TMT
Australia's Milkrun winds down, founder defends business model
The founder of Australian grocery delivery business Milkrun, which announced that it would shutter last week amid challenging market conditions, has defended the start-up’s business model and claimed that its impact on the industry will be long-lasting.
Japan 'deskless workforce' start-up raises $23m
Japan’s Coral Capital has led a JPY 3bn (USD 23m) Series B round for Kaminashi, a local software start-up targeting an under-digitalised blue-collar segment it calls the “deskless workforce.”
Altos, Mirae Asset re-up Korea's Kream in $39m round
Altos Ventures and Mirae Asset Capital have each made their third investment in the past 18 months in Korean e-commerce player Kream, with the latest round amounting to KRW 50.6bn (USD 38.8m).
Deal focus: WorldLink reaches into Nepal’s hinterlands
British International Investment and Dolma Fund Management are supporting WorldLink’s rollout of internet services in Nepal, having been impressed how the company handled COVID-19
Singapore electronics marketplace Reebelo extends Series A to $50m
Singapore electronics marketplace Reebelo has lifted its Series A round to USD 50m with a USD 29m commitment led by Cathay Innovation.
Deal focus: Glimmer in a dormant Pakistani ecosystem
Pakistan’s Trukkr quietly spent a hardscrabble pre-seed period building infrastructure while competitors leveraged a short-lived VC boom to grow quickly. The patience appears set to pay off
Deal focus: K-wave media savvy explores new markets
Korean audience interaction technology provider Bemyfriends hopes a sizeable Series A round led by Cleveland Avenue, a lifestyle-focused VC firm in the US, will jumpstart a global expansion
China industrial supplies platform ZKH pursues US IPO
ZKH Group, a China-based industrial supplies platform backed by the likes of Eastern Bell Capital, Genesis Capital, Tencent Holdings, and Tiger Global Management, has filed to list in the US.
Korea audience engagement platform Bemyfriends gets $29m
Korea’s Bemyfriends, an audience engagement platform for brands and creators, has raised USD 29m in Series A funding, with the latest tranche provided by US-based VC firm Cleveland Avenue.
US, UK VCs invest Pakistan logistics start-up Trukkr
US-based Accion Venture Lab and Sturgeon Capital of the UK have led a USD 6.4m seed round for Pakistan’s Trukkr, a financial technology provider for the trucking industry.
Deal focus: Digital marketing piggybacks e-commerce boom
Malaysian digital marketing specialist Involve Asia is making hay as regional e-commerce shows no signs of slowing. Fresh VC support will guide inorganic expansion amidst erratically trendy user behaviour
Japan construction software supplier gets $8.5m
Japan’s Ballas, a software provider focused on metals procurement for the construction industry, has raised an approximately JPY 1.2bn (USD 8.5m) round led by Global Brain.
Northstar leads pre-Series C for Singapore's Una Brands
Northstar Group had led a USD 30m pre-Series C round for Una Brands, a Singapore-based brand agglomeration platform that operates across Asia.
India's Nexus Venture closes Fund VII on $700m
Nexus Venture Partners has reached a final close on its seventh India venture capital fund with USD 700m in commitments, taking the firm’s total assets under management past the USD 2bn mark.
Deal focus: Going regional to fill the coding gap
NxtWave is helping India’s massive engineering community get up to snuff in much-needed software-related skillsets. This is most difficult and most rewarding in lower-tier cities
Q&A: Blackbird Ventures’ Rick Baker
Rick Baker, co-founder of Australia’s Blackbird Ventures, on pricing adjustments in the tech space, fundraising and secondaries, valuing unicorns, and the rise of ChatGPT
Greater Pacific Capital leads round for India's NxtWave
Greater Pacific Capital has led a USD 33m round for NxtWave, an India-based online training platform that looks to develop skilled professionals suitable for employment in the technology sector.
Amazon leads Series D for India's FreshToHome
Amazon Smbhav Venture Fund, a USD 250m India-focused vehicle established by the US technology giant, has led a USD 104m Series D round for direct-to-consumer fresh fish and meat delivery platform FreshToHome.
Monolith sets $250m hard cap for China fund
Monolith Management, an investment firm established by Xi Cao, formerly a partner at Sequoia Capital China, has set the hard cap at USD 250m for its debut China venture capital fund.
Japan's Net Marketing is sold four months after take-private
Net Marketing, a Japanese online advertising and media management business that was delisted following the completion of a successful tender offer by Bain Capital last September, has been acquired by Tokyo-listed marketing analytics player Macbee Planet.
Asia PE investment declines 40% in 2022
Asia private equity investment reached USD 223.9bn in 2023, a sharp decline from the USD 376.4bn recorded a year earlier, but still the second-largest annual total on record, according to provisional data from AVCJ Research.
4Q analysis: Who wants China?
Pan-regional GPs get traction by highlighting their Asia ex-China credentials; buyouts rebound as growth capital – and China – continue to recede; India impresses with bumper exit proceeds
GIC, PIF invest $924m in Korea's Kakao Entertainment
Singapore’s GIC and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) have agreed to invest a combined KRW 1.15trn (USD 924m) in Korean internet giant Kakao’s entertainment division.
PAG invests $500m in China's iQiyi
PAG has invested USD 500m in China-based online video streaming platform iQiyi through a private placement of senior convertible notes.