Venture
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Food tech: Irresistible recipes
Food technology is a virtually endless horizon of profound and unignorable investment imperatives mistaken as a niche category. Alternative protein is the first opportunity set to gain serious traction
Endiya reaches $40m first close of second India VC fund
Endiya Partners, an early-stage VC investor based in India, has achieved a first close of $40 million for its second fund. The target is $70 million.
Deal focus: Chezhubang fills its tank
Chezhubang has found a way into China's fuel retail market with an app that helps drivers find the cheapest gas stations
BlueChilli launches health-tech accelerator in Singapore
Australia’s BlueChilli has launched a health-tech accelerator in Singapore in cooperation with the local government as part of a broader pivot toward the region.
Eight Roads appoints Southeast Asia head
Eight Roads Ventures, the proprietary investment arm of Fidelity International, has named Dave Ng as its head of Southeast Asia based in Singapore.
Australian online tutoring start-up gets $14m Series A
Cluey Learning, an Australian start-up that provides personalized online tuition services for elementary through high school students, has raised A$20 million ($14 million) in Series A funding from Allectus Capital and Thorney Investment Group.
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving Pantera Capital, Third Rock Ventures, Hillhouse Capital, XVC, Angel Plus, SIG, Maxim Capital, Panda Capital, Baidu Ventures, and Matrix Partners China
China tech valuations: Unnatural acts
China’s tech sector is gripped by uncertainty, but some GPs will do anything to avoid marking down their portfolios. LPs are entitled to ask whether unicorns are still worthy of a billion-dollar valuation
Capital Today leads round for Chinese convenience store chain
China-based convenience store chain operator Linji has raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Capital Today China Group, with participation from existing investor Source Code Capital.
China success requires trusted partners – Lip-Bu Tan
Lip-Bu Tan, founder of Walden International, advised delegates at Intel Capital’s global summit to prioritize trust in local partners when considering investments in China.
Preferred equity: Last in, first out
Issuing preferred equity to secondary investors is a short-cut to liquidity for China VCs with valuable portfolios but few exits. The strategy isn’t universally popular, but what will it take for GPs to make the leap?
Vietnam’s VinaCapital backs two local tech start-ups
Vietnam’s VinaCapital has made investments of undisclosed size in two local start-ups - financial technology provider Wee Digital and marketing services player UrBox.
500 Startups Japan rebrands, launches $45m fund
The Japan-based team of 500 Startups has spun out a separate firm called Coral Capital and announced a debut fund with about $45 million in commitments.
Singapore investors launch $100m fintech fund
Singapore-based investors Quantum Energy Asset Management and RE Lee International Capital have launched a fund targeting $100 million for early to growth-stage financial technology start-ups.
Fund focus: EVP mines Australia’s budding VC space
Driven by an existing portfolio that includes workforce management platform Deputy, Australia's EVP successfully tapped high net worth investors for its $25 million second fund
Alliance backs China EV player PowerShare
Alliance Ventures, a VC firm created by Renault, Nissan Motor and Mitsubishi Motors, has confirmed an investment of undisclosed size in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) technology supplier PowerShare.
Deal focus: Legend backs Mancando’s offline network
Legend Capital sees Mancando's extensive network of brick-and-mortar outlets as the key to bringing greater supply chain efficiency to the Chinese auto parts industry
Thailand's Beacon leads $6.5m round for local fintech player
Beacon Venture Capital, the VC unit of Thailand’s Kasikornbank, has led a $6.5 million investment in Jitta, a local financial technology provider and stock analysis platform operator.
VC documentation: Standardizing small print
The rapid growth of venture capital in Southeast Asia has fostered the emergence of varied working practices. Singapore’s model investment agreements are intended to help bring order to chaos
1955 Capital leads Series A for sustainable foods specialist
1955 Capital, a cross-border PE firm that invests in US and European technologies with application potential in Asia, has led a $33 million Series A round for edible protein developer Sustainable Bioproducts.
Australian courier services player Sendle gets Series B
Federation Asset Management – a group headed by the former head of Macquarie Capital’s principal investment division in Australia and New Zealand – has led a A$20 million ($14.5 million) Series B for Australian courier services player Sendle.
Internal affairs: China VCs and relationship management
Recent troubles in China’s autonomous driving space highlight the challenges venture capital investors face in picking the right founders to back and then managing those relationships in a productive way
Immunochina secures $20.5m Series C round
Beijing-based Immunochina Pharmaceuticals has closed a RMB140 million ($20.5 million) Series C round with support from a group of investors including PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
China VC firm Qiming announces promotions
China’s Qiming Venture Partners has announced the promotion of several staff members, including Stella Zhou (pictured), who is the first person to be elevated from associate to partner within the firm.