Official Record
Deal focus: China SaaS gets specific
Investors are gradually returning to China’s software-as-a-service space with an appetite for industry specialists rather than generalists. The CDH Investments-led Series B for 1Data is a case in point
Deal focus: WorldLink reaches into Nepal’s hinterlands
British International Investment and Dolma Fund Management are supporting WorldLink’s rollout of internet services in Nepal, having been impressed how the company handled COVID-19
Deal focus: India’s IIFL plans hospital expansion
India’s IIFL Asset Management is taking its private equity business deeper into healthcare with Kauvery Hospitals. The plan is to double patient capacity and IPO within three years
Deal focus: GL Capital plots careful China carve-out
GL Capital worked quietly but industriously to secure a leveraged buyout of China-based contract manufacturer Foryou Medical Devices – even using renminbi financing to avoid US dollar interest rate exposure
Deal focus: Glimmer in a dormant Pakistani ecosystem
Pakistan’s Trukkr quietly spent a hardscrabble pre-seed period building infrastructure while competitors leveraged a short-lived VC boom to grow quickly. The patience appears set to pay off
Deal focus: K-wave media savvy explores new markets
Korean audience interaction technology provider Bemyfriends hopes a sizeable Series A round led by Cleveland Avenue, a lifestyle-focused VC firm in the US, will jumpstart a global expansion
Deal focus: Mapping malls and metaverses
Mapxus sees indoor maps of high-traffic areas in high-density cities as the last piece of infrastructure to digitalise. The Hong Kong start-up has won corporate and VC backing to expand region-wide
Deal focus: Qiming backs Chinese GPT pioneer
Frontis.ai is a Chinese start-up founded by local entrepreneur who helped lay the groundwork for ChatGPT in the US. Qiming Venture Partners was won over by its product conception capabilities
Deal focus: Tiamat innovates around words and pictures
Tiamat originated from a Chinese college student’s experimentation with nascent text-to-image artificial intelligence technology. DCM China and VitalBridge Capital believe it will cut through the industry hype
Deal focus: Digital marketing piggybacks e-commerce boom
Malaysian digital marketing specialist Involve Asia is making hay as regional e-commerce shows no signs of slowing. Fresh VC support will guide inorganic expansion amidst erratically trendy user behaviour
Deal focus: Going regional to fill the coding gap
NxtWave is helping India’s massive engineering community get up to snuff in much-needed software-related skillsets. This is most difficult and most rewarding in lower-tier cities
Deal focus: Indian drone maker takes flight
Recently launched Indian VC firm SphitiCap is making a high-conviction investment in local industrial drone maker Garuda Aerospace. It hopes a sizeable debut fund will help carry the start-up to IPO
Deal focus: Affine builds software for an office beyond Office
Affine is one of many start-ups working on a set of collaborative tools to replace Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Its open-source model struck a chord with investors at a time when capital is scarce
Deal focus: Small is beautiful at Quantum Brilliance
Australia-based Quantum Brilliance has raised USD 18m in pre-Series A funding on the back of technological breakthrough that delivers quantum computing without large-scale cooling infrastructure
Deal focus: Loam Bio’s agri-climate offering resonates with investors
Soil carbon sequestration specialist Loam Bio’s Series B is the largest ever seen in Australian agricultural technology. The company’s backers expect it to go big and go global
Deal focus: Zypp aims for the EV fast lane
Zypp Electric’s USD 25m Series B comes on the back of a business model pivot, a pandemic-driven boom, and a tie-up with its lead investor to put swappable batteries into its two-wheelers
Deal focus: Taking electrification to China’s skies
TCab Tech has won USD 15m in funding to bankroll its electric-powered alternative to helicopters. The path to market might be relatively short, but the wait for revenue will be longer
Deal focus: Adamantem extends Retail Zoo’s PE story
Adamantem Capital bought Retail Zoo from Bain Capital with a view to continuing the rollout in Australia and overseas while potentially picking up more food and beverage brands
Deal focus: EdenFarm rethinks Indonesian agriculture
EdenFarm is tackling Indonesia’s fragmented agribusiness space with a B2B fresh produce marketplace that not only helps distribute crops, but helps them grow in the first place
Deal focus: Serving the sole trader
Accounting software provider Hnry has built up a following among freelancers and self-employed tradespeople in New Zealand and Australia. A USD 25m Series B will help it look further afield
Fund focus: ChrysCapital accumulates $1.4b India war chest
For ChrysCapital Partners, raising India’s largest private equity fund reflects the growth in the economy and in the investment opportunity, with bigger deals across more sectors on the agenda
Deal focus: Newlink doubles down on new direction
Having established itself in China’s gas station services space, Newlink Group embraced the electric vehicle opportunity when it arrived. A spinout, reverse merger, and more capital were the result
Deal focus: Orchestra seeks the right recipe for KFC Korea
Having secured permission to do sub-franchising and to make alterations to menus and store formats, Orchestra Private Equity believes it can succeed with KFC Korea where others failed
Deal focus: Secondary investors support Capital Square, Basil merger
Capital Square Partners and Basil Technology Partners have joined forces, with HarbourVest Partners, NewQuest Capital Partners, and Committed Advisors backing a USD 700m fund comprising Asia IT services investments from both GPs