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Start-up banking: Filling an SVB-shaped hole
Silicon Valley Bank was arguably the only institution globally to comprehensively service the unique banking needs of start-ups. In its absence, a mix of players are rising to the challenge
Northstar's managing partner to become CEO of GoTo
Patrick Walujo, a co-founder and managing partner of Northstar Group, has been appointed group CEO of Indonesian super app GoTo, with the Southeast Asia-focused private equity firm telling LPs it expects minimal impact to day-to-day business.
India’s HealthifyMe raises $30m
LeapFrog Investments and Khosla Ventures have led a USD 30m pre-Series D round for India-based mobile health and fitness app HealthifyMe.
Monolith closes debut China VC fund on $264m
Sequoia Capital China spinout Monolith Management has closed its debut venture capital fund at USD 264m, surpassing the hard cap of USD 250m.
Praxis invests $170m in Korea's Beyond Music
Korean private equity firm Praxis Capital has led a USD 170m investment in local music rights investment and management company Beyond Music.
India home rentals platform NestAway acquired by strategic player
Aurum PropTech, a listed Indian property technology provider, has acquired NestAway, a home rentals platform that previously received several rounds of private funding, for INR 900m (USD 11m).
Deal focus: Chalo thinks beyond the bus stop
India bus-tracking app Chalo is helping fleet operators eliminate fraud and improve efficiency while giving passengers greater visibility on services. It is keen to scale – geographically and vertically
Deal focus: Go aims to bring Japan’s taxis up to speed
Goldman Sachs-backed taxi-hailing platform Go wants to address Japan’s taxi driver shortage and bring digitalisation to an industry that remains rooted in an analogue world
Singapore's Qualgro seeks $150m for Fund III
Qualgro Partners, a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm, is looking to raise USD 150m for its third fund.
Goldman backs Japan taxi-hailing player Go
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has committed JPY 10bn (USD 75m) in Series D funding to Go Inc, operator of a Japan-based taxi-hailing app.
Singapore's BandLab raises $25m
Singapore-based social music creation platform BandLab has raised USD 25m from Cercano Management, formerly Vulcan Capital, a vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
Avataar leads $45m round for India's Chalo
Avataar Venture Partners, an India-based investor in growth-stage B2B technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, has led a USD 45m funding round for bus tracking app Chalo.
Deal focus: Indonesia food delivery goes daily
Indonesia’s Uena claims to have penetrated an untapped corner of Indonesia’s booming app-driven food delivery space. Scaling shouldn’t be overly costly, but there are menu-level nuances to consider
Deal focus: Ace Turtle says so long to SaaS
Ace Turtle never wanted to be India’s answer to Amazon, but it has moved from software provider to supply chain coordinator while stepping back from international markets. Investors are not deterred
New Zealand's Movac raises $125m for Fund VI
New Zealand-based Movac has closed its sixth technology fund on NZD 202m (USD 125m) despite what Mark Vivian, a general partner at the venture capital firm, described as “the most challenging fundraising conditions I've experienced since the GFC [global...
Fireside leads $40m Series B for India's Ripplr
Fireside Ventures has led a USD 40m Series B round for India-based distribution and logistics platform Ripplr. The round comprised USD 28m in equity funding and USD 12m in debt.
Fund focus: Chiratae eyes global growth
Chiratae Ventures has raised a growth-stage fund to participate in later-stage rounds for Indian portfolio companies that are becoming ever larger and ever more international in their outlook
Japan VC: Global appetites
The relatively recent advent of sizeable VC funds and high-profile start-ups in Japan has exposed long-simmering ambitions to be more international. This could be a breakout moment
3one4 raises $200m for early-stage India fund
Indian venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has closed its fourth early-stage fund – and sixth overall – on target at USD 200m. The fundraising process took two-and-a-half months.
Anchor, Aspex re-up in Korea’s Kurly
Kurly, a Korean grocery delivery platform that abandoned its planned domestic IPO earlier this year, has raised KRW 120bn (USD 91m) from existing investors Anchor Equity Partners and Aspex Management.
Singapore fintech player AIG raises $80m
Advance Intelligence Group (AIG), a Singapore-headquartered and Indonesia-focused financial technology company, has raised USD 80m in funding led by existing investors Warburg Pincus and Northstar Group.
Matrix China pushes out final close on Fund VII
Matrix Partners China has sought a three-month extension to the deadline for closing its latest venture capital fund with a view to reaching the USD 1.6bn target.
1Q analysis: Barely disguised weakness
Government guidance funds in China and Toshiba Corporation in Japan papered over obvious cracks in Asia private equity fundraising and investment. Nothing could hide the pain around exits
Q&A: Vitalbridge Capital’s Jinjian Zhang
Jinjian Zhang, founder of Chinese VC firm Vitalbridge Capital, on addressing domestic turbulence, getting investors to reengage on China, and where he sees opportunities in Southeast Asia