Venture
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Investors pay big for India grocery exposure
The last year has seen an explosion of interest in India’s grocery delivery apps. Customers order food and other goods on their smart phones; the order goes to a buyer, who purchases the goods and then delivers them to the customer’s home. The approach...
Deal focus: Ninebot’s innovation keeps it rolling
China's legendary traffic jams are a source of frustration to countless tourists and locals, not to mention a major cause of pollution. With studies putting the average speed of traffic in Beijing at 7.5 miles per hour, there is a clear opportunity for...
China crowdfunding: The madding crowd
With established Chinese companies, led by e-commerce giant JD.com, getting involved in equity crowdfunding, will these platforms gain traction as a financing channel for Chinese start-ups?
Investec Bank leads $84m round for China P2P lending site
South African-based Investec Bank has led an $84 million Series C round of funding for Jimubox, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform, with participation from Haitong Kaiyuan, a PE arm of Haitong Securities.
Singapore's TradeGecko receives NSI, Jungle backing
Singapore-based inventory management platform TradeGecko has raised a $6.5 million Series A round of funding led by NSI Ventures and existing investor Jungle Ventures.
Keytone leads $20m round for China auto service site
Keytone Ventures has led a $20 million Series A round of funding for Chemayi, a Chinese auto after-sales service platform.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
Brandon raises $154m for Australia life sciences fund
Australian life sciences-focused VC firm Brandon Capital has reached a A$200 million ($154 million) final close on its latest vehicle - the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund 3 (MRCF 3).
India classifieds platform raises $28m from GIC, Norwest
Singapore’s GIC Private has led a Series C round of funding worth INR1.75 billion ($28 million) for Sulekha.com, an India-based classifieds platform based in India. Existing investor Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) also participated.
China’s 58.com buys stake in VC-backed rival Ganji
US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com has agreed to buy a 43.2% stake in its domestic rival Ganji.com in a deal worth around $1.61 billion. It is part of a broader consolidation in China’s internet industry.
BlueRun commits $10m to China securities trading site
BlueRun Ventures has committed $10 million in a Series A round of funding to Mazhan.com, a Chinese online margin trading platform.
VC-backed Chinese credit card management app raises $50m
U51.com, a VC-backed credit card management mobile app, has raised $50 million from Shanghai-listed property developer Xinhu Zhongbao.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
India taxi-booking service Ola closes Series E round at $400m
Indian taxi-booking service Ola - operated by ANI Technologies - has closed its latest Series E round of funding at $400 million, valuing the company at $2.4 billion. The round was led by DST Global.
DCM invests $3m in China’s Udesk
DCM has committed $3 million in a Series A round of funding to Udesk, a China-based customer service outsourcing business.
Asian LPs back Israel-based Viola’s $250m fund
At least six Asian investors are LPs in the latest fund being raised by Israel-based technology growth capital and buyout firm Viola Private Equity, which reached its targeted amount of $250 million.
Japan's Dentsu launches $42m corporate venture fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu has established a new corporate venture capital arm, Dentsu Ventures, and launched a new fund with a corpus of JPY5 billion ($42 million).
NEA closes giant $2.8b global VC fund
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has reached a final close on its 15th global flagship fund at $2.8 billion, and raised an additional $350 for a new co-investment vehicle - NEA 15 Opportunity Fund.
China’s Ninebot raises $80m, acquires Segway
Ninebot, a China-based electric scooter manufacturer, has bought its US-based rival Segway for an undisclosed sum and raised $80 million in Series A funding.
China virtual reality headset maker raises $10m
Baofeng Mojing, a Chinese virtual reality headset manufacturer, has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding led by film producer Huayi Brothers Media.
Tiger Global leads $5m round for Indian services marketplace
Indian local services marketplace LocalOye has raised a $5 million Series A round of funding from Tiger Global Management and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Q&A: Hera Capital's Thierry Panafieu
In six years of operation, Singapore’s Hera Capital has pursued a strategy focusing on small funds and quick deployment. Managing Partner Thierry Panafieu explains the virtues of staying small
Dianping secures $850m pre-IPO round
Having raised $850 million - the largest disclosed round for a Chinese tech start-up so far this year – in a matter of months, Dianping is now thought to be nearing an IPO. The investment values the 12-year-old company, described as a Chinese version...