Growth capital
J-Star invests Japanese courier business
Japanese lower middle-market private equity firm J-Star has made an investment of undisclosed size in air cargo transportation and courier services provider Score Japan Holdings.
Deal focus: China start-up mines 3D printing’s micro potential
Supported by a string of Chinese investors, Boston Micro Fabrication has carved a niche serving global manufacturers that want 3D printing solutions for very small components
Matrix leads Series B for China's SpeedBot Robotics
Matrix Partners has led a CNY 300m (USD 44m) Series B round for SpeedBot Robotics, a China-based start-up specialising in vision-guided intelligent robotics.
Korea's Viva Republica raises USD 225m
Viva Republica, operator of the Korean money transfer app Toss, has raised KRW 296bn (USD 225.5m) in series G funding from an investor group that includes Altos Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Greyhound Capital, and Kleiner Perkins.
China's Jaka Robotics raises $150m Series D
Prosperity7 Ventures, a USD 1bn venture capital fund established by Saudi Arabia state oil giant Saudi Aramco, has continued its run of robotics investments in Asia by joining a USD 150m Series D for China’s Jaka Robotics.
Asia logistics: Cost and complexity
Investment opportunities are expected to emerge as companies look to technology as a means of easing inflationary pressure on supply chains. Will Asia’s shallow pool of specialist logistics GPs deepen?
Deal focus: Confidence unwavering in SE Asia e-commerce
Singapore online shopping platform ShopBack hopes to extend a fledgling theme of Southeast Asian IPOs in the US amid threats to discretionary spending in its core markets
Southeast Asia logistics player Deliveree raises $80m
Gobi Partners and SPIL Ventures – the corporate venture capital arm of shipping business Salam Pacific Indonesia Lines – have led a USD 70m Series C round for Southeast Asia-focused logistics marketplace Deliveree.
India payments player Innoviti expands Series D to $22m
India-based financial technology start-up Innoviti Payment Solutions has doubled the size of its ongoing Series D round to more than INR 1.6bn (USD 22.5m). The overall target is USD 3bn.
India beauty e-commerce player Purplle achieves unicorn status
India-focused beauty e-commerce platform Purplle has raised USD 33m in funding at a valuation of USD 1.1bn – nearly twice what it was worth about seven months ago.
China's Insilico Medicine gets $60m Series D
Insilico Medicine, a China-based artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, has raised a USD 60 million Series D round.
Creador, InvAscent invest $68m in India medical supplier
Malaysia-based Creador and Indian healthcare specialist InvAscent have invested a combined USD 68m in Indian medical equipment supplier Accumax Lab Devices.
L Catterton leads Series D for India beauty player Sugar Cosmetics
L Catterton has entered India’s highly competitive beauty and personal care space, throwing its support behind Sugar Cosmetics, which claims to be one of the country’s leading omnichannel players.
Deal focus: WeRide confirms its ascendency
Chinese autonomous driving pioneer WeRide has climbed from near bankruptcy to a USD 4.4bn valuation within three years. A collaboration with Bosch could form a blueprint for other alliances
Japan VC: Late-stage crossroads
Japan’s late-stage technology start-ups are finally beginning to attract meaningful attention from global investors. They should not pop open the champagne
Deal focus: Venturi brings families into D2C
Consumer-focused private equity firm Venturi Partners drew on significant family office co-investment to co-lead a USD 108m Series D for India direct-to-consumer food specialist Country Delight
Bosch invests in China's WeRide
China-based autonomous driving technology developer WeRide has received a strategic investment from German engineering multinational Bosch.
Apis backs Singapore B2B micropayments player DT One
Apis Partners has invested an undisclosed sum in DT One, a Singapore-headquartered B2B digital micropayments platform with a global customer base.
India's Multiples invests $88m in BDR Pharma
Multiples Private Equity has led a consortium in the acquisition of a 9.3% stake in India’s BDR Pharmaceuticals for INR 6.8bn (USD 88.5m).
Mithril, BlackRock invest $110m in Singapore’s GreyOrange
Mithril Capital, a VC firm launched by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and BlackRock have provided USD 110m in growth funding to Singapore and US-based robotics player GreyOrange.
India’s NIIF joins $128m round for Ather Energy
India’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIFL) has participated in a USD 128m funding round for Ather Energy, a leading domestic manufacturer of two-wheel electric vehicles (EV).
Macquarie buys into Provident, Saratoga-owned digital infra platform
A consortium led by Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) has paid USD 610m for a minority stake in a Southeast Asia-focused digital infrastructure platform controlled by Provident Capital and Saratoga Capital.
East closes $550m in early-stage and growth funds
Indonesia’s East Ventures has closed two funds with a combined USD 550m in commitments for its early-stage and growth strategies.
Singapore’s Fullerton tokenises PE fund-of-funds
Singapore’s Fullerton Fund Management has tokenised its latest private equity fund-of-funds, allowing for a minimum commitment size of USD 10,000.
