TMT
China's Joy Capital raises $718m for VC, growth funds
Joy Capital has collected $718 million for its latest set of US dollar-denominated funds, closing its third venture vehicle at $391 million and securing $327 million for a debut growth fund.
EQT to buy Australian cloud services provider
EQT has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Australia-based managed IT services provider Nexon Asia Pacific for an undisclosed amount.
Singapore hotel platform RedDoorz gets $45m Series B
Singapore-based hotel management and booking platform RedDoorz has raised $45 million in a Series B round led by China’s Qiming Venture Partners.
Norwest leads $40m Series C for India's MindTickle
Norwest Venture Partners has led a $40 million Series C round for MindTickle, an online sales enablement platform based in India and the US.
China Renaissance collects $943m for renminbi fund
China Renaissance has closed the third renminbi-denominated fund raised under its flagship Huaxing Growth Capital arm with more than RMB6.5 billion ($943 million) in commitments.
China consumer: The low road
Pinduoduo's success in bringing e-commerce to China's lower-tier cities has inspired a host of other start-ups to do the same, but they must be mindful of broader consumer trends
Gates Foundation, global insurers back Indonesia's Halodoc
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has made a rare direct investment in Southeast Asia, participating in an extended Series B round for Indonesian healthcare technology provider Halodoc.
Toyota invests $600m in China's Didi
Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation has agreed to invest $600 million in Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and to expand their joint venture focused on services for Didi’s drivers.
Australia establishes wine industry accelerator
South Australia is launching an accelerator program to help start-ups in the wine and tourism industries take advantage of new technologies.
Sequoia, Lightspeed make partial exits from India's Oyo
Sequoia Capital India and Lightspeed India Partners have made a partial exit from India-based online hospitality platform Oyo through a $2 billion round comprising primary and secondary shares. The round brings the company’s valuation to around $10 billion....
China's XVC raises $330m for Fund II
XVC, a Chinese early-stage investment firm established by Boyu Hu, formerly of DCM Ventures and Blue Lake Capital, has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund with around $330 million in commitments.
Deal focus: Greater Pacific to help Near monetize data points
Singapore's Near secures $100 million from Greater Pacific Capital with a view to expanding its suite of SaaS products that offer commercial insights by tracking consumer behavior
China tech board makes volatile debut
The initial batch of companies chosen to list on China’s technology innovation board – known as the Star Market – posted an average gain of 140% on their first day of trading on July 22, although almost all were pared back in the opening hours of the...
Fidelity leads funding round for Malaysia's Iflix
Malaysia-based video streaming service Iflix has raised a funding round of more than $50 million led by Fidelity International.
Cocoon closes second SE Asia fund at $22m
Singapore-based venture capital firm Cocoon Capital has closed its second seed fund, targeting Southeast Asian enterprise technology start-ups, at S$30 million ($22 million).
SoftBank Ventures Asia hits $269m first close on global fund
SoftBank Ventures Asia – previously known as SoftBank Ventures Korea – has reached a first close of KRW317.4 billion ($269 million) on a fund that will make early-stage investments globally with a focus on Asia.
Brookfield to lead $3.7b investment in Reliance India telecom unit
A consortium led by Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to invest INR252 billion ($3.66 billion) in the telecommunication tower unit of India’s Reliance Industries. It is said to be the largest foreign investment in an Indian infrastructure asset to...
Alibaba leads Series D for China education start-up
Alibaba Group has led a $150 million Series D round of funding for Knowbox, a Chinese education start-up that develops a range of mobile apps aimed at students and teachers.
EBay buys 5.5% stake in India's Paytm Mall
EBay has acquired a 5.5% stake in Paytm Mall, the e-commerce arm of Indian online payments platform Paytm.
Ebix to acquire India's Yatra Online for $338m
Indian travel services platform Yatra Online, which has several VC investors, has agreed to an acquisition by software and e-commerce services provider Ebix at an enterprise valuation of $337.8 million.
Chinese streaming platform trades flat after $775m US IPO
Chinese game live-streaming platform Douyu International Holdings closed flat on its first day of trading on NASDAQ following a $775 million IPO – the largest US offering by a Chinese company this year.
Chinese B2B electronic components platforms raises Series A
Sequoia Capital China and Eastern Bell Venture Capital have led a RMB250 million ($36.3 million) Series A round for Lichuang Mall, a Chinese B2B online trading platform that specializes in electronic components.
Deal focus: TheAsianparent plans baby business boom
Singapore mother-and-child online services provider theAsianparent is planning an expansion by tracking the fastest birth rates around the region. Fosun is backing the agenda
Gobi, AirAsia unit invest $11m in Malaysia's EasyParcel
Gobi Partners has joined Teleport, the cargo and logistics platform of AirAsia, to commit $10.6 million in Series B funding to Malaysia-based e-commerce logistics and parcel delivery service EasyParcel.