News
Blue Owl recruits Pak-Seng Lai from UBS
Blue Owl Capital, a US alternatives manager expanding its Hong Kong operations, has hired Pak-Seng Lai, a managing director at UBS, to head its Asia Pacific private wealth business.
India's Chiratae seeks USD 700m for VC, growth funds
Chiratae Ventures is looking to raise USD 700m for deployment in India’s technology sector with the addition of an opportunity fund – to participate in mid to late-stage rounds – alongside its core VC vehicle.
Southeast Asia cosmetics brand Y.O.U raises $40m
Hidden Hill Capital - a private equity firm established by warehouse operator GLP - has led a USD 40m Series C round for Southeast Asian cosmetics brand Y.O.U.
Apax backs China tax SaaS player Yunzhangfang
Yunzhangfang, a China-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider specialising in corporate tax and financial management, has raised close to USD 100m in Series E funding from Apax Partners.
India's Uniphore raises $400m Series E
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has led a USD 400m Series E round for Uniphore, an India and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer focused on speech recognition.
Vision Fund leads $144m round for Singapore lending platform
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a USD 144m equity round for Singapore small business lending platform Funding Societies.
Silver Lake wins approval for New Zealand rugby deal
Silver Lake has won approval for a NZD 200m (USD 134m) investment in the commercial arm of New Zealand rugby, reflecting a recent upswing in global private equity involvement in sport in Asia.
Singapore's Sylvan buys four local healthcare companies
Sylvan Group, a Singaporean private equity firm set up by Hyundai scion Kyungsun Chung, has acquired majority stakes in four local healthcare companies for USD 140.5m. These represent its first investments.
New Zealand's Soul Machines raises $70m
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a USD 70m round for New Zealand-based Soul Machines, which specialises in creating lifelike digital employees for customer engagement.
SE Asia commerce finance platform Akulaku gets $100m
Akulaku, an Indonesia-based digital finance platform backed by the likes of Qiming Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital India, has received a USD 100m investment from Thailand’s Siam Commercial Bank (SCB).
China truck smart devices manufacturer raises $200m
G7 Networks, a Chinese company that uses smart devices to track cargo trucks, has raised a USD 200m round led by Trustbridge Partners, and State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC). Several existing investors re-upped.
Blackstone buys majority stake in Indian wealth manager
The Blackstone Group has acquired a majority stake in Indian wealth manager Ask Investment Managers, taking out positions held by Advent International and other investors.
Vision Fund leads Series D for China's Sobot
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a USD 100m Series D round for Sobot, a China-based customer service software provider. Other investors include GL Ventures, Yunqi Partners, and Mirae Asset Financial Group.
US GP invests $30m in Australia's Protecht
US venture capital and private equity firm Arrowroot Capital has invested AUD 42m (USD 30m) in Australian enterprise risk management software and services provider Protecht Group.
Singapore's Next Gen Foods raises $100m Series A
Singapore-based Next Gen Foods, maker of vegetarian chicken brand Tindle, has raised a USD 100m Series A round featuring GGV Capital and Temasek Holdings’ Asia Sustainable Foods Platform.
Australia impact GP hits $48m first close on debut fund
Australian impact investment firm For Purpose Investment Partners (FPIP) has reached a first close of AUD 67m (USD 48m) on its debut fund, which has an overall target of AUD 250m.
KKR to raise Asia growth fund in 2022
KKR expects to raise a growth-stage fund in Asia – first flagged more than two years ago – in 2022 as part of ongoing efforts to boost its presence in the region across multiple strategies.
Altara raises $130m for Southeast Asia VC fund
Altara Ventures, a Singapore-based firm set up in 2020 by Boon Hwee Koh, former chairman of Singapore Airlines, Singapore Telecom, and DBS Bank, has closed its debut fund at USD 130m.
Monk's Hill names new partner in Indonesia
Singapore-based Monk’s Hill Ventures has appointed Jakarta native Susli Lie as a partner responsible for building the firm’s Indonesia business.
Coller secures $1.4b for global credit secondaries fund
Coller Capital has raised approximately USD 1.4bn for its debut global private credit secondaries fund, said to be the largest pool of capital dedicated to the strategy.
Indonesia's AC Ventures hires Helen Wong as venture partner
Helen Wong, previously a China and Southeast Asia-focused partner at GGV Ventures and Qiming Venture Partners, has joined Indonesia’s AC Ventures as a senior advisor and venture partner.
SoftBank leads Series A for China cashier-less vendor
SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA) has led a CNY 300m (USD 47m) Series A for Feng1, a China-based cashier-less vendor start-up. CICC Capital and Shenzhen Capital Group also participated.
Korea's Shinsegae raises another $251m for e-commerce platform
SSG.com, the e-commerce platform of South Korean retailer Shinsegae Group, raised an additional KRW 300bn (USD 251m) from existing backers Affinity Equity Partners and BRV Capital Management.
Korea's Envisioning Partners raises $64m climate tech fund
Envisioning Partners, a Korean impact venture capital firm set up last year, has raised KRW 76.8bn (USD 64m) for a climate-focused tech fund, beating a target of USD 60m.