Technology
Blackstone invests $150m in China's 21Vianet
The Blackstone Group has invested $150 million in 21Vianet, a US-listed Chinese data center developer backed by Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.
Chinese IPOs: One less option
Will Chinese companies listed in the US become the latest casualties of tensions between the two countries? It could lead to a narrowing in IPO exit options for PE and VC investors
Deal focus: Yidui delivers love by video
Sky9 Capital and Xiaomi have thrown their support behind a Chinese video-dating platform designed for Generation Z, complete with virtual meeting rooms, live audiences, and mechanisms for crashing other people's dates
SCB 10X, Sparx lead $80m round for Thai fintech player
Thailand-based financial technology provider Synqa, formerly known as Omise, has raised an $80 million Series C round led by local VC firm SCB 10X and Japan’s Sparx Group.
Chinese car parts supplier Casstime raises $50m
Chinese aftermarket car parts supplier Casstime has raised $50 million in the second tranche of Series C round led by Greater Bay Area Homeland Investments.
China logistics robot specialist raises $200m Series C
Geek+, a manufacturer of robots used to move merchandise around warehouses, has closed a Series C funding round, having raised $200 million across two tranches.
China gay dating app Blued pursues US IPO
BlueCity Holdings, the company behind Chinese gay dating platform Blued, has filed an application to list on NASDAQ, which would provide a liquidity event for several PE and VC investors.
India's Jio Platforms set for record Asia growth capital fundraise
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has agreed to invest INR113.6 billion ($1.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms. This takes its overall funding to INR1.15 trillion, the largest single growth capital haul for an Asian technology company.
Fund focus: Cathay taps strategic expertise in energy
Cathay Capital Private Equity is raising what it claims is China's first-ever smart energy fund, relying on contributions from LPs that offer strategic as well as financial support
Deal focus: Indonesia’s GoPlay changes the channel
Golden Gate Ventures is backing GoPlay, a media streaming spin-out from Indonesia's GoJek, to tap an underserved Southeast Asian audience with local recreations of popular international TV shows
Beenext raises $160m for emerging markets, Japan funds
Singapore-based VC firm Beenext Capital Management has raised $160 million across two funds that will invest in start-ups in Japan and emerging markets.
Chinese cloud player Qiniu gets $141m Series F
Chinese enterprise cloud service provider Qiniu Cloud has raised RMB1 billion ($141 million) in Series F funding from the state-owned China Structural Reform Fund, Bocom International, and Hongzhao Fund.
China's Miaoshou Doctor raises $85m
Miaoshou Doctor, a Chinese online healthcare services platform, has raised RMB600 million ($85 million) in the first tranche of Series D funding round backed by the likes of Qiming Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital China, Ince Capital Partners, CITIC...
Deal focus: Korean start-up disrupts the laundry
Korean on-demand laundry service Laundrygo will use its Series B funding to widen coverage within Seoul and improve automation levels at its facilities to further boost margins
Chinese AI chip maker Biren raises $155m Series A
Biren Technology, a nine-month-old Chinese smart chip design company, has raised RMB1.1 billion ($155 million) in Series A funding led by Qiming Venture Partners, IDG Capital and Walden International.
PE investors agree $8.7b take-private of China's 58.com
58.com, China’s leading online classifieds marketplace, has agreed to be acquired by a consortium of private equity investors at an implied equity valuation of $8.7 billion.
India's VC-backed Postman raises $150m Series C
Postman, a software development tool creator with operations in India and the US, has raised a $150 million Series C round led by Insight Partners.
BOC leads Series B-plus for Chinese AI player Shukun
Shukun, a Chinese start-up that develops artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, has raised RMB200 million ($28 million) in an extended Series B round led by BOC International and CCB International.
India’s Happiest Minds Technologies files for IPO
Indian IT outsourcing company Happiest Minds Technologies, which is backed by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, has filed for an initial public offering.
L Catterton, TPG join PE backers of India's Jio Platforms
Equity commitments to Jio Platforms, the holding company for various internet and telecom assets owned by India's Reliance Industries, have now surpassed $13.5 billion following confirmation of investments by TPG Capital and L Catterton.
Nexus leads Series A for Indian enterprise automation platform
Nexus Venture Partners has led an $18 million Series A round for Jiffy, an Indian software start-up that helps companies automate back-office processes.
Deal focus: DocsApp eyes more than appointments
Following a $20 million funding round and a merger with an industry peer, India's DocsApp is working towards a long-term vision that goes beyond online health consultations
Q&A: Iron Pillar's Anand Prasanna
Anand Prasanna, a managing partner at Indian venture capital firm Iron Pillar, on building local companies that can be globally relevant, selling a GP stake, and the impact of COVID-19
Matrix China raises $750m for Fund VI
Matrix Partners China has raised $750 million for its sixth venture capital fund for deployment in early-stage opportunities across the internet and mobile internet, financial services, healthcare, and enterprises services spaces.