Technology
Qiming joins Series B for Chinese AI diagnosis player
Shukun, a Chinese start-up that develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in the medical imaging diagnosis, has raised RMB200 million in the third tranche of Series B round.
China data centers: Real estate plus
Valuations are rising in China’s data center industry as speculative real estate-style investors flood the market. Experienced players are willing to spend more time building scale
Fund focus: MDI leads the way in Indonesia
MDI Ventures has seen a significant step-up in fund size because the success of Indonesia’s start-up ecosystem in recent years means investors need more firepower
China's Xpeng raises $1.5b in US IPO, soars on debut
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng – which has a string of PE and VC investors – gained 41% on its New York trading debut after raising $1.5 billion in an upsized IPO.
KKR leads $150m round for China education platform
Huohua Siwei, a China-based children's online education platform specializing in mathematics and science, has raised $150 million in the first tranche of Series E led by KKR.
Chinese rocket developer i-Space raises $173m
Chinese commercial rocket developer i-Space - also known as Interstellar Glory Space - has raised a RMB1.2 billion ($173 million) Series B round led by State-owned Beijing Financial Street Capital Operation Center.
PE-backed Ant Group files for Hong Kong, Shanghai IPO
Ant Group, the financial technology affiliate of China’s Alibaba Group, which has raised more than $20 billion in external private funding, has filed for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
India's Mela Ventures reaches $17.5m first close
Mela Ventures, an Indian venture capital firm launched by the co-founders of IT outsourcing player Mindtree, has achieved a first close of INR1.3 billion ($17.5 million) for its debut fund.
CDC commits $10m to India’s Chiratae
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group has committed $10 million to the fourth fund being raised by India’s Chiratae Ventures.
Chinese robotics player XYZ raises $20m
Source Code Capital has led a $20 million Series A round extension for XYZ Robotics, a Chinese start-up specializing in robotic hand-eye coordination. Other investors include Gaorong Capital and Morningside Venture Capital.
India's FarEye gets additional $13m for Series D
Indian logistics platform FarEye has received additional funding of $13 million from The Fundamentum Partnership and a fund managed by South Korea’s KB Investment.
Deal focus: China's Xpeng moves into top gear
Investor appetite for Xpeng grew over the course of 2020 as China's electric vehicle industry showed signs of recovery after a difficult 2019. A $500 million Series C extension was soon followed by an IPO filing
B Capital to support Yalochat's Asia expansion
B Capital has led a $15 million Series B round for Yalochat, a US-headquartered messaging-focused customer relations management platform, with plans to help it introduce its solutions to emerging markets in Asia.
India venture capital: Local largesse
India’s venture capital industry is entering a new decade with a growing pool of local early-stage managers, a wider variety of funding sources, and a host of new risks and opportunities
US-China tensions worry tech investors - M&A Forum
Asia technology investors warned that an escalation in US-China tensions that impedes the development of start-ups will ultimately cost end-consumers as well as public market investors.
Japan's iSpace raises $28m Series B
Japanese lunar exploration company iSpace has raised $28 million Series B round led by Incubate Fund.
India space tech start-up Pixxel raises seed funding
Indian space technology start-up Pixxel, which plans to launch micro-satellites to support an Earth imaging software platform, has raised a $5 million seed round featuring Lightspeed India Partners.
Partners Group-backed SPi completes India edtech bolt-on
SPi Global, a Philippines-based enterprise technology provider controlled by Partners Group, has paid an undisclosed sum for a majority stake in Indian education technology company LearningMate.
Australia's Buildkite hits $144m valuation with Series A
US-based VCs General Catalyst and OpenView have provided A$28 million ($20 million) in Series A funding to Australian enterprise software player Buildkite at a valuation of about $144 million.
Taiwan AI player iKala gets $17m Series B
Taiwan-based IT hardware manufacturer Wistron has led a $17 million Series B round for local enterprise-facing artificial intelligence (AI) developer iKala.
Indonesia's MDI Ventures raises $500m fund
MDI Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of state-controlled Telkom Indonesia, has closed its latest fund at $500 million.
India-China-US: Byte back
Historically a neutral power, India appears to be siding with the US in a multi-faceted war with China. This could have far-reaching consequences for VC investors and the technology ecosystem
Reliance unit acquires India's Netmeds
Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL), a company associated with Jio Platforms, has acquired Indian VC-backed drug marketplace Netmeds.
Hillhouse founder emphasizes tech transformation opportunities
The most attractive investment opportunities in a post-COVID-19 world involve helping traditional businesses that have been “victims of the creative destruction of technology” play catch-up, according to Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Hillhouse Capital.