TMT
Russia's sovereign fund signs tech deals with CIC, Alibaba
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has entered into two technology-related ventures, partnering with China Investment Corporation (CIC) on an innovation fund and teaming up with Alibaba Group among others to create a social commerce platform.
Joy Capital sets $350m target for third China VC fund
Joy Capital is seeking $350 million for its third China-focused venture capital fund, which would take the four-year-old firm’s assets under management past the $1 billion mark.
General Atlantic leads $51m Series C for India's NoBroker
General Atlantic has led a $51 million Series C round for NoBroker, an online real estate marketplace based in India. SAIF Partners and Beenext Capital Management also participated in the round.
Sinovation closes $362m RMB fund, establishes GBA base
Sinovation Ventures has raised RMB2.5 billion ($362 million) for a fund that will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), big data and related areas. The final close was announced at the unveiling of the firm’s Greater Bay Area (GBA) headquarters in...
EQT terminates $2.6b Vocus acquisition
EQT infrastructure has abandoned a bid it extended less than two weeks ago to acquire Australian broadband internet provider Vocus Group for about A$3.3 billion ($2.3 billion).
Unilever leads $11m round for India's Milkbasket
Unilever Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Unilever, has led a $10.5 million funding round for Indian grocery delivery start-up Milkbasket.
Fund focus: EV Growth fills the gap
East Ventures, Sinar Mas Digital Ventures, and YJ Capital have raised $200 million for a fund that will target Southeast Asia's underserved Series B and above space
Chinese fintech player Wiseco raises $94m Series A
Chinese financial technology start-up Wiseco Technology, which provides big data-powered risk control and debt collection services, has raised RMB650 million ($94 million) in a Series A round led by Huading Capital and Sino Ocean Group.
Deal focus: KaiOS looks beyond the iPhone
Hong Kong-based KaiOS Technologies has secured a $50 million Series B round for an expansion plan targeting what could be the mobile telecommunication industry’s most underserved segment
Chinese smart robot maker gets $14m Series A
CMB International Capital has led a RMB100 million ($14 million) Series A round of funding for Robosen, a Chinese smart robot manufacturer. Yu Hu, co-CEO of local voice recognition software developer iFlytek also took part.
China GPs target tech angles in consumer plays
All China consumer deals are now technology deals, but investors must back up this positioning with meaningful value-add capabilities in areas such as digital marketing and data analytics or risk being accused of embellishing a technology thesis for the...
Chinese state-owned entities launch $723m 5G fund
China’s state-owned Yangtze River Industry Fund and China Information Technologies Group have jointly launched a RMB5 billion ($723 million) fund with a focus on 5G technology.
TPG, Warburg Pincus subscribe to Uxin convertible note
Uxin, a Chinese used car trading platform that went public last year, has raised $230 million through a convertible note issued to investors including Warburg Pincus and TPG Capital.
EQT Infrastructure offers $2.6b for Australia's Vocus
EQT Infrastructure has offered to acquire all the shares in Australia-listed broadband internet provider Vocus Group in a deal that values the company at about A$3.3 billion ($2.3 billion).
VC investors excited by Vietnam's tech talent - AVCJ Forum
Vietnam’s deepening pool of technology talent could be its biggest asset as the country evolves from a nascent start-up ecosystem to one capable of generating multiple unicorns.
TPG-SoftBank fund backs Chinese SaaS platform
China-based Wangdiantong, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform provider for retailers, has raised over RMB100 million ($14.5 million) from a fund backed by TPG Capital and SoftBank Ventures Asia.
Chinese O2O language training provider files for US IPO
Meten International Education Group, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) English language training provider that mainly caters to adult students, has filed for a US IPO. DG Capital is the primary PE investor in the company.
Creador invests $18m in India's iValue
Creador has acquired a minority stake in iValue InfoSolutions, an India-based provider of cybersecurity services, for INR1.25 billion ($18 million).
India used car marketplace raises $13m Series A
SAIF Partners and Accel Partners have led a $13.2 million Series A round for Indian online used car marketplace Spinny, with participation by existing investors Blume Ventures and Simile Ventures.
Hong Kong's KaiOS gets $50m Series B
Hong Kong-based smart phone operating system provider KaiOs Technologies has raised a $50 million Series B round led by Cathay Innovation, a VC affiliate of Cathay Capital Private Equity.
Deal focus: Grofers returns to growth with Series F
Grofers is emerging from a rough patch in its mission to leverage India’s online grocery boom with an overhauled business model and a $200 million Series F round led by SoftBank Vision Fund
Sequoia, MassMutual lead Series B for Singapore's Biofourmis
Sequoia Capital India and MassMutual Ventures have led a $35 million Series B round of funding for Singapore-based Biofourmis, operator of a health analytics platform that tracks how patients are responding to treatment.
Deal focus: Clearing up Southeast Asia’s currency chaos
Investors see opportunity in bringing a promising currency exchange-focused fintech model from Europe into Southeast Asia. Singapore-focused YouTrip is the region’s first mover in this niche
China online education: Passing the test?
Capital has poured into China’s online education sector in recent years, but with losses mounting and valuations called into question, investors are finding that not all business models are created equal