Official Record
Deal focus: KKR brings impact to the classroom
EQuest Education has enlarged its K-12 school footprint in Vietnam through a string of acquisitions. KKR continues to support this consolidation effort via its global impact investment strategy
Deal focus: Chalo thinks beyond the bus stop
India bus-tracking app Chalo is helping fleet operators eliminate fraud and improve efficiency while giving passengers greater visibility on services. It is keen to scale – geographically and vertically
Deal focus: Go aims to bring Japan's taxis up to speed
Goldman Sachs-backed taxi-hailing platform Go wants to address Japan’s taxi driver shortage and bring digitalisation to an industry that remains rooted in an analogue world
Deal focus: Investcorp finds optimal entry point with Jianuo
Investcorp negotiated its debut China control deal in the shadow of COVID-19 but expects to see long-term gains through the target company’s exposure to electric vehicles and renewable energy
Deal focus: PrimeMovers buys Malaysia machinist in debut deal
PrimeMovers, which spun out from Platinum Equity last year, and UK-based Lingotto Investment Management have jointly acquired Malaysian precision manufacturing company EngTek
Fund focus: Foreign LPs creep into Japan VC
Japan’s Dimension has closed its first fund since spinning out from Dream Incubator, more than doubling its prior vintage and tracking increased interest among regional institutional investors
Deal focus: Indonesia food delivery goes daily
Indonesia’s Uena claims to have penetrated an untapped corner of Indonesia’s booming app-driven food delivery space. Scaling shouldn’t be overly costly, but there are menu-level nuances to consider
Fund focus: Patience pays for off for Movac
New Zealand VC firm Movac has exceeded expectations with its latest vintage, trading individuals and families for institutions, some of which are entering the asset class for the first time
Deal focus: Ace Turtle says so long to SaaS
Ace Turtle never wanted to be India’s answer to Amazon, but it has moved from software provider to supply chain coordinator while stepping back from international markets. Investors are not deterred
Fund focus: Chiratae eyes global growth
Chiratae Ventures has raised a growth-stage fund to participate in later-stage rounds for Indian portfolio companies that are becoming ever larger and ever more international in their outlook
Fund focus: Integra focuses on the fintech layer
One of few sector specialists in market populated by Indonesia-focused generalists, Integra Partners has fashioned a differentiated investment narrative. LPs committed $90m to the cause
Fund focus: Globis doubles down on Japan VC thesis
Having raised nearly twice as much for Fund VII as it did for Fund VI, Globis Capital Partners plans to back more portfolio companies through growth-stage rounds and help them realise global ambitions
Fund focus: Advantage moves fast, scales up
Japan’s Advantage Partners deployed Fund VI faster than expected and only some LPs wanting to delay commitments for budgetary reasons prevented a swift final close on Fund VII
Deal focus: CBC gets counterintuitive in China
CBC Group has helped multiple start-ups move from in-licensing to drug development to commercialisation. With China’s Hasten, it is navigating this tried-and-tested journey in reverse
Deal focus: Chamlion leaves its mark on 3D printing
The dental industry was one of few areas in which China’s army of 3D printing start-ups found sufficient addressable demand. Chamlion has risen to the top of the pile by virtue of a timely services pivot
Deal focus: Excavating the lithosphere
Australia’s Investible is helping lithium processor Novalith clean up one of the dirtiest links in the electric vehicle supply chain. The science appears sound, but can it stay clean as it scales?
Fund focus: Aquilius targets Asia's secondaries gap
Aquilius Investment Partners, a real estate secondaries investor, is tracking significant, opportunistic private equity deal flow in the current exit malaise. Diversification is the theme of the maiden fund
Deal focus: Bibo puts the smart into chassis
Tsinghua University spinout Bibo has stolen a march on its local rivals in developing a specific electric vehicle component that has a large addressable market and serves as an import substitution play
Deal focus: The SoftBank effect, one step removed
The new owners of SoftBank Ventures Asia are cut from the same cloth – and even come from the same family – as the VC firm’s corporate parent. They aspire to reconfigure Asia’s tech ecosystem
Fund focus: Iron Pillar takes India SaaS to the world
Iron Pillar has secured USD 129m for what it claims is the first India venture-growth fund dedicated to supporting local companies with global software and cloud infrastructure solutions
Deal focus: Goldman secures $1bn exit from India's ReNew
Goldman Sachs has clocked a healthy return from ReNew Energy Global after helping the company diversify its offering and navigate the regulatory pitfalls of India’s renewables space
Deal focus: Qiming bets on resilience in China's coffee space
Qiming Venture Partners has doubled down on Chinese coffee brand Tasogare, identifying a consumer category endowed with rare advantages and poised to benefit from a broader domestic retail rebound
Deal focus: Hong Kong's Gryfyn issues web3 passport
Gryfyn, the latest project from Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, has attracted several VC investors, most of which are not existing backers of its parent. The mission is simple: expand the metaverse
Deal focus: Kredivo cuts through SE Asia growth-stage gloom
Indonesian consumer credit operator Kredivo has punctuated the VC doldrums with an ecosystem-encouraging pre-IPO round. Investors point to low customer acquisition costs as key to the success