India
India's 3one4 names new partner
Indian venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has elevated Anurag Ramdasan to partner level, alongside a rush of more junior promotions.
Postman becomes India's top SaaS unicorn
Software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider Postman has closed a $225 million Series D round at a valuation of $5.6 billion, making it the most valuable start-up of its kind in India.
Faering leads $40m Series C for India fintech start-up
Indian private equity firm Faering Capital has led a $40 million Series C round for stock trading and thematic portfolio platform Smallcase, with support from Amazon and Premji Invest.
Start-up profiles: Infrastructure, insurance, data, payments
Singapore’s Fireblocks tokenizes traditional banks; India’s PolicyBazaar mulls the future of insurance; China’s Rong360 diversifies through data; Cambodia’s Clik targets a payments frontier
Start-up profiles: Digital banking, embedded finance, crypto banking
The Philippines’ Tonik breaks ground in neo-banking; India’s YAP finds new ways to connect banks with their customers; Singapore’s Matrixport scales fast with decentralized finance
Start-up profiles: Transfers, risk, marketplaces
Singapore’s Thunes rethinks remittances for an enterprise clientele; China’s IceKredit brings data privacy to credit scoring; India’s OfBusiness gravitates towards a healthy loans segment
Asia fintech: Platform plays
Expansion is the dominant theme in financial technology as start-ups leverage existing assets to enter new verticals, typically in lending. Which ones will become Asia’s preeminent platforms?
India motorcycle taxi platform raises $52m
Indian motorcycle taxi platform Rapido has raised $52 million in Series C funding featuring the corporate VC arm of Shell.
Partners Group buys India broadband provider for $1.2b
Partners Group has agreed to buy India-based broadband provider Atria Convergence Technologies for an enterprise valuation of nearly $1.2 billion, facilitating a full exit for True North and a partial exit for TA Associates.
India's Dailyhunt raises $450m at $3b valuation
VerSe Innovation, operator of Indian news app Dailyhunt, has raised $450 million in Series I funding featuring The Carlyle Group at a valuation of about $3 billion.
India's Eruditus raises $650m at $3.2b valuation
India’s Eruditus Executive Education, operator of professional upskilling portal Emeritus, has raised a $650 million Series E round led by Accel and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 at a valuation of $3.2 billion.
India's Dream Sports launches $250m corporate VC fund
Dream Sports, operator of India’s largest fantasy sports platform, has established a $250 million venture capital unit that will invest in sports, gaming, and fitness-tech start-ups nationwide.
Kedaara surpasses $1b for third India fund
India-focused middle-market private equity firm Kedaara Capital has closed its third fund at just under $1.1 billion, spurred by strong performance from its debut vehicle.
Stellaris closes second India VC fund on $225m
Stellaris Venture Partners has closed its second early-stage India fund on $225 million, comfortably exceeding the $160 million target while diversifying the LP base.
Vision Fund pulls back from China amid regulatory uncertainty
SoftBank Vision Fund is taking a “wait and see” approach to China, holding back on new investments in the country until the full ramifications of regulatory action in the technology sector are known.
CoinDCX raises $90m, becomes India's first crypto unicorn
B Capital Group has led a $90 million Series C round for Indian cryptocurrency exchange CoinDCX at a valuation of $1.1 billion, making it the country’s first crypto unicorn.
Baring acquires Hinduja healthcare business for $1.2b
Baring Private Equity Asia has agreed to buy a healthcare services unit of Anglo-Indian conglomerate Hinduja Group at an enterprise valuation of $1.2 billion.
India family offices: Tech exposure
Demand for technology exposure among India’s most affluent is intensifying. Family offices may vary in profile, experience, and mode of access, but they all want a piece of the latest hot start-up
Creador, NewQuest, TR invest Yum Brands India franchisee
Creador, NewQuest Capital Partners, and TR Capital have co-led an INR11.5 billion ($155 million) investment in Sapphire Foods India, a franchisee operator of US fast food giant Yum Brands.
India's MindTickle closes $100m Series E
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has continued its recent streak of investing in unicorns out of India by leading a $100 million Series E round for sales enablement platform MindTickle at a valuation of $1.2 billion.
India's BharatPe achieves $2.8b valuation on $370m Series E
Indian payments player BharatPe has raised $370 million in Series E funding led by Tiger Global Management. The $2.85 valuation means the company joins the country’s fast-growing collection of tech unicorns.
India's Stride Ventures hits $74m first close on second fund
Indian venture debt investor Stride Ventures has achieved a first close of INR5.5 billion ($74 million) on its second fund. The overall target is INR10 billion.
PE-backed Policybazaar, Nykaa file for India IPOs
Insurance portal PolicyBazaar and online-offline cosmetics retailer Nykaa are the latest PE-backed businesses to file for India IPOs in a groundswell domestic public market support for tech start-ups.