China
Hosen closes $440m China food and agri fund
China-focused food and agriculture specialist Hosen Capital has closed its third private equity fund at $440 million after eight months in the market. The target was $400 million.
LP interview: Tsinghua University Education Foundation
Tsinghua University Education Foundation is the first Chinese endowment fund to invest in private equity. It has developed a preference for managers with niche strategies
Partners Group to acquire 30% of Chinese restaurant chain operator
Partners Group plans to acquire a 30% stake in Affluent Fine, a holding company that operates restaurant chains in China.
Legend Capital leads $12m round for China clothing rental site
Legend Capital has led a $12 million Series A round for Dora’s Dream, an online clothes rental platform based in China.
China VC-backed robotics start-up CloudMinds raises $100m
CloudMinds, a Chinese cloud-based robotics start-up backed by several VC investors, has closed a $100 million Series A round of funding from a group of investors.
Hony’s healthcare platform launches HK IPO
Hospital Corporation of China (HCC), a hospital operation group established by Hony Capital, has launched a Hong Kong IPO that would see the company raise as much as HK$500 million ($64 million).
China rural e-commerce platform raises $145m
Maihuolang Information Technology, a Chinese e-commerce company focused on selling agricultural products, has raised a RMB1 billion ($145 million) Series A round of funding from several domestic GPs.
PAG to pay $612m for Yingde Gases stake
PAG Asia Capital has submitted a cash offer worth HK$4.7 billion ($612 million) for a 42.1% stake in Chinese industrial supply company Yingde Gases.
GGV adds new managing partner Eric Xu
GGV Capital has appointed Eric Xu (pictured), former managing director of SIG Investment Asia, as managing partner in its Shanghai office.
China bike-sharing start-up Ofo raises $450m Series D
Ofo, a Chinese bike-sharing company, has completed a $450 million Series D round of funding led by DST Global.
Welkin invests $17m in Chinese camellia oil brand
China-focused PE firm Welkin Capital has acquired a 15% stake in Hunan Guitaitai Camelia Oil Technology, a camellia oil specialty brand listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), for RMB120 million ($17 million).
PE and funeral services: Untapped eternity
Increased urgency around demographic tailwinds in the funeral services space has coincided with a spate of investment activity in recent years. Private equity could be well positioned to play a leading role
Formation Group closes debut US-Asia fund at $357m
Formation Group, a Silicon Valley and Asia-focused venture capital firm established by Brian Koo (pictured), co-founder of Formation 8, has closed its debut fund at $357 million.
China Lodging to acquire PE-backed Crystal Orange Hotel
China Lodging Group, a US-listed Chinese hotel chain, has agreed to buy Crystal Orange Hotel Holdings, a Chinese boutique operator backed by The Carlyle Group, for RMB3.65 billion ($530 million) in cash.
KKR invests in China’s Gambol Pet Group
KKR has invested in Gambol Pet Group, a China-based company that sells pet food products.
IDG, Sequoia form tourism fund with China CYTS Tours
IDG Capital and Sequoia Capital have formed an investment fund with China CYTS Tours Holdings, a Shanghai-listed travel agency, to invest in consumer-related companies that help improve the traditional tourism industry.
China bike-sharing start-up Bluegogo raises $58m
Chinese bike-sharing start-up Bluegogo has raised a RMB400 million ($58 million) funding round led by domestic GP Black Hole Capital.
Private equity-backed SF Express lists in Shenzhen
China’s largest express delivery services provider SF Express, which is backed by several PE investors, has completed a backdoor listing in Shenzhen that values the business at RMB43.3 billion ($6.6 billion).
China P2P car rental site Atzuche raises $58m Series C
Atzuche, a Shanghai-based peer-to-peer (P2P) car rental start-up, has completed a RMB400 million ($58 million) Series C round of funding.
IDG Capital invests in CreditEase's insurance unit
CreditEase Insurance Agency, an insurance unit of China’s CreditEase Wealth Management, has raised RMB80 million ($12 million) from investors including IDG Capital through a private placement on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ).
US materials group gets $15m for China, Korea push
A group of investors including GSR Ventures has committed $15 million to C3Nano, a US-based supplier for the touchscreen and digital display industry looking to expand its footprint in China and Korea.
China healthcare platform Anxin Doctor raises $29m
Beijing-based Anxin Doctor, a mobile app focused on pediatric and women's healthcare, has completed a RMB200 million ($29 million) Series B round of funding across two tranches.
PE investors join $1.53b financing round for Baidu’s iQiyi
China’s iQiyi.com, a video-streaming platform majority-owned by search giant Baidu, has raised $1.53 billion from a group of private equity investors through the sale of convertible notes.
China’s Meituan-Dianping launches $436m consumer fund
Meituan-Dianping, a China-based online-to-offline (O2O) services platform created through the merger of two rival groups, has launched a RMB3 billion ($436 million) fund that will make early-stage consumer sector investments.