TMT
India's Byju's acquires online coding school
Byju’s, an Indian online learning platform backed by several PE and VC firms, has acquired WhiteHat Jr, a platform that helps students learn to code.
China IPOs: Onshore attraction
The valuations available on China's booming Star Market are prompting US dollar managers to consider restructuring companies for onshore listings. How long will the fervor last?
Deal focus: Fave wins endorsement for ecosystem pivot
Having found online-to-offline services and mobile payments too crowded, Malaysia's Fave turned itself into a digitization guide for small businesses. Collaboration with India's Pine Labs should strengthen its offering
Microsoft seeks to acquire TikTok assets from China's ByteDance
Microsoft Corporation wants to continue discussions over the purchase of the US operation of TikTok from PE-backed Chinese technology giant ByteDance amid threats from US President Donald Trump to ban the short video platform.
BRV Capital invests $110m in Line's Thailand delivery app
Line Man, a parcel-to-food delivery app launched in Thailand by Japan’s Line Corporation, has raised $110 million from BRV Capital, an affiliate of BlueRun Ventures.
Sequoia scales up for China growth deals
Sequoia Capital China’s recent $3.68 billion fundraising effort has significantly expanded its scope to participate in later-stage deals. The three funds include a growth vehicle of $2.8 billion, a 55% increase on the previous vintage.
Oyo founder establishes VC firm in Singapore
Ritesh Agarwal (pictured), the founder of Indian hotel booking platform Oyo, has launched a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm called Aroa Ventures.
India’s Toppr raises $50m from Foundation Holdings
Indian educational technology startup Toppr has raised $50 million (INR3.5 billion) in a Series D funding round led by United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Foundation Holdings.
CDH leads round for China community group buying player
Shihuituan, a China-based community group buying platform also known as Nice Tuan, has raised $80 million in the second tranche of a Series C round led by CDH Investments.
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
Fund focus: Tidal makes early-stage wave
With $21 million in dry powder, Tidal Ventures wants to bring institutional rigor to Australia's seed stage, helping prepare start-ups for Series A rounds
Fund focus: Wavemaker turns crisis into opportunity
Wavemaker Partners overcome COVID-19 uncertainty to close its latest fund at $111 million. Enterprise-facing and deep technology companies in Southeast Asia are likely targets
Korean travel app secures $36m funding round
MyRealTrip, a South Korean travel super app that positions itself as a one-stop-shop for bookings, has raised KRW43.2 billion ($36 million) in funding from the likes of Altos Ventures, IMM Investment, and Axiom Asia.
Chinese IT infrastructure player SmartX raises $28m
SmartX, a Chinese enterprise cloud services provider, has closed an extended tranche of its Series B round as well as a Series C round, raising RMB200 million ($28 million) in total.
Deal focus: DRX wants e-sports to surf the Korean wave
Investors are backing DRX to generate international buzz for e-sports in Korea, following in the footsteps of K-pop, K-food and K-beauty. Overseas interest is already mounting
Korean AI education start-up gets $41m pre-Series D
Korea Development Bank (KDB) and local private equity firms Nvestor, Intervest and IMM Investment have participated in a $41.8 million pre-Series D round for Riiid, a Korean online education platform.
Deal focus: AIpark keeps an eye on the streets
AIpark founder Jun Yan claims there are five million street parking spaces in China's 100 largest cities that could use his car parking management system. A Gaorong Capital-led Series C round will help him reach them
India payments player Pine Labs invests Malaysia’s Fave
Pine Labs, an Indian payments start-up backed by MasterCard, PayPal, and Sequoia Capital India, has invested Fave, a Malaysian e-commerce platform also supported by Sequoia.
Trustbridge spin-out Vitalbridge closes debut China fund
Vitalbridge Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm established by Jinjian Zhang, formerly of Trustbridge Partners, has raised $150 million for its debut fund.
Singapore marketing SaaS player raises $32m
US-based technology investor Riverwood Capital has led a $32 million Series C round for Insider, a Singapore software start-up that helps companies develop better targeted marketing campaigns.
Korea e-sports player DRX secures $22.5m
Korean e-sports organization DRX has raised $10 million from a group of local investors. It coincides with a separate $12.5 million commitment from e-sports specialist ATU Partners.
Asia VC: Vertex's evolving early-stage network
Vertex Holdings’ Chua Kee-Lock likens his network of VC funds seeded by the Temasek-owned entity as a distributed computer system. It will draw down more power as it grows
Walmart leads $1.2b round for India's Flipkart
Walmart has led a $1.2 billion funding round for Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce business in which it acquired a majority stake at a valuation of $24 billion in 2018.
Google joins Facebook on Jio Platforms investor roster
Google has agreed to invest INR337.3 billion ($4.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms and outlined plans to build a low-cost smart phone aimed at the mass-market.