News
NSI Ventures leads round for Singapore insurance marketplace
NSI Ventures, the VC unit of Northstar Group, has led Series A round of funding worth $8 million for Asian insurance and wellness marketplace CXA, alongside consumer and technology fund F&H and healthcare investor BioVeda.
YJ Capital invests $3.4m in Japanese online laundry service
WhitePlus - the Japanese start-up behind an online laundry service called Lenet - has managed to raise JPY408 million ($3.4 million) from Yahoo! Japan's corporate investment arm, YJ Capital.
Japanese app monetization platform raises $36m Series C round
Metaps, a Japanese start-up that provides an app monetization platform using artificial intelligence (AI), has raised a $36 million Series C round of funding.
Greenhill to buy secondaries advisor Cogent
Boutique investment bank Greenhill & Co. has agreed to buy Cogent Partners, a global financial advisor specializing in the private equity secondary market, for up to $97.6 million.
KIP leads $10m Series A round for China cosmetics review app
Korean Investment Partners (KIP), South Korea’s biggest venture capital firm, has led a $10 million Series A round of investment for Cosmeapp, a Chinese mobile app that provides cosmetics reviews.
Australian biotech start-up raises $20m Series B round
Vaxxas, an Australian biotechnology start-up developing a novel vaccination platform, has raised a A$25 million ($20 million) Series B round of funding from a group of new and existing investors led by OneVentures.
Creador invests $16.2 m in India's Ashiana Housing
Southeast Asia and India-focused GP Creador has paid INR1 billion ($16.2 million) for a minority stake in Ashiana Housing, a publicly-listed Indian property developer.
China’s Heaven-Sent Capital invests $32m in media enterprise
Chinese private equity firm Heaven-Sent Capital has invested RMB200 million ($32 million) in Great Wall Movie and Television, a Shenzhen-listed television and movie producer.
SAIF, Innovation Works back China healthcare start-up
SAIF Partners and Innovation Works have provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing Dnurse Technology, a Chinese company that develops technology used to track sugar levels in the body.
INCJ to invest up to $27m in Japan DNA research start-up
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) will invest up to JPY3.3 billion ($27 million) in Quantum Biosystem (QB), a VC-backed Japanese start-up that develops instruments used to automate the DNA sequencing process.
Placement agent Monument hires Amundsson in Hong Kong
Monument Group has hired Niklas Amundsson, formerly of MVision, as a managing director in its Hong Kong office, which officially opened early last year.
Warburg Pincus exits China Tulip Media via trade sale
Warburg Pincus has fully exited Chinese outdoor advertising firm Tulip Media Corporation following an acquisition by Shanghai New Culture Media Group.
Japan messaging app Line launches $42m investment fund
Japanese messaging app developer Line Corporation has launched a JPY5 billion ($42 million) investment fund to invest in start-ups.
Australian pension funds most aggressive on alternatives – study
Australia’s superannuation funds have been the most aggressive of the major global pension players in developing alternatives exposure over the last 10 years, according a new study.
Equis raises $1.7b for Asia energy, infrastructure investments
Asia-focused energy and infrastructure GP Equis Funds Group has closed its second fund at $1 billion and also raised $300 million for a follow-on vehicle to Fund I and $400 million for two existing platform investments.
UK's Amadeus picks Bhavani Rana to lead new India office
UK tech-focused VC firm Amadeus Capital Partners hired Intel Capital's Bhavanipratap (Bhavani) Rana as partner and head of India operations as it opens a new office in Bangalore.
Lightbox leads $20m round for India QSR chain
Lightbox Ventures has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Faaso's Food Service, a tech-enabled quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain based in India.
India mobile recharge platform FreeCharge raises $80m
Two hedge funds, San Francisco-based Valiant Capital Management and Hong Kong’s Tybourne Capital Management, have participated in an $80 million Series C round for Indian mobile top-up platform FreeCharge.
Alibaba to invest $590m in China smart phone maker Meizu
Alibaba Group has agreed to invest $590 million for a minority stake in Meizu Technology, a Chinese smart-phone maker.
Renren backs China used car platform Cheyipai
Chinese social networking platform Renren has led $110 million Series D round of funding for Cheyipai, a Chinese second-hand car trading platform.
Sequoia leads $60m round for China construction site
Sequoia Capital has led a $60 million funding round for Wangzhu Corporation, an online construction services provider controlled by Chinese property developer Greentown Group.
Rocket Internet buys up Asia food delivery platforms
Online food delivery provider Foodpanda has acquired peers in seven Asian markets and become part of a global platform created by its parent, Rocket Internet.
Japan's GPIF appoints new head of investment strategy
Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has named Atsushi Ikari as director general of its investment strategy department, replacing Tokihiko Shimizu.
Japanese mobile games developer MyNet raises $6.2m
MyNet, a Japanese mobile games developer, has raised JPY730 million ($6.2 million) from a slew of investors including B Dash Ventures, SMBC Venture Capital, Shinsei Corporate Investment, and Sumitomo Mitsui Bank.