TMT
Joy, Nio Capital invest $315m in China online used car dealer
Joy Capital and Nio Capital will invest $315 million in China-based online used car dealer Uxin, throwing their support behind the company’s pivot from a marketplace to an inventory-holding retailer.
India's Byju's raises $340m at $16.5b valuation
Indian education platform Byju’s has raised about $340 million at a post-money valuation of $16.5 billion from investors including The Blackstone Group.
Vision Fund leads $360m Series C for Southeast Asia's Carro
Carro claims to have become Southeast Asia’s first automotive marketplace unicorn with the completion of a S$477 million ($360 million) Series C round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2.
Deal focus: A very modern Masan
Baring Private Equity Asia backed Masan Group’s bold plan to transform grocery in Vietnam because it believes the company can create an integrated consumer-retail business that is unique by Asian standards
Fund focus: Plugging ASEAN family offices into global tech
Family offices have helped iGlobe Partners renew a lean and restrained deep tech VC mandate. A global investee network is hoped to facilitate overseas investments amid travel stoppages
Deal focus: Chubby Bear thinks beyond marketplaces
B2B trading platform Chubby Bear not only wants to drive consolidation in China’s renovation materials space, but also provide exclusive products and supply chain services to contractors
China ride-hailing giant Didi files for US IPO
Chinese ride-hailing platform operator Didi, which has raised over $20 billion in private funding during its nine-year history and is valued at more than $60 billion, has filed to list in the US.
H Capital leads $300m round for China car trading platform
Chehaoduo, operator of China auto trading platforms Guazi and Maodou, which specialize in used and new cars, respectively, has raised $300 million in funding led by H Capital at a valuation of more than $10 billion.
Asia PE technology tilt not to be feared - Hamilton Lane
Increased participation by PE investors in minority technology deals in Asia – and the significant contribution this has made to recent industry performance – should not be cause for concern, according to Juan Delgado-Moreira, vice chairman at Hamilton...
Mercury exits Australia's MessageMedia via $1.3b trade sale
Australian mid-market GP Mercury Capital is on course to exit local B2C mobile messaging platform MessageMedia after Sweden-based Sinch agreed to acquire the company for $1.3 billion.
India's Tata Digital makes healthcare, fitness investments
Tata Group’s digital unit has continued its investment spree, dipping into India’s healthcare and fitness spaces with the acquisition of telemedicine platform 1mg Technologies and a $75 million commitment to CureFit.
China grocery players Dingdong, Miss Fresh file for US IPOs
Competing Chinese online grocery delivery platforms Dingdong Macai and Miss Fresh, recipients of more than $3 billion in aggregate private funding, have both filed to list in the US.
TPG leads $220m round for China's Dingdang Health
TPG Capital has led a $220 million round for Chinese online pharmacy services provider Dingdang Health.
Fund focus: Unicorn does the hard yards
Six-year-old Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest China VC vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million, proving there is demand for fund-of-funds that offer something different
India's Urban Company closes Series F, hits $2.1b valuation
India’s Urban Company, a marketplace for in-home services from housekeeping to fitness training, has raised $255 million in Series F funding at a valuation of $2.1 billion.
Unicorn raises $450m for VC fund-of-funds
China-focused venture capital fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million. The process took six months and the fund was oversubscribed
Sequoia, Yunfeng lead $228m round for Chinese rice brand
Shiyuedaotian, a Chinese rice brand, has raised RMB1.45 billion ($228 million) in Series B funding led by Sequoia Capital China and Yunfeng Capital. CMC Group and Taihe Capital also took part, as did existing investor GenBridge Capital.
China trucking platform Manbang files for US IPO
Manbang, a China trucking business that claims to be the world’s largest digital freight platform, has filed for a US IPO. The company achieved a valuation of $12 billion in its most recent funding round six months ago.
Tata buys majority stake in India's BigBasket
Tata Group has acquired a majority stake in India’s BigBasket, an online grocer backed significantly by Alibaba Group and several private equity investors. It has been valued previously at around $2 billion.
Glory raises $120m for second China venture fund
China's Glory Ventures has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund at $120 million, with VC-focused fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners serving as the anchor LP.
Netease to spin out PE-backed music streaming business
Cloud Village, a music streaming business controlled by Chinese internet and gaming giant NetEase and backed by the likes of General Atlantic, Boyu Capital, and Yunfeng Capital, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
China shipping tech platform Yunquna raises $100m
Yunquna, a China-based online logistics platform for the shipping industry, has raised $100 million in the first tranche of a Series D round. Its valuation now surpasses $1 billion.
Vision Fund invests $175m in Korea education start-up
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has invested $175 million in Korean education app Riiid to build out its artificial intelligence (AI) capacities and advance a global expansion.
China university start-ups: Campus creativity
From DJI to Ele.me, numerous successful start-ups have emerged from universities in Greater China. VC investors recognize the talent, but they are sometimes wary of the structures