Technology
BlaBlaCar raises $200m for emerging markets push
Insight Venture Partners and Lead Edge Capital have led a $200 million Series D round for French ride-sharing start-up BlaBlaCar to fuel its push into emerging markets.
China VCs back US communications start-up
A group of VC investors including Morningside Technologies, SIG, GGV Capital, Shunwei Capital Partners and IDG Capital Partners have invested in a $20 million Series B round of funding for Agora, a US-based communications-as-a-service provider.
Intel Capital invests $67m in eight Chinese companies
Intel Capital has committed $67 million to eight Chinese technology start-ups working in smart devices, robotics, the internet of things, cloud services, big data, and data analytics.
Blackstone buys back India BPO unit from Serco for $387m
The Blackstone Group has agreed to buy the majority of Serco Group’s India-based business process outsourcing (BPO) operations for GBP250 million ($387 million). The major asset in the deal is the former Intelenet business, which Blackstone sold to...
Super funds support Blackbird's $143m Australia VC vehicle
Australia-based venture capital firm Blackbird Ventures has raised A$200 million ($143 million) for its second fund, winning support from local superannuation funds First State Super and HOSTPLUS.
Falcon Edge leads $225m round for India's Ola
Indian ride-hailing service Ola has raised $225 million in funding led by existing investor Falcon Edge Capital, in the opening tranche of a planned $500 million round.
Vertex, Sinar Mas lead round for Indonesia's HappyFresh
Vertex Ventures and Sinar Mas Digital Ventures have led a $12 million funding round for Indonesia-based online grocer HappyFresh.
Eight Roads commits $15m to India's CredR
Indian used motorbike marketplace CredR has raised a $15 million Series A round from Eight Roads Venture, formerly called Fidelity Growth Partners.
China’s Meituan leads $35m round for online campus store
Zhai.me, a Shanghai-based online convenience store aimed at students, has raised $35 million in a Series B round of funding led by Meituan.com, a group-buying site backed by Alibaba Group and several VC firms.
Gobi raises RMB fund for China start-ups
Gobi Partners has formed a RMB600 million ($94.1 million) fund that will focus on seed, pre-Series A and Series A investments in early-stage Chinese companies.
Kalaari closes third India VC fund at $290m
Kalaari Capital has closed its third venture capital fund, Kalaari Capital Partners III, at $290 million. The fund will invest in early-stage Indian technology-oriented companies.
China's Didi Kuaidi completes $3b funding round
China-based ride-hailing app operator Didi Kuaidi has closed a $3 billion funding round, said to be the largest-ever fundraise by a private internet start-up globally.
Cisco commits $10m to Monk's Hill Southeast Asia fund
Cisco Investments has committed $10 million to Monk's Hill Ventures' latest Southeast Asia-focused venture capital fund.
Australia's Blue Sky buys stake in Origo Education
Australia-based Blue Sky Private Equity has acquired a significant minority stake in Origo Education, a mathematics tuition provider for primary school students.
Everbright leads $63m round for China's Baifendian
Baifendian, a Beijing-based big data technology developer backed by several VC investors, has raised RMB400 million ($63 million) in a Series D round of funding led by Everbright Securities.
Uber CEO confirms China fundraising plans
Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, has confirmed that the company has raised $1.2 billion for Uber China, a dedicated unit set up to address the local market.
China Post Capital invests in Alibaba's Ant Financial
China Post Capital, an investment arm of postal service operator China Post Group, has purchased a minority stake in Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s online financial services affiliate.
GGV leads $19m round for China AR toy maker
GGV Capital has led a RMB120 million ($19 million) round of funding for Neobear, a China-based company that develops interactive learning tools for children.
Australian SME lender Prospa raises $41m
Prospa, an online platform that focuses on lending to Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has raised A$60 million ($41 million) in a funding from a string of private equity firms.
Tencent, Yunfeng back China social-networking site for doctors
Tencent Holdings and Yunfeng Capital have committed $40 million in a Series B round of funding to Medlinker, a Chinese social-networking platform for doctors.
Aspada, Qualcomm back India's Reverie with $4m
Aspada Investment Company and Qualcomm Ventures have committed $4 million in Series A funding to India-based local language software platform Reverie Language Technologies.
Q&A: Formation 8's Brian Koo
As Formation 8 prepares to launch an Asia fund, Brian Koo, co-founder of the venture capital firm, explains why the strategy has evolved from rolling out US technologies in Asia to backing local start-ups
India's PremjiInvest leads $82m round for US-based ServiceMax
PremjiInvest, the private investment firm for Wipro Enterprises Chairman Azim Premji, has led an $82 million Series F round for US-based field service software developer ServiceMax.
Gobi leads $5.7m Series A for Thailand's Eko
Gobi Partners has led a $5.7 million Series A round of funding for Bangkok-based Eko Communications, developer of workplace messaging app Eko.