Investments
China medical devices manufacturer LavaMed raises $40m
SuZhou LavaMed, a China-based medical devices manufacturer, has raised USD 40m in angel and Series A funding from Zhejiang Silk Road Fund, Junshang Capital, and Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV).
Goldman invests in KKR-owned Goodpack as part of refinancing
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has made a structured investment in Goodpack, a Singapore-based container manufacturer controlled by KKR, as part of a broader refinancing transaction.
Japan's Sparx leads $50m round for Singapore IoT start-up
Japan’s Sparx Group has led an investment in Singapore-based internet-of-things (IoT) developer UnaBiz. It completes a USD 50m Series B round that started in October last year.
Square Peg, Wellington back Australia's Rokt at $2.4b valuation
Square Peg Capital and Wellington Management have led a AUD 750m (USD 501m) investment in Australian e-commerce marketing technology provider Rokt at a valuation of USD 2.4bn.
KKR-backed EQuest buys Vietnam school operator
EQuest Education, a Vietnam-based operator of bilingual schools backed by KKR, has acquired a controlling interest in industry peer Khoi Nguyen Education Group (KNE).
Australian needle-free vaccine start-up raises $23m
OneVentures and UniQuest have led a AUD 34m (USD 23m) funding round for Vaxxas, an Australia-based biotechnology company running clinical programmes that include a needle-free COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Temasek, A91, Kae back $135m round for India's HealthKart
Temasek Holdings, A91 Partners, and Kae Capital have invested USD 135m in Indian omnichannel wellness products retailer HealthKart.
Deal focus: Prosperity7 widens mandate with Australia’s Vow
Prosperity7 Ventures has well and truly escaped its energy sector roots, leading a hefty early-stage round for Australia’s Vow, a company making cell-cultured meat with a twist
Asia secondaries: Layers and structures
With private market valuations yet to see a meaningful reset in Asia and heightened risk factors in China, investors are exploring ways to drive secondary deal flow by closing the bid-ask spread
China CRO Safe Pharma gets $71m Series D
Safe Pharmaceutical Research Institute, a Beijing-based clinic research organization (CRO) focused on novel drugs, has raised a CNY500m (USD 71m) Series D round led by SDIC Venture Capital and China State-owned Venture Capital Fund.
Carlyle sells Japanese snacks maker to D Capital
The Carlyle Group has exited its 100% stake in Japanese snack maker Oyatsu Company for an undisclosed sum to D Capital after a more than eight-year hold.
Secondary investor backs Hidden Hill's $465m fundraise
Hidden Hill Capital, which is backed by warehouse operator turned logistics and infrastructure investment manager GLP, has closed its debut growth-stage US dollar-denominated fund on USD 465m with secondaries specialist NewQuest Capital Partners among...
India's KreditBee raises $80m Series D
Indian lending start-up KreditBee has raised USD 80m in Series D funding from Premji Invest, NewQuest Capital Partners, Mirae Asset Ventures, MUFG Bank, and Motilal Oswal Alternates (MO Alts).
Carlyle set to buy stake in Taiwan sushi chain
The Carlyle Group has applied for regulatory approval to acquire a 26% stake in Taiwan-based sushi chain Zhengxian, also known as Sushi Express.
India agtech start-up DeHaat closes Series E on $60m
DeHaat, which claims to be India’s largest full-stack agricultural technology platform, has closed its Series E round on USD 60m. Sofina and Temasek Holdings were the lead investors.
Singapore's Temasek launches internal review of FTX deal
Temasek Holdings has launched an internal review into the circumstances that led to its investment in collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, but Singapore’s deputy prime minister refused to criticise the organisation’s governance structures.
Superfunds top-up Series B for Australia's Morse Micro
Five Australian superannuation funds have backed a AUD 30m (USD 20.4m) investment in local Wi-Fi chipmaker Morse Micro, extending a recent Series B round to AUD 170m.
KKR completes tender for Japan's Hitachi Transport Systems
KKR has completed its tender offer for Hitachi Transport Systems, having secured a 51.1% stake in the third-party logistics (3PL) provider at a valuation of JPY 749.5bn (USD 5.4bn).
AirTree, Greycroft back Australia's FrankieOne
Australia’s AirTree Ventures and US-based Greycroft have led a AUD 23m (USD 15.5m) investment in Melbourne-based fraud prevention platform FrankieOne, lifting its Series A round to AUD 45.7m.
Singapore insurance start-up Igloo lifts Series B to $46m
Singapore-based insurance technology start-up Igloo has added USD 27m to an initial USD 19m in Series B funding raised in March. Swiss impact investor BlueOrchard led the extension.
China semiconductor equipment player raises $139m
Dongfang Jingyuan Electron (DJEL), a China-based semiconductor equipment and software provider, has raised CNY 1bn (USD 139m) from an investor group that includes Green Pine Capital Partners and CoStone Capital.
Vistara, QIC back Australian sports-tech player Vald
US-based growth-stage technology investor Vistara Growth has joined Queensland Investment Corporation in an AUD 36m (USD 25m) round for Vald, an Australian start-up that supplies performance-tracking technology to a host of professional sports teams.
GPs prioritise specialisation, value creation in Asia - AVCJ Forum
Asian private equity has moved on from chasing momentum plays, with GPs increasingly pursuing opportunities where they have domain expertise and know they can add value, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
Q&A: Morgan Stanley Investment Management’s Patrick Reid
Patrick Reid, a UK-based managing director for alternatives distribution management at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, plots the future of themes around secondaries, longer holds, and hybrid approaches to PE
