Official Record
Deal focus: Topolefin finds favour as import substitution play
China-based Topolefin has gained traction thanks to breakthroughs in polymer science and the willingness of local medical equipment makers to use its components in foreign-dominated supply chains
Deal focus: Change at the margins for Proterra Asia
Proterra Asia has been investing in food and agriculture across the region for 13 years. This will continue, regardless of tweaks in management entity ownership and fund structure
Deal focus: AGIC eyes beauty with industrial characteristics
Pure Trade runs a network of third-party manufacturers that provide packaging to global beauty brands. AGIC saw an asset that sat neatly in its Asia-Europe industrial supply chain sweet spot
Fund focus: Eurazeo's climate thesis resonates with LPs
Eurazeo shattered the target for its second smart city fund thanks to an agenda that dovetails with LP interest in decarbonisation. Nine Asian LPs backed the fund and 35% of the corpus will be deployed in the region
Deal focus: Glow chooses B2B supplier for debut deal
Australia’s Glow Capital Partners took its time finding a maiden investment that ticked all the boxes of its consumer and brands strategy. This involved edging slightly down the supply chain
Deal focus: Exfinity seizes rare India robotics opportunity
India’s Exfinity Ventures stepped out of its comfort zone with Ati Motors. Now it’s helping the industrial robotics supplier go global with autonomous forklift-style machines that can roll in and out of buildings
Deal focus: Telexistence's nimble robots target retail, logistics
Japan’s Telexistence appears to be on the cusp of a significant milestone in retail automation. Local logistics tech investor Monoful is hoping to take that promise to the warehouse
Fund focus: Australia's Next thrives under the radar
Next Capital claims to have relatively free rein in Australia’s underpenetrated lower middle market. Dedication to the opportunity set underpinned a painless fundraising process for its latest vehicle
Deal focus: National team drives Hithium towards China IPO
Government and state-owned investors accounted for most, but not all, of Xiamen Hithium Energy Storage Technology’s USD 622m Series C, underlining where China’s strategic priorities lie
Deal focus: Aerofugia wins support for eVTOL tilt
China’s Tsinghua Holdings Capital (TH Capital) regards eVTOL as the best way to leverage electrification of the skies. Aerofugia became a preferred target by virtue of its Geely ties and commitment to tilt-rotor technology
Deal focus: COPE moves fast with Malaysia petfood play
Recognising a local champion in a pandemic-proof category, COPE Private Equity flipped a significant minority stake in Malaysian petfood maker Pet World in just over two years
Deal focus: Gitee aspires to be more than China's Github
FutureX Capital got onto Gitee’s shareholder register by suggesting a separation from Baidu. Now, FutureX is backing the company to leverage its status as China’s dominant open-source software player
Deal focus: Nothing's swift evolution into something
A global brand developed by a European-Chinese founder, Nothing has made its presence felt on the idiosyncratic edges of the smart phone market. Investors have responded positively
Fund focus: Epiq renews brute force India tech strategy
Epiq Capital has closed its second VC fund aimed at identifying India’s future tech unicorns early and buying in when the path to a large IPO comes into focus. Access and selection are the secret sauce
Deal focus: L Catterton sees value in the Drools recipe
Indian pet food producer Drools is the runaway leader among local brands, trailing only multinational mainstay Mars. The challenge for L Catterton was persuading a profitable company to take its money
Deal focus: LeapFrog taps Asian appetite for impact
A multi-fund commitment from Hong Kong’s AIA Group to LeapFrog Investments underscores growing interest in impact strategies among Asian LPs as they hone social mandates
Deal focus: How to go global as a neighbourhood shop
Singapore’s Madly, a tech-enabled but e-commerce-averse jeweller, knows that future family heirlooms must be sold with a personal touch. In East Ventures, it felt a rare simpatico
Deal focus: PCG brings light to industrial use cases
Incubated by property developers and backed by a string of specialist investors, distributed power start-up PCG Power is looking to instal solar panels on the rooftops of China’s factories
Deal focus: Serving coffee at scale in China
M Stand has added another twist to China’s coffee chain growth story, rooting its value proposition in offline experience and leveraging online capabilities to achieve speed and efficiency
Deal focus: Allegro reheats the pie
Allegro Funds has exited Pizza Hut Australia to a US trade buyer, having won over a franchisee network that had turned on Yum Brands, upgraded the digital offering, and doubled network sales
Deal focus: Atomberg basks in consumer breakthrough
Home appliances manufacturer Atomberg defied the naysayers in building a hardware-focused consumer brand out of India. Its USD 86m Series C will support product and capacity expansion
Deal focus: Prosperity7 supports gradual ascent to L4
Saudi Aramco-owned Prosperity7 Ventures has made two investments in Hyperview this year, based on appreciation for the company’s commercially oriented approach to autonomous driving
Deal focus: Evermos extends impact to social commerce
Indonesia’s Evermos has more than doubled its total funding as investors see promise in a social commerce model that prioritises cottage industries and underemployed women
Deal focus: U Power wins backing for EV turnkey proposition
China’s U Power has developed an integrated chassis as a cost-effective foundation on which electric vehicle makers can build their own creations. Government and independent investors are piling in