Early-stage
Human Resources: Hiring for growth
When building the next Baidu or Facebook, finding the right team is as important as raising the next round of capital, if not more so. Early-stage investors can play an active role in the process.
Baidu turns to Wanxue for education content
When Chinese search engine Baidu originally reached out to Wanxue Education Technology, it didn't envisage becoming a financial investor in the company. Rather, Baidu was looking for quality content to improve its existing education platform Jiaoyu Baidu...
India's Flipkart raises a record $1b from VC backers
Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart has raised $1 billion from new and existing backers in what is one of the biggest funding rounds raised by an e-commerce company globally and the single largest round by an internet company in the country.
Arbor leads $3.3m Series A round for Japan e-payments service
Arbor Ventures has led a $3.3 million Series A round for Exchange Corporation (ExCo), the Japanese start-up behind e-commerce payment and instant credit service Paidy, with participation from CyberAgent Ventures and Recruit Strategic Partners. Exisiting...
Apis Partners to launch Asia, Africa fintech fund
Newly-created private equity firm Apis Partners has launched its first growth capital fund targeting financial technology (fintech) investments in Asia and Africa.
Inflexion Point launches $15m Japan-focused game fund
Singapore venture capital firm Inflexion Point Capital (IPC), has launched a $15 million fund to focus on investments in Japan's mobile gaming start-ups.
Sequoia, Mayfield lead $16m investment in India's Knowlarity
Sequoia Capital and Mayfield Advisors have invested $16 million in India's Knowlarity Communications, a cloud telephony and call handling solutions provider.
Global Brain, others lead $4m Series C round for Japan photo app
Japanese early stage investor Global Brain Corp. has joined Energy and Environment Investment and publishing firm Kodansha to invest JPY400 million (about $4 million) in Toyko-based Mind Palette, the start-up behind fashion-focused photo sharing app Snapeee....
Qualcomm commits $150m to invest in Chinese start-ups
Qualcomm has launched a $150 million strategic venture fund to invest in Chinese start-ups in the mobile technology space.
Founders Fund, Shasta Ventures back Australia's Canva
Founders Fund and Shasta Ventures have led a $3.6 million round of funding for Canva, an Australian website that allows amateur designers to create polished web graphics using drag-and-drop tools.
VC firm launches $13.6m Anglo-Japanese agri fund
Japanese venture capital firm Tsukuba Technology Seed (TTS) has teamed up with the UK's Adapt Low Carbon Group to launch an Anglo-Japanese VC fund focusing on agricultural innovation.
Norwest backs Capillary retail solution
Buy anything online today and there is a good chance the seller not only knows what you bought, but who you are, where you are and what you like. E-commerce firms can now mine a wealth of information on their customers; traditional brick-and-mortar retailers,...
India's budget: Roadmap to recovery?
India’s recent Union Budget represents the opening salvo from a government that many in the business community hope will get the country moving again. The private equity industry is watching closely
VCs look beyond ad-driven business models - AVCJ Forum
Venture capital investment opportunities in Southeast Asia increasingly lie beyond the traditional advertising-driven monetization model, industry participants told the AVCJ Singapore Forum.
WestSummit, SAIF in $15.2m round for social analytics firm
WestSummit Capital and SAIF Partners have invested $15.2 million in NetBase, a US-based company that tracks social media.
Sequoia, Norwest commit $14m to India's Capillary Technologies
Existing backers Sequoia Capital and Norwest Venture Partners have contributed $14 million in Series B to Capillary Technologies, an Indian cloud-based retail customer relationship management (CRM) platform.
Tiger Global, Nirvana lead $5m Series B round for India's Zopper
Tiger Global Management and Nirvana Venture Advisors have led a $5 million Series B round of investment for Delhi-based Solvy Tech Solutions, which operates products review portal Zooper.com.
China property site Fangdd raises $80m
Fangdd.com, a Chinese real estate portal, has raised $80 million in a Series B funding from Vision Knight Capital, Lightspeed China Partners and CDH Venture.
IDG backs Chinese app developer Landscape mobile
IDG Capital Partners has committed $1.85 million in seed funding to Landscape Mobile, the China- and US-based developer of mobile information management app Sight.
Shunwei invests in China online travel site Fxtrip
Shunwei Capital Partners has provided a Series A round of funding for Fxtrip.com, a Chinese outbound travel start-up.
KDDI joins corporates to launch incubator
Japanese telecoms giant KDDI will partner with 13 other corporates to create a start-up incubator targeting internet-related businesses.
Steadview, Sequoia lead $41m round for India's Olacabs
Indian online taxi-booking and car rental platform Olacabs has raised INR2.5 billion ($41.8 million) through a Series C round of funding led by Sequoia Capital and Hong Kong-based hedge fund Steadview Capital.
India announces $1.6b fund to support start-ups
The Indian government has pledged to support local start-ups by launching a INR100 billion ($1.6 billion) fund-of-funds.
India's YourNest compiles start-up wish list ahead of budget
Indian angel fund Your Nest has put together a list of recommendations on how the government can support start-ups ahead of the 2014-2015 budget statement.