Articles by Larissa Ku
China enterprise AR specialist Rokid raises $160m
Rokid, a China-based company specialising in augmented reality (AR) technology applications, has raised USD 160m in Series C funding across two tranches.
China AI start-up Aibee joins unicorn club
China-based artificial intelligence start-up Aibee has achieved a valuation of more than USD 1bn on closing a new funding round led by smartphone brand Xiaomi and featuring China Merchants Capital.
Eight Roads launches $350m China tech fund
Eight Roads Ventures has raised a China fund with a corpus of USD 350m which will make venture and early growth investments across enterprise, financial, and consumer technologies
Deal focus: Medilink chases global ADC opportunity
The Medilink Therapeutics team spun out from Kelun-Biotech to develop antibody drug conjugates capable of competing with the world’s best. Its USD 70m Series B will support the pursuit of this goal
China's Nio Capital closes Fund II on $400m
Nio Capital, a China-based investment firm established by the founder of domestic electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Nio, has raised USD 400m for its second US-dollar denominated fund.
Hong Kong digital asset custodian Hex Trust raises $88m
Hong Kong-based digital asset custodian Hex Trust has raised a USD 88m Series B round co-led by local counterpart Animoca Brands and US crypto specialist Liberty City Ventures.
China smart projector brand JMGO raises $158m
IDG Capital and Chinese smartphone brand Oppo have invested CNY 1bn (USD 158m) in JMGO, a local manufacturer of smart projection equipment developer JMGO that also goes by the name Holatek.
Genesis leads Series A extension for China's Nutshell Therapeutics
Nutshell Therapeutics, a China-based specialist in protein-focused drugs, has raised USD 40m in an extended Series A led by Genesis Capital.
Lyfe, Qiming lead Series B for China ADC player Medilink
Suzhou Medilink Therapeutics, a Chinese biotech company specializing in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) commonly used as targeted therapies for treating cancer, has raised a USD 70m Series B led by Lyfe Capital and Qiming Venture Partners.
Deal focus: Mighty Jaxx revels in 'phygital' bridge role
In collectables maker Mighty Jaxx, East Ventures saw not only an effective traditional retail brand, but a company capable of elevating the user experience by straddling the digital and physical worlds
China 3D content platform Xverse raises $120m
Xverse, a Shenzhen-based 3D user-generated content platform has raised USD 120m across a Series A and a Series A extension, led by GL Ventures and Sequoia Capital China, respectively.
Source Code leads Series B for China's Fair Robotics
Fair Robotics, a China-based collaborative robot developer, has raised a USD 50m Series B round led by Source Code Capital.
China's Cloudview reaches $316m first close on renminbi fund
Cloudview Capital, a Chinese GP that previously operated as a joint venture with ICBC International, has completed a first close on its second renminbi-denominated Fund with CNY 2bn (USD 316m) in commitments.
China smart text processing start-up raises $92m
Data Grand, a China-based specialist in text recognition and processing robotics, has raised CNY 580m （USD 92m）in Series C round featuring China Merchants Securities, CITIC Securities, GF Securities, and China Securities.
East leads $20m round for Singapore's Mighty Jaxx
Singapore-based toy figurine manufacturer Mighty Jaxx has raised USD 20m in an extended Series A led by East Ventures. Crypto specialist Mirana Ventures also participated.
China's Pony.ai hits $8.5b valuation with Series D
Chinese autonomous driving technology supplier Pony.ai has closed the first tranche of a Series D round at a valuation of USD 8.5bn. This represents a 65% increase from the Series C.
Deal focus: Inspiration snares rare China mid-cap tech buyout
Antute, a third-party IT maintenance provider, became an orphan asset following a larger M&A deal. Inspiration Capital Partners sees it as an attractive play on China’s digitalisation drive
Deal focus: Freemium works for Dianxiaomi
China cross-border e-commerce services platform Dianxiaomi has achieved traction, and profitability, by only charging for value-added services. Its Series C will fuel global expansion
China cancer drug developer InxMed raises $50m
InxMed, a China-based biotech company focused on oncology treatments, has raised a USD 50m Series B round led by SDIC China Merchants Investment.
China 3D cell culture business secures Series B
CytoNiche, a Beijing-based provider of 3D micro-structure engineering technology used for stem cell research, has raised nearly CNY 300m (USD 47m) in a Series B led by Gaorong Capital and CICC Capital.
China VC: Funding puzzles
Late-stage investors are appearing in earlier funding rounds in China, offering premium valuations but potentially leaving start-ups in situations where they have too much too soon
China 5G chip designer Cygnus raises $100m
Chinese 5G chip design company Cygnus Semiconductor has raised USD 100m in Series A funding and an extended pre-Series A round led by Matrix Partners China and Wofo Capital.
China cross-border fintech start-up secures $20m
Dowsure, a Shenzhen-based financial technology start-up that has developed credit-checking software that enables banks to lend to small-scale e-commerce vendors, has secured USD 20m in Series B funding.
ZWC, IDG back China social CRM service provider
Wshoto – a Chinese social customer relationship management (SCRM) service provider that focuses on the WeChat ecosystem - has raised a CNY 300m (USD 47m) Series B round across two tranches.