KKR makes first “global impact” investment in Singapore’s Barghest Building Performance

The investment marks KKR's first impact investment, and comes before the firm has closed its first impact investment fund.

Japan’s Dai-ichi Life backs biotech venture Molcure

Tokyo-based Molcure is developing a machine learning-powered platform to support faster drug development and the discovery of new treatments for cancers and other diseases.

Northstar Group puts $50 million into Topica’s online education platform for Southeast Asia

Vietnam-based Topica offers online education ranging from English tutoring to entrepreneurship and skills training to university-level degrees across six countries in Asia.

Skype founder’s Oriente raises $105 million to bank Asia’s unbanked

The Hong Kong-based company was launched last year by Skype co-founder Geoffrey Prentice with a mission to use data science and artificial intelligence to develop alternative credit risk assessment for Asia’s unbanked, and provide them with digital lending and other financial services.

Capria Fund raises $33 million to invest in early-stage emerging-market funds

Capria Fund’s first close was anchored by $20 million from Vulcan Capital, the family office of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who died last month. (Microsoft’s other co-founder, Bill Gates, is also an investor.) The Capria Fund will invest in the network of funds in Africa, Asia and Latin America that have gone through its fund-manager

Aavishkaar wants to up the ante on South Asian impact

ImpactAlpha, November 5 – Aavishkaar wants to increase investment activity in Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar with its eighth fund. The India-based impact investor has a fundraising target of $300 million, DealStreetAsia reports. “We are avoiding India and China [with the fund], and looking more at smaller markets which have un-utilized potential,” Aavishkaar’s Vineet Rai said.

PepsiCo Foundation anchors Circulate Capital initiative to fight ocean plastic

Circulate Capital is looking to make debt, equity and quasi-equity investments in recycling and waste management ventures in India, Indonesia, and other Asian markets.