News
China's Vitalbridge reaches $200m first close on Fund II
Vitalbridge Capital, a China-based venture capital firm that spun out from Trustbridge Partners, has achieved a first close of $200 million on its second US dollar-denominated fund.
Asia digital assets platform Matrixport hits $1b valuation
Matrixport, a two-year-old crypto financial services platform based in Singapore, has closed a $100 million Series C round at a valuation of $1 billion.
GA, Dragoneer lead $250m Series B for Vietnam's VNLife
General Atlantic and Dragoneer Investment Group have led a $250 million Series B round for Vietnamese financial technology provider VNLife.
Ofbusiness becomes India's 18th unicorn of 2021
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led $160 million Series E funding round for OfBusiness, an India-based B2B platform focused on industrial supply chain and procurement services, at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
India education platform Unacademy raises $440m
India-based education platform Unacademy has closed a $440 million funding round – at a valuation of $3.44 billion – led by Temasek Holdings.
EQT pursues $2.2b Australia software take-private
Iress, an Australia-listed software developer that serves the financial services sector, has invited EQT to conduct further due diligence following receipt of a take-private offer worth up to A$3 billion ($2.2 billion).
CMC invests $93m in China liquor brand
Forty-Nine Union, a Chinese liquor brand, has raised a Series B round of RMB600 million ($93 million) from CMC Capital Group. There were no other participants in the round.
PAG raises $525m for second China growth fund
PAG has closed its second growth fund, which makes middle-market investments – predominantly in China – that fall below the minimum check size for its pan-Asian vehicle at $525 million.
India crypto platform raises $25m Series A
Indian cryptocurrency borrowing and lending platform Vauld has raised a $25 million Series A round led by Valar Ventures, a firm co-founded by PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel.
Navis raises $900m for Fund VIII, closes Fund VI continuation
Navis Capital Partners has closed its eighth regional fund at $900 million, while also securing $450 million for a continuation vehicle that features five companies from its sixth fund.
Sequoia China leads $100m Series B for Bota Biosciences
Sequoia Capital China had led a $100 million Series B round for Bota Biosciences, a China-based biotech company that has developed a next-generation platform for manufacturing high-performing industrial compounds.
TDM, Sequoia lead Series F for Australia's Culture Amp
Culture Amp, an Australia-headquartered enterprise technology provider specializing in human resources (HR), has $100 million in Series F funding at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
Japan sneaker marketplace raises $56m
SoftBank Ventures Asia has led a JPY6.2 billion ($56.4 million) Series C round for Japanese sneaker marketplace and e-commerce start-up Soda.
CPPIB's Asia head handed global PE role
Suyi Kim, head of Asia Pacific at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), has been named senior managing director and global head of private equity.
India's Droom secures pre-IPO funding at $1.2b valuation
India-based automobile marketplace Droom has raised $200 million in the first tranche of a pre-IPO funding round that values the company at $1.2 billion.
Airwallex founders launch VC fund
The founders of Hong Kong-headquartered financial technology provider Airwallex, which has received $500 million in VC funding, have launched their own venture capital fund.
GIC invests $240m in Arctic Green Energy
Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC has committed $240 million to Arctic Green Energy (AGE), an Iceland-based geothermal energy developer that has already received substantial Chinese backing.
Everstone backs $1b India data center JV
Everstone Group has teamed up with data center operator Yondr Group to invest $1 billion in facilities across India, leveraging the country’s push for greater data localization.
NewQuest buys secondary position in India hospital chain
Direct secondaries specialist NewQuest Capital Partners has acquired a minority stake in Cloudnine, an India-based hospital chain, by committing primary capital and taking out several existing investors.
China automotive chip maker Semidrive raises $154m
Semidrive Technology, a specialist semiconductor manufacturer for the automotive industry, has raised RMB1 billion ($154 million) in Series B funding led by Pro Capital and V Fund.
India B2C messaging start-up Gupshup raises $240m
Gupshup, an India-based messaging services provider, has received $240 million from Fidelity, Think Investments, Malabar Investments, Harbor Spring Capital, Neuberger Berman, and White Oak.
Indonesia grocery platform HappyFresh closes $65m Series D
Indonesia-based grocery platform HappyFresh has closed a $65 million Series D round led by Korean internet giant Naver and Netherlands-based investor Gafina.
India's Trifecta hits $130m first close on VC fund
Indian venture debt firm Trifecta Capital has reached a first close of $130 million for its debut VC fund after three months in the market. The target is $200 million.
India's ShareChat raises additional $145m
Temasek Holdings, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Mirae Asset Global Investments have led a $145 million Series F round for Indian social media platform ShareChat at a valuation of $3 billion.