TMT
China outbound: Organic options
Tough domestic competition is encouraging Chinese tech start-ups to expand overseas – often organically, earlier in their lifecycles than before, and despite regulatory concerns
Vodafone New Zealand buys out PE partner in retail JV
Millennium Corp, a specialist technology, media, and telecom (TMT) investor operating in New Zealand and the Pacific region, has exited its 50% stake in Vodafone New Zealand’s retail stores.
India e-commerce enabler Gokwik raises $35m
Gokwik, an Indian e-commerce enablement platform, has raised USD 35m in a Series B round led by Think Investments and RTP Global.
Tiga SPAC to merge with San Vicente-owned Grindr
Grindr, a LGBTQ+ dating app acquired by an investor group after its Chinese owner violated foreign investment regulations, has agreed to merge with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Singapore-based Tiga Investments.
Deal focus: Square Peg supports LottieFiles’ push for scale
LottieFiles has carefully cultivated an investor base that can participate in its bid to capture even more demand from companies keen to plug motion graphics into their apps and websites
Korean home interiors start-up gets $182m Series D
OHouse, a consumer-facing platform in South Korea used for sourcing materials and services relating to home furnishing and interior decorating, has raised USD 182m in Series D funding.
Australia's Shippit secures $46m Series B
Tiger Global Management, Tidal Ventures, and SecondQuarter Ventures have led an AUD 65m (USD 46m) Series B extension for Australia-based logistics software provider Shippit.
India grocery delivery start-up Zepto gets $200m
Zepto, an Indian grocery app that claims it can deliver food in 10 minutes, has raised a USD 200m round led by Y Combinator at a valuation of USD 900m.
Vulcan leads $65m Series B for Singapore's Bandlab
Vulcan Capital, an investment vehicle established by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has led a USD 65m Series B round for Singapore-based social music platform BandLab.
Profile: WestSummit Capital’s Raymond Yang
Raymond Yang’s rich entrepreneurial experience in China and the US led to the formation of WestSummit Capital. He continues to draw on this knowledge as technology ecosystems evolve
Fund focus: Openspace begins growth story
Openspace Ventures has raised USD 200m for a fund that will primarily do follow-on rounds for existing portfolio companies. There is plenty of activity, but uncertainty lurks in the background
Amazon buys VC-backed Indian social commerce player
GlowRoad, an India-based social commerce start-up that has received several rounds of VC funding, has been acquired by Amazon for an undisclosed sum.
Openspace closes SE Asia growth fund on $200m - update
Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures closed its debut growth fund on target at USD 200m in the first quarter of 2022 and has already committed nearly half the corpus.
Swiggy leads $180m Series D for India's Rapido
Indian motorcycle taxi platform Rapido has raised USD 180m in Series D funding led by local on-demand delivery platform Swiggy.
Arkam secures $106m for debut India fund
Arkam Ventures, an Indian VC firm established by Rahul Chandra, formerly of Helion Venture Partners, has closed its debut fund on USD 106m.
China consumer: Brand power vs traffic might
Private equity investment in China’s consumer sector has fluctuated over the past 18 months in line with the fortunes of portfolio companies. Applying TMT logic to brand building didn’t help
China game engine developer Cocos raises $50m
Cocos Technology, a China-based game engine developer, has raised USD 50m in Series B round from CCB Trust, GGV Capital, and voice and video communication platform Agora.
Sequoia targets USD 7.1bn for latest China vintage
Sequoia Capital has defied a difficult China fundraising environment to set a target of USD 7.1bn for its latest set of funds, which include an expansion vehicle in addition to the existing growth strategy.
Indonesia's GoTo raises $1.1b, gains 13% on debut
Indonesia-based ride-hailing service turned super app GoTo, which has numerous private equity backers, gained 13% on debut following an IDR 15.8trn (USD 1.1bn) offering on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).
Singapore parenting app raises $22m Series D
East Ventures has led a USD 22m round for Singapore’s Parentinc, which claims that its flagship brand, theAsianparent, is Southeast Asia’s largest parenting platform.
Elevation raises $670m for latest India VC fund
India-focused Elevation Capital has closed its latest early-stage fund on USD 670m on the back of a 100% increase in the firm’s pace of deployment in the past 12 months.
SeaX wins Thai corporate support for $60m second fund
SeaX Ventures – or Southeast Asia Exponential Ventures – has closed its second early-stage fund on USD 60m, surpassing the USD 50m target.
CPPIB leads $805m round for India's VerSe
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has led a USD 805m Series J round for India’s Verse Innovation, parent of media apps Dailyhunt and Josh. It is said to value the company at USD 5bn.
Deal focus: Nio Capital gets real with Nreal
Nio Capital invested in Nreal with a view to seeing the Chinese start-up’s augmented reality glasses feature in smart cockpits in next-generation cars. The company is now pushing for scale