China
Warburg Pincus seeks $4.25b for China, SE Asia fund - update
Warburg Pincus is targeting $4.25 billion for its second China companion fund, having officially added Southeast Asia to the mandate. The previous companion fund closed at $2 billion in late 2016 after three months in the market.
Legend Capital hires PV Wang, ups fundraising ambitions
Chinese venture capital firm Legend Capital has appointed Asia PE industry veteran Piau-Voon Wang (pictured) as a managing director and COO as part of efforts to institutionalize operations and diversify its LP base.
Chinese state-owned entities launch $723m 5G fund
China’s state-owned Yangtze River Industry Fund and China Information Technologies Group have jointly launched a RMB5 billion ($723 million) fund with a focus on 5G technology.
Hillhouse-backed CRO Frontage raises $205m in HK IPO
Frontage Holdings, a China-based contract research organization (CRO), has raised HK$1.61 billion ($205.1 million) in its Hong Kong IPO, having received support from several private equity investors.
China's Alphamab Oncology gets $60m Series B
Chinese biopharmaceutical developer Alphamab Oncology has completed a $60 million Series B round led by US and UK-based investor Hudson Bay Capital Management.
Guangdian, Fosun lead round for Chinese pet products player
China-based pet products producer Crazy Dog has raised RMB300 million ($43 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Guangdian Capital and Fosun International.
TPG, Warburg Pincus subscribe to Uxin convertible note
Uxin, a Chinese used car trading platform that went public last year, has raised $230 million through a convertible note issued to investors including Warburg Pincus and TPG Capital.
China start-ups: Overtime
China’s start-up ecosystem is conforming to global norms by championing demanding work schedules, but companies must still consider ways to keep their employees suitably motivated
Food tech: Irresistible recipes
Food technology is a virtually endless horizon of profound and unignorable investment imperatives mistaken as a niche category. Alternative protein is the first opportunity set to gain serious traction
China targets $8.7b for guidance fund to drive SOE reform
China Reform Holdings has supported the launch of a national guidance fund with a target of RMB60 billion ($8.7 billion) that will focus on state-owned enterprise (SOE) restructuring.
Hong Kong investors subscribe to movie crypto offering
Two Hong Kong investors will commit $100 million to a digital token offering by Proxima Media, a Hollywood production house established by Ryan Kavanaugh, who previously worked with SAIF Partners and IDG Capital on a China-focused film venture.
China-US trade: Opening gambit
Investors see short-term challenges in the ongoing China-US trade conflict, but longer-term opportunities are expected to emerge from the decoupling of the two economic giants
TPG-SoftBank fund backs Chinese SaaS platform
China-based Wangdiantong, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform provider for retailers, has raised over RMB100 million ($14.5 million) from a fund backed by TPG Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia.
Chinese O2O language training provider files for US IPO
Meten International Education Group, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) English language training provider that mainly caters to adult students, has filed for a US IPO. DG Capital is the primary PE investor in the company.
China’s Allist Pharmaceuticals raises $171m Series A
Shanghai-based drug developer Allist Pharmaceuticals has raised RMB1.2 billion ($171 million) in a Series A round of funding led by Shiyu Capital. Other participants include Loyal Valley Capital and Suzhou Industrial Park Bioventure Investment.
Deal focus: CITIC sees resilience in beauty
CITIC Capital has secured a carve-out of marketing and e-commerce services player UCO Cosmetics. It exploits an overall slowdown in China’s economy but also relative sturdiness in the local beauty industry
LP interview: Natixis
Natixis Investment Managers is leveraging a novel affiliate-manager structure to grow fund exposure in Asia in a sustainable way. Alternatives, and increasingly private equity, are driving much of the progress
Tencent leads $250m round for Chinese travel platform Mafengwo
Chinese travel platform Mafengwo has raised $250 million in a round of funding led by Tencent Holdings.
China online education: Passing the test?
Capital has poured into China’s online education sector in recent years, but with losses mounting and valuations called into question, investors are finding that not all business models are created equal
China restaurant industry supplier gets $14m Series A
China-based Zuodashi, which provides digital solutions and food accompaniments to restaurant delivery businesses, has raised RMB100 million ($14 million) in Series A round led by Hua Gai Capital.
Wu Capital leads round for Chinese vocational training business
Sanjieke, a China-based vocational training services provider, has raised an RMB130 million ($19 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Wu Capital.
Qiming leads Series B for Chinese hospital chain operator
Qiming Venture Partners has led a Series B round of nearly RMB100 million ($14 million) for Shanghai-based private hospital chain operator SinoUnited Health.
Chinese IT equipment rental company raises Series B
China-based Little Bear Rental, which provides IT equipment services to corporates, has raised hundreds of millions of renminbi (over $14 million) in a Series B round of funding led by the Small & Medium-Sized Enterprises Development Fund - a government...
IDG re-ups in Chinese co-working space provider
Kr Space, a China-based co-working space operator, has received RMB1 billion ($145 million) in a new round led by existing investor IDG Capital and new backers Gopher Asset Management and Yixing Capital.