of the skies. Aerofugia became a preferred target by virtue of its Geely ties and commitment to tilt-rotor technology
Tower Capital buys payments unit from Singapore's DBS
Tower Capital Asia has completed the fourth investment from its debut Southeast Asia fund – taking deployment past 60% - with the acquisition of a majority stake in payment solutions provider AXS from DBS Bank.
Indonesia's eFishery closes $200m Series D
Indonesian aquaculture start-up eFishery has closed a USD 200m Series D round led by Abu Dhabi-based 42XFund and featuring Northstar Group and 500 Global.
Boyu leads Series C for China's Space Pioneer
Boyu Capital has led a Series C round amounting to several hundred million renminbi for Space Pioneer, a China-based aerospace company. CICC Capital and Youshan Capital also participated.
Japan's Telexistence gets $170m Series B
Japanese connected robotics start-up Telexistence has raised USD 170m in Series B funding featuring SoftBank Group, Foxconn, Airbus, and Globis Capital Partners.
Tiger, Blume join $33m round for India's Battery Smart
Tiger Global Management and Blume Ventures have supported a INR 2.7bn (USD 33m) pre-Series B round for Indian battery-swapping electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure provider Battery Smart.
China’s FutureX closes Fund II on $150m
FutureX Capital, which makes growth-stage technology investments in China, has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund with commitments of approximately USD 150m.
China manufacturing software player UJoin raises $14m
China-based manufacturing services business UJoin-Tech has raised a Series A of CNY 100m (USD 14m) led by Vision Plus Capital and Jinma Investment, a private equity fund launched by Ant Group and the Zhejiang provincial government.
Antler appoints Indonesia-based partner
Singapore-based accelerator and VC investor Antler has engaged Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro, an entrepreneur formerly of East Ventures, as a partner based in Indonesia.
500 Global backs debut fund from Singapore's First Move
500 Global has backed the debut fund raised by Singapore’s First Move, a pre-seed VC firm set up by former executives of Malaysian online-to-offline commerce services provider Fave.
China's Hithium Energy Storage raises $622m
Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology, a China-based battery manufacturer, has raised a Series C round of CNY 4.5bn (USD 622m) led by Beijing Financial Street Capital and China Life Insurance's private equity unit.
Japan procurement marketplace secures $89m Series C
Six Japanese venture capital firms have led a Series C round of USD 89m for Caddi, operator of a B2B procurement marketplace that services the manufacturing sector.
Vertex China closes Fund V on $390m
Vertex Ventures China, an early-stage investor affiliated with Temasek Holdings-owned Vertex Holdings, has closed its fifth flagship fund with USD 390m in commitments.
China red envelope marketing start-up raises $28m
Saoyasao, a Chinese digital commerce service provider best known for using "red envelopes" to attract customers to offline stores, has raised a CNY 200m (USD 28m) Series A round from two local investors.