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Byju’s to Acquire Blackstone-Backed Aakash Educational Services for USD1b
Indian edtech Byju’s has agreed to acquire Aakash Educational Services, an India-based brick and mortar test prep company backed by Blackstone, for USD1b. The acquisition will see Aakash’s founders exit the company, while Blackstone, which picked up a 37.5% stake in Aakash in October 2019, will swap a portion of its stake in Aakash for a stake in Byju’s. Read… Read More
Hanwha Leads USD300m Investment in Grab Financial
South Korea’s Hanwha Asset Management led a USD300m investment in Southeast Asian ride-hailing and food delivery giant Grab’s fintech business. Flourish Ventures and Arbor Ventures, as well as existing investors GGV Capital and K3 Ventures, participated in the round. Read More
Astella Investimentos Leads USD2m Round for Brazilian Omnichannel Learning Platform Skore
Astella Investimentos led a BRL11m (approximately USD2m) funding round for Brazil-based omnichannel learning platform Skore, with participation from Alexia Ventures. Read More
GapMinder Leads USD2.5m Series A for Romanian Chatbox Developer DRUID
GapMinder led a USD2.5m Series A for DRUID, a Romania-based company specialized in developing intelligent virtual assistants (chatbots) for businesses, with participation from Early Game Ventures and unnamed private investors. Read More
CDC, Accel, IFC, IDG Ventures, and Chiratae Invest USD9.3m in Indian Packaging Materials Marketplace Smartpaddle Technology
New investor CDC Group and existing investors Accel Partners, IFC, IDG Ventures, Chiratae Ventures, and Schroeder Adveq have invested a USD9.3m growth funding round in India-based packaging materials marketplace Smartpaddle Technology. Read More
LAUNCHub Ventures Reaches USD53.5m First Close for CEE & SEE Fund
LAUNCHub Ventures has reached a EUR44m (approximately USD53.5m) first close for its latest fund. The vehicle, which has an initial target of EUR70m, will focus on early-stage investments in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe (SEE). Read More
Denmark’s IFU Leads USD38m Series B for Nigerian Hybrid Solar Power Solutions Provider Daystar
Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) led a USD38m Series B for Nigeria-based hybrid solar power solutions provider Daystar Power, with participation from French impact infrastructure fund STOA, Proparco, and Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Read More
Lion’s Head Facility for Energy Inclusion Reaches Final Close
The Facility for Energy Inclusion (FEI), managed by Lion’s Head Global Partners, reached a final close of USD145m, with a total potential fund size of up to USD400m. KFW contributed an additional USD24m toward the final close. The African Development Bank is the anchor sponsor of FEI. Additional equity commitments include the European Commission and Norfund. Read More
CICC Capital Reaches USD648m Second Close for Biomedical Fund
China’s CICC Capital reached a CNY4.2b (approximately USD648m) second close of its Qide Innovation Biopharmaceutical Equity Investment Fund, backed by China’s state-owned enterprises, corporations, and high-net-worth individuals. Read More
CITIC Invests in Chinese Baby Travel Safety System Provider Max-Inf
CITIC Capital has invested an undisclosed amount in Max-Inf, a China-based provider of baby travel safety systems. Read More
Temasek Leads USD20m Series C for Indian Agtech CropIn
ABC World Asia, an Asia-focused fund managed by Temasek Holdings, led a USD20m Series C for CropIn, an Indian AI- and data-based agtech, with participation from CDC Group and Kris Gopalakrishnan’s family office Pratithi Investment Trust, and follow-on from Chiratae Ventures, Invested Development, and Ankur Capital. Read More
A91 Partners Invests USD30m in Indian Pharma Company La Renon
A91 Partners has invested USD30m in La Renon, an India-based pharmaceuticals company backed by Sequoia Capital, for a reported 5-6% stake. Read More