SaaS
Vision Fund leads Series D for China's Sobot
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a USD 100m Series D round for Sobot, a China-based customer service software provider. Other investors include GL Ventures, Yunqi Partners, and Mirae Asset Financial Group.
US GP invests $30m in Australia's Protecht
US venture capital and private equity firm Arrowroot Capital has invested AUD 42m (USD 30m) in Australian enterprise risk management software and services provider Protecht Group.
India consumer media: Showtime
Investors navigate slim margins and a complex cultural landscape as new digital channels help Indian media rebound from COVID-19. Sector leaders are flirting with global expansion, but is it too early?
India's Chargebee gets $250m, valuation more than doubles
Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital India have co-led a USD 250m round for Indian financial technology provider Chargebee, more than doubling its valuation in 10 months to USD 3.5bn.
Deal focus: Darwinbox's unusual path to unicorn status
Most of India’s top software-as-a-service companies gained traction in the North American market. Darwinbox cracked Southeast Asia first, thanks to a product with broad appeal and local nuance
New Zealand's AskNicely raises $32m Series B
Five Elms Capital, a specialist growth investor in software start-ups globally, has led a USD 32m Series B round for New Zealand and US-based customer feedback platform AskNicely.
Nexus co-founder Naren Gupta dies aged 73
Naren Gupta, a co-founder of Nexus Venture Partners who is acknowledged as one of the pioneers of venture capital in India, has died at the age of 73.
KKR to buy Japan SME software provider from Orix
KKR has agreed to buy Yayoi, a Japan-based software developer that serves small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from Orix Corporation.
2022 preview: SaaS
Software-as-a-service continues to benefit from a digitalization push across multiple markets. Investors are looking for differentiation in a market characterized by high valuations and intense competition
China procurement services start-up raises $102m
Chinese procurement management platform Going-Link, also known as Zhenyun, has raised a RMB650 million ($102 million) Series C round led by Meituan-backed DragonBall Capital.
HESTA backs PEP-owned Australia software business
HESTA has acquired a A$120 million ($85 million) equity stake in Australian enterprise software and IT services provider Citadel, following its merger with medical practice software specialist Genie Solutions.
K1, Level Equity invest $350m in Australia SaaS player
US private equity firms K1 Investment Management and Level Equity have invested about $350 million in Australia’s Simpro, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider focused on field service management.
Taiwan start-ups: Leaving the factory
Taiwan’s industrials-focused venture capital and start-up ecosystem has tilted noticeably toward consumer software in the past year. Nevertheless, the traditional heavyweights are indispensable
Centurium invests $100m in China caterer Meican
Centurium Capital has provided a $100 million Series E round for Meican, a Chinese corporate food services company.
Potentia exits Australia SaaS provider to UK strategic
Australia’s Potentia Capital has exited compliance software-as-a-service (SaaS) supplier CompliSpace to UK-based Ideagen for about A$110 million ($81 million) after a less-than-two-year hold.
Q&A: Thoma Bravo's Orlando Bravo
Orlando Bravo, founder and managing partner of Thoma Bravo, which claims to be the largest PE investor in software globally, on SaaS in a post-COVID-19 world, the rise of blockchain, and opportunities in Asia
Tiger Global leads $100m round for China HR SaaS player
Moka, a Chinese software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specializing in human resources services, has raised a $100 million Series C led by Tiger Global Management.
Cross-currency restructuring underpins Ameba's VC fund
China-focused VC firm Ameba Capital has closed its debut US dollar-denominated fund at $265 million, supported by a renminbi-to-US dollar secondary restructuring and a primary staple.
China e-commerce SaaS player Huice raises $312m
Huice, a China-based provider of software for e-commerce retailers, has raised $312 million in a Series D round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2. This is the largest single round in China’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry year-to-date.
Chinese collaboration software provider Lanhu raises $157m
Chinese collaboration software company Lanhu has raised RMB1 billion ($157 million) in an extended Series C round led by GGV Capital, reaching a valuation of $1 billion.
Deal focus: Whale takes a bite of big data
China-focused digital marketing start-up Whale has secured $50 million in Series B funding to hone a product offering that helps companies optimize customer engagement by analyzing traffic flows
Fund focus: Yunqi reaffirms its enterprise focus
Yunqi Partners was the first Chinese GP dedicated to enterprise services and now claims to be the largest early-stage investor in the space. SaaS, in various forms, will account for the bulk of Fund III
East, Vulcan lead $15m Series A for Singapore's Qapita
Qapita, a Singapore-based provider of software used by start-ups to manage cap tables and employee stock ownership plans (ESOP), has raised $15 million in Series A funding.
