Early-stage
Indian fintech player Groww raises $21m
Groww, an Indian financial technology provider focused on mutual fund investment services, has raised a $21.4 million Series B round led by US-based Ribbit Capital.
Korea fintech player Tera Funding gets $18m
Korean financial technology provider Tera Funding has secured an $18 million Series B round from a group including SBI Investment Korea and KB Investment.
VCs invest $11m in Singapore talent agency
Gushcloud International, a digital talent agency based in Singapore, has received $11 million from a group of regional VCs and US hip-hop mogul Russel Simmons (pictured).
China healthcare AI: A learning process
Most healthcare-focused artificial intelligence start-ups in China focus on image-based diagnosis assistance, but deep learning-based drug discovery might be the key application
Lightspeed, Tiger lead $67m Series B for India's OkCredit
Lightspeed Venture Partners and Tiger Global Management have led a $67 million Series B round for Indian financial technology player OkCredit.
YBF Ventures, Honeywell launch real estate tech accelerator
Australia’s YBF Ventures and US conglomerate Honeywell have teamed up to launch a Sydney-based technology start-up accelerator for the real estate sector.
Baidu Ventures joins Series B for China retail AI player
Baidu Ventures has joined a Series B round of undisclosed size for SandStar, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) developer focused on the retail sector. It brings total investment to date to $25 million.
500 Startups, UN launch Indonesia accelerator
500 Startups has teamed up with a unit of the United Nations to launch an impact-focused start-up accelerator in Indonesia.
Qiming leads $37m round for Hong Kong biotech player
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $37 million Series B round for Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-based drug development company that uses artificial intelligence (AI).
Tencent, Sequoia lead $100m Series C for China’s Smart Fabric
Smart Fabric, a start-up that seeks to digitize China’s textile industry, has received a $100 million Series C round jointly led by Tencent Holdings and Sequoia Capital China.
Tencent joins $300 million round for second-hand trading platform
Tencent Holdings has joined a $300 million Series B round for Zhuanzhuan, a Chinese second-hand goods trading platform controlled by US-listed online classifieds marketplace 58.com.
Hong Kong's WHub launches crowdfunding platform
WHub, a Hong Kong-based start-up services provider and accelerator, has launched the territory’s first licensed equity crowdfunding platform for technology entrepreneurs.
Legend leads round for Chinese community group buying business
Legend Capital has led a $100 million investment in Tongcheng Life, a social e-commerce business incubated by Hong Kong-listed online travel agency Tongcheng-Elong.
Tencent invests $120m in Chinese CRM provider
Tencent Holdings has committed $120m in Series E funding to Xiaoshouyi, a Chinese customer relationship management (CRM) software provider that has several VC backers.
Profile: CCV's Wei Zhou
Wei Zhou, founder of China Creation Ventures, turned a mid-career pitstop and a fateful encounter in the US into a bridge between his early work as a technologist and his ultimate calling as an investor
Partners for Growth seals debut Indonesia venture debt deal
US venture debt provider Partners for Growth (PFC) has completed its first deal in Indonesia – and one of its largest in Asia Pacific – by extending a $20 million credit line to digital credit start-up Kredivo.
China's Chuxin Capital hits first close on debut US dollar fund
Chinese early-stage investor Chuxin Capital has completed a $50 million first close on its debut US dollar-denominated fund.
Qiming invests $30m in Chinese medical AI solutions player
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $30million Series C round for Huimei Technology, a Chinese developer of artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) medical solutions provider.
Chinese car fueling app raises $63m
Chezhubang, a car fueling services app provider, has raised Series B funding of RMB450 million ($62.8 million), jointly led by China’s National Small Medium Development Fund and Oriental Fortune Capital.
Korea start-ups: The graduates
Korea’s start-ups are internationalizing and becoming more technically advanced as the ecosystem matures. A rapidly multiplying flock of local VCs will have to do the same to keep up with them
Chinese second-hand fashion e-commerce player raises $20m
Plum, a China-based e-commerce platform that sells second-hand fashion brands has received $20 million in an extended Series B round led by Japanese internet company Recruit Holdings.
Q&A: Choson Exchange's Geoffrey See
Geoffrey See is an advisor on Korean Peninsula affairs to the World Economic Forum and a serial tech entrepreneur who helps incubate start-ups in North Korea through his organization Choson Exchange
Chinese calligraphy tuition platform raises $28m
Hexiaoxiang, a Chinese online education service that teaches calligraphy to kindergarten and primary school children, has closed a Series B funding round worth RMB200 million ($28 million).
India payments player BharatPe raises $50m Series B
US-based Ribbit Capital and UK-based Steadview Capital have co-led a $50 million Series B round for BharatPe, a digital payment services provider for Indian offline businesses.
