Asia-focused private investment firm PAG has acquired global workplace design firm Unispace. Meanwhile, Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup’s automobile unit VinFast and Taiwan’s battery manufacturer ProLogium set up a JV, while Thailand’s InVent announced two new investments.
PAG acquires Unispace
Asia-focused private investment firm PAG has acquired global workplace design firm Unispace, according to an announcement.
Since its inception in 2010, Unispace has been designing workplaces across 27 countries. Its clients include Boston Scientific and PwC, as well as Fonterra, Anaplan and Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Asia.
PAG is one of Asia’s largest private investment firms with operations in China, India, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
The firm manages $40 billion in assets, and has invested over $65 billion so far.
VinFast and ProLogium set up JV
Vingroup’s automobile unit VinFast has signed an MoU with Taiwan-headquartered ProLogium to use the latter’s patents to manufacture solid-state batteries in Vietnam.
According to the MOU, the two parties will set up a joint venture to produce automotive solid-state battery (SSB) pack for VinFast’s EVs.
In 2017, ProLogium became the first company in the world to have a test line for solid-state battery technology on cars.
InVent invests in two startups
InVent, the corporate venture capital arm of Thailand’s Intouch Holdings PLC has made two investments – in Datafarm (which marks the Series A round for the company) and in Swift Dynamics (in its pre-Series A round).
Datafarm is a Thai cyber-security startup that provides penetration tests and IT audits to government agencies and commercial enterprises, while Swift Dynamics develops construction and facility management software that uses IoT technology to connect multiple devices to the cloud.
“The two companies are leading startups in Thailand’s Cybersecurity and IoT sectors while their technologies will support corporates to strongly step into the fully-digitized 5G era, said Dr. Narongpon Boonsongpaisan, head of InVent, backed by Intouch Holdings PLC.