TMT
Alibaba, DST lead Series D for China's Nice Tuan
Alibaba Group and DST Global have led a $750 million Series D round for Shihuituan, a China-based community group buying platform also known as Nice Tuan.
Sequoia India raises $195m for latest seed fund
Sequoia Capital India has closed a second seed fund under its Surge accelerator program at $195 million. Like its predecessor, it will target start-ups in India and Southeast Asia.
China's Zhihu completes $522m IPO, endures volatile debut
Chinese question-and-answer platform Zhihu endured a difficult New York Stock Exchange debut, closing at a 10.5% discount to its IPO price on a day when US-listed Chinese stocks fluctuated wildly.
Australia social media start-up Linktree raises $45m
Index Ventures and Coatue Management have led a $45 million Series B round for Australia-based social media services platform Linktree.
India's Dream Sports raises $400m, hits $5b valuation
Dream Sports, operator of India’s largest fantasy sports platform, has raised $400 million in funding led by TCV, D1 Capital Partners and Falcon Edge Capital. The post-deal valuation is nearly $5 billion.
China's Tuya completes $915m IPO, gains on debut
Tuya, a Chinese start-up that claims to be the world’s largest platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provider in terms of number of smart devices powered, raised $915.4 million in its US IPO. The offering was priced above the indicative range yet still registered...
Temasek leads round for China marketing content start-up
Tezign, a Chinese start-up that serves as a content-focused one-stop marketing solutions platform, has closed a second tranche of Series C funding that takes the overall total for the round to $100 million.
India's PolicyBazaar raises $75m for Middle East expansion
PolicyBazaar, India’s largest insurance comparison portal, has raised $75 million from US-based Falcon Edge Capital for a Middle East expansion.
China VC player Source Code to raise $1b
Source Code Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm founded by Yi Cao (pictured), formerly of Sequoia Capital China, is set to raise $1 billion across two funds.
Deal focus: MetaApp's supply-demand solution
China-based MetaApp has created an online platform that connects games with relevant gamers. Community building and social interaction are its watchwords
Fund focus: Openspace says it with distributions
Openspace Ventures launched its $200 million third fund comfortable in the knowledge that the first two were top-quartile performers. IPOs, trade sales and partial secondary exits have all played a role
Openspace raises $200m for third Southeast Asia VC fund
Openspace Ventures has closed its third Southeast Asia fund – which targets Series A and B rounds for companies with B2C and B2B technologies – at the hard cap of $200 million.
Fund focus: Asia Partners eyes Southeast Asia's white space
The growth-stage funding gap is approximately $1.1 billion per year in Southeast Asia, according to Asia Partners. The GP now has $384 million in dry powder to try and fill it
China regulation: Taming the giants
Recent regulatory reforms suggest that China will not let the growth of large technology companies go unchecked. The implications could be far-reaching, not least for VC investors and start-ups
FountainVest leads $100m round for China's Ushopal
FountainVest Partners has led a $100 million funding round for Ushopal, a China-focused e-commerce platform that sources global luxury brands for the high-end consumer market.
Indonesia's Sicepat secures $170m Series B
Indonesian logistics start-up Sicepat has raised a $170 million Series B round from investors including Temasek Holdings’ growth-stage PE unit Pavilion Capital.
Buyout funds: Growth paradigm
Most traditional large-cap buyout funds have become hybrids in Asia, taking minority stakes in businesses to generate deal flow in certain markets and to harness regional growth trends
Founder of China's Zhencheng Capital launches SPAC
Jianwei Li, founding and managing partner of Chinese venture capital firm Zhencheng Capital and previously CIO at ZhenFund, has launched a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
VC-backed Appier files for Japan IPO
Appier, a Taiwan-based advertising technology provider, has filed for a JPY26.4 billion ($250 million) Japan IPO. It sets up exits for several VC investors, including Sequoia Capital.
Fund focus: LPs endorse Ocean Link's China tourism, tech thesis
Ocean Link has raised $580 million for a second fund targeting China travel, tourism and consumer technology assets, but the firm believes co-investment could take aggregate deployment to $1.4 billion
B Capital launches SPAC
B Capital Group, a US-based venture capital firm with a presence in Singapore and a significant Asia portfolio, is looking to raise $300 million for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
Korea's Tmon closes $276m pre-IPO round
PS Alliance, an investment unit of South Korean automotive and electronic components manufacturer Poongsung Group, has led a KRW305 billion ($276 million) commitment to local e-commerce platform Tmon.
KKR loses managing director in Singapore
Terence Lee, a managing director at KKR who leads technology, media and telecom (TMT) and growth equity investments in Southeast Asia, has left the firm.
PE-backed JD Logistics set for Hong Kong listing
JD Logistics, a supply chain solutions and logistics provider that spun-out from Chinese online retailer JD.com, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO. The company has received $2.57 billion in private funding.