Early-stage
NZVIF, Taiwan NDF reach $75m first close on VC fund
The first VC fund to be supported by a co-investment partnership between New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF) and Taiwan's National Development Fund (NDF) has reached a $75 million first close.
Accel leads new round for India's TaxiForSure
Accel Partners has led a Series C round of investment for Indian car rental and taxi booking site TaxiForSure.com.
India's Orios Venture raises $50m
Orios Venture Partners - a VC firm set up by Indian angel investor Rehan Yar Khan - has raised INR3 billion ($50 million) for its first fund.
Ex-Groupon HK CEO launches $10m seed fund
Former Groupon CEO for Hong Kong and Taiwan Danny Yeung raised a $10 million seed-stage investment fund following the launch of his new venture capital firm SXE Ventures.
ZhenFund, Cloud Angel Fund back China Gllue
ZhenFund and Cloud Angel Fund have provided an angel round of funding for Gllue Software, a Chinese software developer.
China parenting site raises $24m from IDG, Banyan
Banyan Capital and IDG Capital Partners have invested RMB 150 million ($24 million) in BeiBei, a Chinese online discount retail platform for maternity and baby products.
Centurion PE leads $6.5m round for Hong Kong's GoGoVan
Centurion Private Equity has led a $6.5 million Series A round investment in Hong Kong-based GoGoVan, a mobile app for on-demand delivery services.
Samsung Electronics to acquire VC-backed SmartThings
Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has agreed to buy US-based SmartThings, a VC-backed platform that connects everyday items to the internet.
VC-backed Cheetah Mobile re-ups in China's Moxiu Technology
Cheetah Mobile, a mobile internet security firm backed by Matrix Partners and Tencent Holdings, has bought an additional 22% stake in Moxiu Technology for RMB20 million ($3.2 million).
Walden Riverwood leads $8m Series A for Japan's Atonarp
Walden Riverwood Ventures has led an $8 million Series A round of funding for Atonarp, a Japanese developer of chemical sensors.
Japan's Rakuten acquires VC-backed Slice
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten has acquired Slice, a US-based e-commerce mobile app backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners and DCM, among others.
Gree, Atomico lead $35m Series B for Japan news app
Japanese internet gaming firm Gree, and tech-focused investor Atomico, have led a JPY3.6 billion ($35.4 million) Series B round investment in SmartNews, the Tokyo-based start-up behind the news curation app of the same name.
India VC Reservoir reaches final close on maiden fund
Indian early-stage investor Reservoir Investment Managers has reached a final close on its maiden fund, Exfinity Technology Fund - Series I (ETF-I) at INR1.25 billion ($20 million).
PLDT acquires 10% stake in Rocket Internet
Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) has acquired a 10% stake in German e-commerce incubator and investor Rocket Internet for EUR333 million ($445 million).
India's Skymet raises $4.5m Series B round
Skymet Weather Services, an Indian provider of weather forecast solutions for the agricultural sector, has raised $4.5 million Series B round of funding led by dmg::information Asia Pacific, a unit of UK media group Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT)....
SingTel Innov8 leads $25m Series B round for Bitglass
SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of Singapore telecoms giant SingTel, has led a $25 million Series B round of investment for US-based Bitglass, a provider of mobile cloud security solutions. Norwest Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates...
Thai fashion e-commerce site raises $1.5m Series A round
Digital Media Partners has led a $1.5 million Series A of investment for Thai fashion e-commerce start-up WearYouWant. IMG Investment Partners and Japanese e-marketing firm OPT SEA also took part in the round.
IDG leads $100m Series B round for China online grocery
IDG Capital has led a $100 million Series B round of investment for Chinese online grocery store Womai.com. Existing investor SAIF Partners also participated.
Hong Kong's 8 Securities raises $9m Series B
Hong Kong-based stock trading and financial management platform 8 Securities has raised a $9 million Series B round of funding. The round included unnamed US and Chinese investors and existing backers Velocity Capital and Leitmotiv Private Equity.
Japan VCs invest $3m in Tokyo tech boot camp
Life is Tech, a Tokyo-based IT boot camp program for elementary and junior high school students, has raised JPY310 million (about $3 million) from Japanese investors Jafco, Mistletoe, KCJ Group, DeNA and Recruit Holdings.
US game firm Kabam attracts $120m from Alibaba
China e-commrce giant Alibaba Group is investing $120 million in US venture capital-backed gaming company Kabam. The investment is understood to value the company at over $1 billion.
Qualcomm backs India's Portea Medical
Qualcomm Ventures, the venture investment unit of US chip-maker Qualcomm, has invested in India's Portea Medical, a provider of in-home healthcare services. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Japan game publisher 3rdKind raises $1m from VCs
Nippon Venture Capital (NVCC), early stage investor Global Brain Corp., and Japanese internet firm Adways have together invested $1 million in mobile games publisher 3rdKind.
Asian Venture Capital: Not yet bubble territory
Is Asian venture capital back in favor? Based on what has been happening in the last year or so, the answer would be a resounding yes. Like their peers in Silicon Valley, the Asian VC community is certainly seeing more activity than say three years ago....