News
Japan's iSpace raises $28m Series B
Japanese lunar exploration company iSpace has raised $28 million Series B round led by Incubate Fund.
Uncertainty deters distress investors - M&A Forum
Distress-focused investors warned that persistent economic uncertainty is making it difficult to act on opportunities even as companies run into trouble because of the coronavirus pandemic.
India space tech start-up Pixxel raises seed funding
Indian space technology start-up Pixxel, which plans to launch micro-satellites to support an Earth imaging software platform, has raised a $5 million seed round featuring Lightspeed India Partners.
Partners Group-backed SPi completes India edtech bolt-on
SPi Global, a Philippines-based enterprise technology provider controlled by Partners Group, has paid an undisclosed sum for a majority stake in Indian education technology company LearningMate.
Australia's Buildkite hits $144m valuation with Series A
US-based VCs General Catalyst and OpenView have provided A$28 million ($20 million) in Series A funding to Australian enterprise software player Buildkite at a valuation of about $144 million.
Taiwan AI player iKala gets $17m Series B
Taiwan-based IT hardware manufacturer Wistron has led a $17 million Series B round for local enterprise-facing artificial intelligence (AI) developer iKala.
China drug developer Dizal raises $100m
Chinese drug developer Dizal Pharmaceuticals has raised a $100 million round led by Lilly Asia Ventures, with participation from Sequoia Capital, Trinity Innovation Fund, and Wuxi NewForce Fund.
Southern Capital secures Malaysia creamer carve-out
Southern Capital Group has completed the MYR1 billion ($240 million) acquisition of F&B Nutrition – a producer of sweetened creamer, an oil-based equivalent of condensed milk – from Malaysian food packaging player Can-One International.
Indonesia's MDI Ventures raises $500m fund
MDI Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of state-controlled Telkom Indonesia, has closed its latest fund at $500 million.
Reliance unit acquires India's Netmeds
Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL), a company associated with Jio Platforms, has acquired Indian VC-backed drug marketplace Netmeds.
Hillhouse founder emphasizes tech transformation opportunities
The most attractive investment opportunities in a post-COVID-19 world involve helping traditional businesses that have been “victims of the creative destruction of technology” play catch-up, according to Lei Zhang, founder and CEO of Hillhouse Capital.
GL Ventures leads $130m round for China’s Biren
Biren Technology, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) chip design company, has raised a RMB900 million ($130 million) pre-Series B round led by GL Ventures, the VC unit of Hillhouse Capital.
Lightspeed closes third India fund at $275m
Lightspeed Venture Partners has closed its third India-focused fund at $275 million targeting early-stage consumer and enterprise technology start-ups.
Xiaomi-backed Soocas raises $25m pre-IPO round
Soocas, a Shenzhen-based electric toothbrush maker backed by smart phone maker Xiaomi has raised a RMB175 million ($25 million) pre-IPO round led by Grand Flight Investment Management.
Hillhouse invests $830m in China’s JD Health
Hillhouse Capital has agreed to invest $830 million in JD Health, the healthcare unit of Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com, which will remain the majority shareholder.
China children's English education platform raises $120m
Chinese children's English education platform Palfish, also known as Banyu, has raised a $120 million Series C round led by Tao Zhang, founder of Dianping.com, and FutureX Capital.
Baring Asia mulls challenging for Japan's Nichii Gakkan
Baring Private Equity Asia is poised to formally enter the bidding for Tokyo-listed aged care provider Nichii Gakkan, having approached certain shareholders regarding a JPY146 billion ($1.38 billion) deal.
Sequoia backs Indonesia MSME app
Sequoia Capital India has joined a $9 million pre-Series A round for Indonesia’s BukuKas, a bookkeeping app for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Lever VC reaches $23m first close on food fund
Lever VC, a Hong Kong and US-based food tech specialist, has confirmed a $23 million first close for its debut fund, which will invest alternative protein start-ups globally with a strong focus on China.
India’s Lumikai launches gaming VC fund
Lumikai, an Indian venture capital firm, has launched a fund targeting local gaming and interactive entertainment start-ups. The size of the fund was not disclosed.
Trio of Indian short video apps raises funding
Indian short video apps Chingari, Mitron and Trell have all received venture capital backing as they look to slowly fill a void left by the suspension of ByteDance-owned TikTok’s operations in the country.
Ant Capital targets $253m buyout of Japan's Softbrain
Ant Capital Partners has launched a tender offer for Softbrain, a Japanese sales and marketing software developer, that values the business at approximately JPY26.9 billion ($253.1 million).
Direct Capital, ACC back New Zealand logistics player
New Zealand PE firm Direct Capital and the government’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) have taken a combined 50% stake in local logistics operator Mondiale for an undisclosed sum.
Centurium buys Beijing children's hospital
Centurium Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Beijing Jingdu Children’s Hospital, which claims to be the largest privately-owned children’s hospital in China, for approximately $150 million.