Venture
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Japan's Globis closes Fund VII on $544m
Japanese venture capital firm Globis Capital Partners (GCP) has closed its seventh fund on JPY 72.7bn (USD 544m), nearly twice what it raised in the previous vintage.
Deal focus: Pakistan’s Dastgyr aspires to emulate Alibaba
SOSV sees parallels between the e-commerce awakenings in Pakistan and China, though 20 years apart. Dastgyr has positioned itself at the fore, but it wants to be asset-light rather than asset-heavy
Sequoia raises $2.85b for India, Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital has raised USD 2.85bn for its latest set of India and Southeast Asia-focused funds, which includes the firm’s first-ever dedicated Southeast Asia vehicle.
Australia's AirTree collects $494m for fourth fund
AirTree Ventures has completed the largest-ever venture capital fundraise in Australia and New Zealand, gathering AUD 700m (USD 494m) across three vehicles.
2022 preview: Japan VC
Japanese VC is growing up fast and looking a little less homogenous in the process. A longstanding growth-stage gap is about to disappear as new actors file in
China’s Dayone Capital closes debut fund at $630m
Dayone Capital, a Chinese consumer-focused PE firm established by Allen Chen, founder of eyewear brand Mujosh and co-founder of BA Capital, has closed its debut fund at $630 million.
Unicorn raises $450m for VC fund-of-funds
China-focused venture capital fund-of-funds Unicorn Capital Partners has closed its latest vehicle at the hard cap of $450 million. The process took six months and the fund was oversubscribed
Fund focus: Main Sequence differentiates by going deep
Australia’s Main Sequence Ventures, a government-established VC, has raised 100% of its second fund with outside capital. It credits much of the success to the high barriers of hard science
Ince seeks $450 million for second China VC fund
Ince Capital is preparing to launch its second China venture capital fund with a target of $450 million, less than 18 months after closing its debut vehicle.
Shunwei leads $22m round for Chinese fruit tea brand
Chinese fruit tea brand Sweet7 has raised RMB150 million ($22 million) in funding led by Shunwei Capital, with participation from Insight Fund, a vehicle launched by financial advisor MM Capital.
Linear raises $200m for China VC fund
Chinese venture capital firm Linear Capital has closed its fourth US dollar-denominated fund at nearly $200 million, taking its overall assets under management to $400 million.
Fund focus: Wavemaker turns crisis into opportunity
Wavemaker Partners overcome COVID-19 uncertainty to close its latest fund at $111 million. Enterprise-facing and deep technology companies in Southeast Asia are likely targets
Deal focus: DRX wants e-sports to surf the Korean wave
Investors are backing DRX to generate international buzz for e-sports in Korea, following in the footsteps of K-pop, K-food and K-beauty. Overseas interest is already mounting
China semiconductor: The chips are up
Excluded from US supply chains, China is looking to satisfy its semiconductor appetite from within. Domestic start-ups can command huge valuations, but are they sustainable?
Openspace completes first close on Southeast Asia VC fund
Openspace Ventures has achieved a first close of more than $90 million on its third Southeast Asia fund, which has an overall target of $200 million.
China’s Unity Ventures hits first close on US dollar fund
Chinese venture capital firm Unity Ventures - also known as Jiuhe - has reached a first close of $50 million on its debut US dollar-denominated fund. The vehicle has an overall target of $100 million.
Software vs non-software: Digital distractions
Venture capital investors gravitate towards software start-ups, attracted by dynamic founding teams and readily scalable propositions. But should they be devoting more time and resources to hardware and biotech?
Deal focus: A91 spices up its portfolio
In backing spices maker Pushp, A91 Partners has gained exposure to what might be the most profitable segment of India's broader food space, with margins comparable to those for cosmetics
Korea commits $1.7b to start-up ecosystem
Korea has committed KRW2.1 trillion ($1.7 billion) to local start-ups in biotechnology and non-contact technologies as part of a KRW5.8 trillion private sector COVID-19 recovery agenda.
Deal focus: Bobobox rethinks budget hotels
Bobobox's flexible solution to accommodation for frontline healthcare workers in Indonesia led to support from the Li Ka Shing Foundation and helped secure a Series A from Li's Horizons Ventures
China enterprise software: PaaS vs SaaS
Platform-as-a-service has become the flavor of the month in China’s software industry, but there can be a big difference between what start-ups are and what they claim to be
Indian industry body proposes $3.3b state VC fund for start-ups
The Startup Association of India (SAI) has called on the government to bolster an existing state-backed venture capital fund and commit INR250 billion ($3.3 billion) to local companies.
Cross-border tech pollination: Mutually assured disruption
Southeast Asia and Latin America are trying to leverage complementary aspects of their start-up ecosystems, much like China and Africa before them. These endeavors are not as straightforward as they might seem