Growth capital
SoftBank commits $1b to Korea e-commerce player Coupang
Japan’s SoftBank Corp. has added another Asian e-commerce brand to its portfolio with a $1 billion commitment to South Korea-based Coupang.
CBC leads $15m round for China public transport app
China Broadband Capital (CBC) has led a $15 million Series B round of funding for Chelaile, a Chinese public bus tracking app.
Deal focus: Tata sees logistics angle in India tax reforms
Third-party logistics (3PL) companies have traditionally struggled in India. For example, the country’s fragmented tax system meant that companies moving goods cross-country had to pay multiple tariffs and stop for traffic examination each time they...
WI Harper, ITIC lead $4m Series A for Taiwan's HWTrek
Taiwan business networking startup HWTrek has raised a $4 million Series A round led by WI Harper and the Industrial Technology Investment Corporation (ITIC), with participation from Legend Star Capital, JD.com, and Global Brain.
Aspada commits $3.3m to India agri-tech business
Asapada Investment - an India-based investor backed by the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) - has injected INR200 million ($3.3 million) into Dehli-based EM3 AgriServices.
Silver Lake leads $500m investment in China's Qunar
Silver Lake has invested $330 million in Qunar, a US-listed Chinese travel-booking platform controlled by Baidu, as part of a $500 million strategic investment. This comes after the company rejected a buyout offer from industry peer Ctrip.
China tour-booking site raises $80m Series E round
Chinese tour-booking site Lvmama has raised a Series E round worth RMB500 million ($80 million) from Jianjiang International Group.
China luxury e-commerce site gets $30m Series C round
Pacific Venture Partners has led a $30 million Series C round of funding for Xiu.com, a China-based luxury brand e-commerce platform.
China public markets stoke GP investment, exit concerns
China’s robust public markets are creating challenges for private equity managers as they seek to acquire assets at acceptable valuations and pick the time to exit existing portfolio companies.
Cathay backs China food ingredients maker
Cathay Capital has bought a 25% stake in Chinese food ingredient maker Cabio Bioengineering (Wuhan).
China’s Weibo invests $142m in local taxi-booking platform
Chinese social media platform Weibo Corporation has invested $142 million in Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache, the country’s leading mobile taxi-booking services, which recently agreed to merge.
China seeing more liquidity, increased competition for deals - AVCJ Forum
China’s private equity industry is seeing greater liquidity than in recent years but competition for deals – the operating partners required to make investments work – is intensifying, GPs told the AVCJ China Forum.
Portfolio: Navis Capital and Thailand's Golden Foods Siam
Navis Capital Partners wanted to let the management of Golden Foods Siam off the leash. Six years in, initiatives are taking wing and the company has established itself as Thailand's third-largest chicken producer
Deal focus: CLSA tools up with Astro Products deal
Two years ago CLSA Capital Partners made its maiden investment from Sunrise Capital II, a $210 million Japan-focused fund that launched 16 months earlier. The company was BCN, a used car auction site operator based in Saitama prefecture, which CLSA acquired...
Chinese games platform Egret gets Series B round
Shenzhen Capital Group and Matrix Partners China have participated in a Series B round of funding for Egret Technology, a Chinese internet technology platform that focuses on mobile games development.
China’s JD.com leads $70m round for VC-backed Fruitday
Chinese online retailer JD.com has led a $70 million Series C round for Fruitday, a China-based e-commerce site dedicated to selling imported fruit.
CLSA invests in Japanese automotive tools retailer
CLSA Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Japanese automotive tools retailer Worldtool in a deal that values the business at around JPY10 billion ($82.8 million).
India's Edelweiss names Pranav Parikh as head of PE
Indian financial services group Edelweiss has appointed Pranav Parikh to lead its private equity, seed and venture capital funds business.
Warburg Pincus invests $200m in China serviced apartment chain
Warburg Pincus has made a follow-on investment in Mofang Gongyu, committing nearly $200 million across two rounds of funding for the Chinese serviced apartment developer.
Qiming leads $30m round for China internet security firm
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $30 million Series B round of funding for FraudMetrix, a Chinese internet security solutions provider.
US digital payment firm raises $28m for Asia expansion
US-based online payment system developer Ripple Labs is looking to expand in Asia on the back of a $28 million Series A round provided by investors including IDG Capital Partners and AME Cloud Ventures.
Sequoia leads $16m Series B round for India's Akosha
Indian customer feedback platform Akosha has raised $16 million in a Series B round led by existing investor Sequoia Capital.
Tiger Global commits $5m to India tea chain Chaayos
Chaayos, a Delhi-based chain of teahouses, has raised $5 million in Series A funding from Tiger Global. Ola co-founders Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati have also invested an undisclosed amount.
China late-stage tech: Chasing unicorns
Capital is flooding into China-based internet companies, with PE firms, family offices, hedge funds and strategic players all-too-willing to support large, late-stage rounds. Not everyone will emerge a winner