Growth capital
Sequoia, Banyan lead $51m round for China's Xiaodian
Sequoia Capital China and Banyan Capital have led a RMB350 million ($51 million) Series B round of funding for Xiaodian, a Beijing-based power bank rental company.
Singapore's Garena rebrands as Sea, raises $550 million
Singapore-headquartered mobile internet and gaming platform Garena has rebranded as Sea and raised $550 million from a group of investors including existing backer Global Digital Prima (GDP) Venture of Indonesia.
Iron Pillar reaches $20m first close on debut fund
Indian venture capital firm Iron Pillar Capital Management has reached a first close of INR1.3 billion ($20 million) on its debut India fund.
Tencent leads $34m round for VC-backed cloud player
Tencent Holding has led a RMB235 million ($34 million) funding round for Transwarp Technology, a Chinese big data technology developer backed by a string of venture capital investors.
India's Ola raises $104m
Indian ride-hailing operator Ola has raised INR6.7 billion ($104 million) from Falcon Edge Capital and RNT Capital Advisors, a VC fund backed by Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the company that controls Tata Group.
TPG to invest $50m in India's Dodla Dairy, Proterra to exit
TPG Capital’s growth investment arm has agreed to pay $50 million for a significant minority stake in Indian dairy firm Dodla Dairy. AVCJ understands the deal will provide a full exit for Proterra Investment Partners.
Clairvest commits $74m to India game developer
Canadian private equity firm Clairvest Group has invested $73.7 million in Indian online game developer Head InfoTech.
Temasek, Yunfeng lead $75m round for contract genomics player
Temasek Holdings and Chinese PE firm Yunfeng Capital have jointly led a $75 million Series B round for Wuxi NextCode, a genome sequencing analysis subsidiary of China-based contract research organization (CRO) WuXi PharmaTech.
China ride-hailing app operator Didi raises $5.5b
Chinese ride-hailing app operator Didi Chuxing, which is backed by an assortment of private equity and strategic investors, has raised $5.5 billion in a fresh round of funding.
South Korea's Ticket Monster raises $115m
Ticket Monster, a PE-backed e-commerce operator based in South Korea, has received a $115 million investment aimed at expanding its grocery shopping and travel services businesses.
Singapore government launches $716m PE fund
The Singapore government and domestic GP Makara Capital have launched a S$1 billion ($716 million) private equity fund that will focus on intellectual property (IP)-driven companies.
Oriza Seed leads $25m Series A for Shanghai biotech firm
Oriza Seed Venture Capital, an early-stage and growth-stage investment unit under China’s Oriza Holdings, has led a $25 million Series A round for EpimAb Biotherapeutics, a Shanghai-based biopharmaceutical firm.
Ant Financial invests in VC-backed bike-sharing service Ofo
Ofo, a Chinese bike-sharing company that completed its $450 million Series D round of funding less than two months ago, has received a strategic investment of undisclosed size from Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s financial services affiliate.
China AI specialist Sense Time gets $60m from Sailing
Sailing Capital has provided $60 million in Series C funding to artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning technology start-up Sense Time, less than six months after the Beijing-based company announced its previous round.
Antony Leung's New Frontier backs Shenzhen medical group
New Frontier, a private equity firm co-founded by Antony Leung (pictured), formerly Hong Kong's financial secretary, has invested in Best Unimed Medical Group, a Shenzhen-based third-party physicians group.
IFC proposes $100m investment in China insurance firm
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, is considering an equity investment of up to RMB690 million ($100 million) in Chinese insurance firm Union Life Insurance.
Haiyin Capital, NCET2 form Sino-US VC fund
China's Haiyin Capital and the US-based National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2) have jointly launched a VC fund to provide capital to start-ups formed at American universities.
KWAP joins investor roster for SE Asia telecom spin-out
Malaysia’s public sector pension fund, KWAP, has joined Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Khazanah Nasional in backing the spin-out of an infrastructure unit of Southeast Asian telecom company Axiata.
Ex-KPCB China executive Wei Zhou launches new VC firm
Wei Zhou (pictured), formerly a managing partner at KPCB China, has launched a new VC firm – China Creation Ventures – and closed his debut renminbi-denominated fund at RMB1.5 billion ($220 million).
Hony's Best Food backs Vietnamese restaurant chain
Best Food Holding, a Hong Kong-listed food and beverage platform established by Hony Capital, has invested an undisclosed sum in Shenzhen Yuepin, a restaurant chain specializing in Vietnamese cuisine.
CMC forms partnership with Hollywood talent agency CAA
China media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners has acquired a minority stake in Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for an undisclosed sum.
India's Ola raises $250m down round
Indian ride-hailing app operator Ola has raised INR16.75 billion ($259 million) in funding at a pre-money valuation of approximately $3 billion – compared to $5 billion for the company’s previous round in 2015.
CICC joins $108m round for China music streaming business
China International Capital Corp. (CICC) and two strategic investors have provided RMB750 million ($108 million) in funding for Chinese internet company NetEase's online music platform. The investment values NetEase Cloud Music at approximately RMB8 billion....
NZ Super joins $172m investment in Kiwibank
New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZ Super) has participated in a NZ$247 million ($172 million) investment in Kiwibank, a banking and finance services provider controlled by New Zealand Post.