Early-stage
IAN leads round for speech software firm Uniphore
Indian Angel Network (IAN) has led a round of investment for India's Uniphore Software Systems, a company that develops Indian language speech recognition software.
Jafco-backed EnBio raises $7.2m in Toyko IPO
EnBio, a Japanese soil decontamination business backed by Jafco, saw its stock open at JPY1311 - a 126% premium on the offering price - on its first day of trading. The company, which listed the Mothers (market of the high-growth and emerging stocks)...
Kinnevik leads $90m round for India's Quikr
Swedish early stage investor Investment AB Kinnevik has led a $90 million round of funding for Indian classifieds platform Quikr.
Mayfield re-ups in India's Securens - report
US-based venture capital firm Mayfield is investing another $6 million in Indian online alarm systems provider Securens Systems.
GREE, Transcosmos back Singapores's Luxola
Singapore-based online beauty store Luxola has raised $10 million in a Series B round of funding led by Japanese e-commerce services firm Transcosmos with existing backer Gree Ventures.
Indonesia VC: Lucrative clicks
E-commerce has emerged as the star of Indonesia’s expanding start-up space. Early-stage investors are scrambling to fill their shopping carts, but you have to pick the right spots and deploy the right resources
CyberAgent leads $12m round for Korean food delivery app
Japan's CyberAgent Ventures has been joined by previous investors Altos Ventures, IMM Investment and Stonebridge Capital for a $12 million investment in Woowa Bros, the start-up behind Korean food delivery app Baedalui Minjok.
INCJ invests $6m in copper paste business
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY600 million ($6 million) in Material Concept, a manufacturer of copper paste for use in electrical components and solar panels. Daiwa Corporate also invested an undisclosed amount in the...
Japan's Globis re-ups in UK educational app developer
Globis Capital Partners, the Japanese venture capital firm, has returned to lead a GBP3.4 million ($5.8 mllion) Series B round for Quipper, a UK company that develops educational mobile applications.
SoftBank Venture backs Thai video game firm Ini3 Digital
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK), the corporate investment arm of the Japanese telecoms giant, has taken a 23% stake in Thai online video game operator Ini3 Digital. The financial terms were not dislosed.
VCs keep the faith in Snapdeal
Saama Capital was one of a group of VCs that backed Indian online jewelry store Bluestone.com in early 2012. It is a vertical play in the country's e-commerce industry - targeting a particular market segment - and this might ordinarily have been a turn...
Indian Angel Network in UK start-up SwiftShift
The Indian Angel Network (IAN) has committed an undisclosed sum in London-based workforce management tool SwiftShift. This is the group's first UK investment.
Nissay Capital invests $1.9m in Japan home renovation site
Nissay Capital has invested JPY200 million ($1.9 million) in Sekaie, the Japanese e-commerce start-up behind home renovation services website Rinoko.
INCJ invests $4.7m in Trigence Semiconductor
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested $4.7 million in Trigence Semiconductor, a developer of digital audio technology.
SIG leads $10m round for China mobile voice search app
SIG has led a Series B round of funding worth nearly $10 million for Mobvoi, a voice-activated mobile search services provider. Sequoia Capital and ZhenFund, which provided the Series A round in 2012, also participated.
The IT crowd: Australia embraces crowdfunding
Australia has embraced crowdfunding as a supplement to an early-stage traditional VC market that has yet to regain its former strength. Industry participants are seeking differentiation and deregulation
Ventech invests in China P2P lending platform Jimubox
Ventech Capital, a France-based VC firm, has provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing-based peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Jimubox.com. Transaction details were not disclosed but the investment is worth about $10 million.
Artesian launches Australian crowdfunding platform
Early-stage venture capital firm Artesian Venture Partners has launched its equity-based crowdfunding platform – VentureCrowd – in Australia with over 200 registered investors and 36 start-ups.
Bamboo Finance, Saama Capital invest in India's Modern Family Doctor
Bamboo Finance, a European private equity firm that focuses on investments benefiting low-income communities in emerging markets, and early stage investor Saama Capital have together taken part in a Series B round of funding for Indian healthcare provider...
Goldman, Mitsui invest in India's Global Beverages & Foods
Goldman Sachs, Mitsui Global Investment (MGI) and a number of other unnamed investors are paying INR3.15billion ($50.4 million) for a undisclosed stake in Global Beverages and Foods (GBF).
Intel invests in three China cloud, big data firms
Intel Capital, the corporate investment arm of the US chipmaker Intel Corp, has invested in three Chinese tech start-ups: big data firm Shanghai Yeapoo Information Technology; cloud storage provider Tianjin Zhongke BlueWhale Information Technology; and...
Japan's Digital Garage leads $10m round for Betaworks
Japanese incubator Digital Garage (DG) has invested $10 million in Betaworks, a New York-based early-stage tech investor. DG contributed $7.5 million to the round with the balance coming from a group of angel investors.
India impact investments total $390m in 2013 - Unitus
Private equity impact investments in India totaled $390 million across 80 deals last year – comprising 23% of all PE transactions in the country - says Bangalore-based financial advisor Unitus Capital.
Fosun Venture leads Series B for Joyme
Fosun Venture Capital Investment, a venture arm of Fosun Group, has led a RMB130 million ($21 million) Series B round of funding for Joyme.com, a Beijing-based mobile game operator. BlueRun Ventures also participated.