Venture
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INCJ invests in Japan laser manufacturer Spectronix
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has agreed to invest up to JPY500 million ($4.2 million) in laser manufacturer Spectronix.
Sequoia supports Noah’s online China financial platform
Sequoia Capital has invested in Shanghai Noah Yijie Financial Tech, an internet finance subsidiary owned by Noah Holdings. The investment amounts to multi-millions of dollars.
VC-backed Snapdeal buys stake in logistics platform
Jasper Infotech, the VC-backed enterprise behind Indian online marketplace Snapdeal, has bought a 20% stake in QuickDel Logistics, operator of e-commerce logistics platform Gojavas.
HK’s Nest appoints ex-Intel executive to set up accelerator franchise
Hong Kong-based seed investor Nest has appointed Peter Dingle, formerly of Intel Corporation, to lead its newly-established Branded Accelerators program.
Australia's VentureCrowd partners with Sydney Angels
VentureCrowd - an Australian equity crowdfunding platform - has formed a partnership with angel investor group Sydney Angels in order to allow start-ups to tap new sources of capital.
Indonesia start-ups: Growth inflection
Indonesia has relatively incubators, angels and entrepreneurs with businesses of investible quality. Does the recent large investment in Tokopedia suggest the start-up ecosystem is now coming of age?
India Value Fund commits $50m to taxi firm Meru
India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) has injected a fresh $50 million in radio taxi service Meru Cab, and is understood to be in talks to invest an additional $100 million in the next two months.
China P2P car-sharing site uuzuche raises $10m
Uuzuche.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform backed by Lightspeed China Partners, has raised $10 million in a Series A+ round of funding from Bitauto, a Chinese auto information web portal.
Japanese restaurant app Retty raises $8.2m
Fidelity Growth Partners Japan has led a JPY1 billion ($8.24 million) Series C investment in Retty, a Japanese social restaurant guide. Existing investors also took part.
Indian game developer Moonfrog raises Series A round
Indian mobile gaming start-up Moonfrog has raised $15 million in a Series A round of funding led by Tiger Global and existing investor Sequoia Capital.
China interior design site To8to raises $200m
To8to, a Chinese interior decoration service platform, has raised $200 million in a Series C round of funding from Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners China and classifieds online marketplace 58.com.
Japan's Rakuten leads $530m Series E round for Lyft
Japanese e-commerce player Rakuten has led a $530 million Series E round of funding for US ride sharing app Lyft - valuing the business at $2.5 billion. Fortress Investment Group also participated.
South Korea's Memebox raises $17.5m from VCs
Beauty-focused e-commerce start-up Memebox has raised a $17.5 million Series B round of funding from a consortium of VC backers.
Matrix leads $15m round for China CRM platform Xiaoshouyi
Matrix Partners has led a $15 million Series C round of funding for Xiaoshouyi, a Chinese customer relationship management (CRM) platform, alongside Sequoia Capital.
Tiger Global, Accel commit $5m to India's ChargeBee
US-based Tiger Global has led a $5 million Series B round for India-based subscription billing system developer ChargeBee. Existing backer Accel also participated.
Lightspeed backs China’s DaoCloud
Lightspeed China Partners has invested in DaoCloud, a Chinese cloud computing start-up.
Indonesia's IndoTrading receives $1.5m in Series A funding
Indonesian e-commerce portal IndoTrading has raised $1.5 million in a Series A round of funding led by OPT SEA, the Southeast Asian investment arm of Japanese e-marketing firm OPT.
VC-backed Flipkart acquires India's AdIQuity
Indian VC-backed e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired AdIQuity, a domestic mobile ad network. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
China car-washing app raises $20m from Ping An VC
Ping An Ventures, a venture capital arm under Ping An Insurance, has provided $20 million in Series A funding for Exc118.com, a Chinese car-washing service mobile app.
Ola and TaxiForSure share a ride
Car ownership in India is very low; according to the country’s 2011 census, passenger vehicle penetration is just 4.9% overall and a mere 9% for urban areas. For a country of 1.3 billion, suffering from poor public transport, it means the demand for...
The C2B segue: China used-car trading platforms
While private equity capital is pouring into China’s B2B online car-trading platforms, some investors claim to see more value in smaller scale but less-penetrated and higher-margin C2B space
Kalaari invests $2.5m in India-based Codigami
Kalaari Capital has committed $2.5 million to Codigami, parent company of Indian social media manager app Crowdfire, in a Series A round of funding.
Biopharma venture raises $7.3m from Korean investors
Korean healthcare-focused VC firm InterVest and tech-focused E&Investment have together invested $7.28 million in G-treeBNT, a Seoul-based diversified bio pharmaceutical business.
Mainland Chinese investors barred from owning Taiwan start-ups
Chinese groups are free to make venture capital investments in Taiwan but they will not be able to gain control over local start-ups, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).