TMT
India’s Byju’s raises $250m, ramps up overseas
Indian education technology provider Byju’s has raised USD 250m from existing investors with plans to expand its international business. Funding raised this year alone now tops USD 1bn.
Google backs India edtech player Adda247
Google has joined a INR 2.7bn (USD 35m) round for Adda247, an education technology start-up that claims to be India’s largest vernacular language exam preparation platform.
Australia's AgriWebb upsizes Series B to $29m
AgriWebb, an Australia-based livestock management app used by farmers and ranchers, has closed its Series B round at USD 29.3m, following a USD 6.7m top-up featuring two new investors.
Deal focus: Food app targets Thailand’s first internet IPO
Thai restaurant delivery app Line Man Wongnai has leveraged the massive messaging service penetration of its parent company to position itself for what is hoped to be a breakthrough IPO
Q&A: WeRide's Tony Han
Tony Han, founder and CEO of China’s WeRide, on commercialising fully autonomous passenger vehicles, surviving a capital winter, and why universities are vital to the hard-tech revolution
Mirae Asset recruits OneVentures director for Australia coverage
Mirae Asset Global Investments has expanded its Australian alternatives team with the recruitment of James McGrath, formerly an investment director at local VC firm OneVentures.
Investors call on Japanese start-ups to pursue overseas capital - AVCJ Forum
Japanese start-ups must attract more institutional capital from overseas given the paucity of local investors, especially in the growth stages, the AVCJ Japan Forum heard.
Australia gaming, e-sports start-up gets $12m
Gamurs, a Sydney-headquartered media company specialising in gaming, e-sports, and entertainment, has secured USD 12m in Series A funding.
Singapore's ShopBack secures $80m Series F extension
Temasek Holdings-controlled investor 65 Equity Partners has led a USD 80m equity investment in Singaporean retail platform ShopBack, extending a Series F round in June.
VC-backed Asia streaming business agrees SPAC merger
Asia Innovations Group (ASIG), a social media, gaming, and e-commerce business best known for the Uplive streaming platform, has agreed to merge with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an equity valuation of USD 2.5bn.
BlackRock leads $300m investment in Indonesia's Traveloka
BlackRock has led a USD 300m investment in Indonesia’s Traveloka via a credit fund as expectations mount for an IPO by the travel platform.
India mass market: Bharat dreams
A labyrinth of logistical, cultural, competition, and business modelling challenges is curbing private equity appetite for India’s quickly modernising proletariat
Deal focus: AI integration pays off for Evomotion
With investors going cold on China artificial intelligence, Evomotion has remained popular and profitable by delivering hardware and software to corners of the market that are either overlooked or hard to access
Thailand's Line Man Wongnai raises $265m
Thailand’s Line Man Wongnai – a food delivery, taxi, and messaging app – has raised a USD 265m round featuring GIC at a valuation of USD 1bn. It claims to be the largest start-up locally.
India gifting platform secures $23m Series B
Join Ventures, an India-based company that owns a portfolio of direct-to-consumer gifting brands, has raised USD 23.5m in Series B funding led by Motilal Oswal Alternate Investment Advisors.
Blackbird leads $23m Series B for Australia’s Sonder
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has led a AUD 35m (USD 23.4m) Series B round for Sonder, a staff and student management app focused on wellbeing and safety.
China fitness app Keep pursues Hong Kong listing
Keep, a China-focused fitness app operator backed by the likes of GGV Capital, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and 5Y Capital, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
Deal focus: Remote working delivers for Glints
An outsourced talent management service that enables companies to recruit in far-flung markets has become the bulwark of Glints’ business on the back of COVID-19, underpinning a USD 50m Series D
Singapore's Docquity raises $44m Series C
Singapore-based Docquity, a networking service for more than 300,000 doctors across Southeast Asia, has raised USD 44m in Series C funding led by Japan’s Itochu Corporation.
Japan remote workforce player oVice raises $32m
Japan’s oVice, a start-up that provides virtual co-working spaces for remote and hybrid teams, has raised JPY 4.5bn (USD 32.1m) in Series B funding featuring Jafco and Eight Roads Ventures.
Vertex leads Series A for Singapore's Propseller
Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India has led a USD 12m Series A for Propseller, a Singapore-headquartered property technology start-up Propseller that is looking to disrupt the traditional agency model.
GP profile: CMC Capital Partners
China-focused CMC Capital Partners’ remit has expanded from media to consumer and technology, but the firm believes its knowledge and discipline as a specialist investor have never been more relevant
Fund focus: Fundamentum finds its niche
As one of few Series B and C specialists operating in India, The Fundamentum Partnership expects to have plenty to choose from over the next two years as the glut of early-stage start-ups thins out
Fund focus: Cherubic continues to scale
Early-stage investor Cherubic Ventures initially struggled to get traction with its idiosyncratic Greater China-US strategy, but the firm sees its USD 110m haul for Fund V as validation of the thesis