Technology
Chinese taxi-booking app Didi Dache raises $700m
Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, DST Global and Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings have led a new round of funding worth $700 million for Didi Dache, a Chinese taxi-booking app.
Ping An VC, Qiming invest $30m in China car-sharing platform
Ping An Ventures, a VC arm of insurer Ping An Group, and Qiming Venture Partners have co-led a $30 million Series A round of funding for Baojia.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform.
KKR backs desert-farming solution
Tough climatic challenges are in store for South Australia, already the nation's driest state. Agriculture, which is worth more than $5 billion each year to the state, will increasingly be affected by rising temperatures and reduced rainfall.
Tech valuations: Ill-fated inflation?
As valuations in the tech space continue to soar, comparisons are inevitably drawn with the dotcom bubble era. Asia can point to favorable fundamentals, but it remains to be seen whether the exuberance is justified
VC-backed LanzaTech raises $60m from NZ Super
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has provided $60 million growth capital for low-carbon fuels producer LanzaTech.
CITIC launches tender offer for Japan's Schott Moritex
CITIC Capital Partners has launched a tender offer to acquire a controlling stake in Schott Moritex Corporation, a Japan-based manufacturer of vision lenses for machines.
Tiantu commits $16m in Chinese electric scooter manufacturer Inmotion
Chinese GP Tiantu Capital has committed RMB100 million ($16 million) in a Series B round of funding for Inmotion Technologies, a manufacturer of sensor controlled vehicles.
Japan PE acquires plastics manufacturer, elderly care business
Mid-market GP Japan Private Equity has acquired plastics manufacturer Sekisui Chemicals and care home services business Healthy Service via its third buyout fund.
China's Xiaomi, Kingsoft back IP investment fund
Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi and software developer Kingsoft will participate as LPs in a RMB200 million ($32.5 million) fund that will make investments related to intellectual property.
Sequoia, Nexus invest $3m in India food-ordering start-up
Indian food-ordering start-up TinyOwl Technology has raised $3 million from Sequoia Capital and Nexus Venture Partners in Series A round of funding.
Banyan leads $35m round for Chinese wearables maker
Banyan Capital has led a $35 million Series B round of funding for Huami, a Chinese start-up that manufactures fitness wearables launched by smart phone maker Xiaomi.
India Angel Network opens Mumbai incubator space
India Angel Network (IAN) has opened a new co-working space in Mumbai to house a tech-focused start-up incubator program.
Lightspeed China backs online travel agency Lulutrip
Lightspeed China Partners has invested in a Series A1 round of funding for Lulutrip, an online travel agency focused on the Chinese outbound market.
Northern Light backs Chinese mobile app service provider
Northern Light Venture Partners (NLVC) has invested $5 million in a Series A round of funding for APICloud, a China-based mobile app cloud service provider.
Taiwan’s CDFH, Fujian Electronics in first close on debut RMB fund
Taiwan-based China Development Financial Holding (CDFH) and China’s Fujian Electronics & Information Group have reached a first close of RMB1 billion ($162 million) on their debut renminbi-denominated fund.
Japanese crowdsourcing platform gets $8.5m from VCs
Lancers, a Japanese crowdsourcing platform, has raised JPY1 billion ($8.5 million) from six VC and strategic investors, including Gree Ventures, Globis Capital Partners and GMO Venture Partners.
SoftBank invests $250m in Southeast Asia’s GrabTaxi
Japanese tech giant SoftBank Corp. has committed $250 million to GrabTaxi, becoming the largest investor in the Southeast Asia-focused mobile taxi-booking platform.
Xiaomi, Temasek, Kingsoft to invest in China’s 21Vianet
Software giant Kingsoft Corporation, smart phone maker Xiaomi and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings have agreed to invest $296 million in 21Vianet, a Chinese internet data center provider.
Qiming leads $10m round for China biopharma player
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $10 million Series A round of funding for CANbridge Life Science, a Beijing-based biopharmaceutical firm.
China healthcare: Technology transfer
Healthcare-focused private equity firms want to take technologies from developed markets into China, leveraging rising domestic demand. It is a lucrative strategy, but not necessarily a straightforward one
Chinese personal finance app Wacai raises $50m
Hangzhou Wacai Science, a Chinese personal finance management mobile app developer, has raised $50 million in a Series B round of funding led by China Broadband Capital and CICC Capital, a PE arm of China International Capital Corporation.
CVC invests $150m in Marubeni's Japan broadband business
CVC Capital Partners has acquired a 50% stake in enterprise-focused Japanese telecommunications carrier Arteria Networks - a unit of Japanese conglomerate Marubeni - for $150 million.
China's Ally Bridge ventures into German healthcare
Ally Bridge Group, a healthcare-focused PE firm based in Hong Kong and the US, has made its first investment in Europe, participating in a EUR6.6 million ($8 million) round of funding for Pieris, a Munich-based clinical-stage biotechnology firm.
SummitView, Shanghai government launch $1.7b PE fund
SummitView Capital has partnered with the Shanghai government to launch a RMB10 billion ($1.7 billion) private equity fund, which will invest in semiconductor manufacturers.