Early-stage
Everbright ReInfore leads $102m round for China retail portal
Everbright Reinfore, a China-focused PE firm under the China Everbright Group umbrella, has led a RMB700 million ($102 million) Series B round for Beijing DS365 Technology, which operates an online retail portal.
India's Kalaari Capital backs two domestic start-ups
Indian technology investor Kalaari Capital has invested $6 million across domestic start-ups, AffordPlan and Active Intelligence.
WiL leads $26m round for Japan cross-border e-commerce site
Inagora, a cross-border e-commerce platform that focuses on selling Japanese products, has completed a Series B round of funding worth $26 million led by World Innovation Lab (WiL), a US and Japan-based early-stage investor.
WI Harper forms Sino-US fund with Chinese investors
Early-stage VC firm WI Harper Group has teamed up with two Chinese investment funds – Luxin Venture Capital Group and Shandong Leader Equity Investment Fund – to launch a cross-border fund that will invest in start-ups in China and the US.
New Zealand's Soul Machines raises $7.5m Series A
New Zealand artificial intelligence (AI) company Soul Machines has raised a $7.5 million Series A round of funding from investors including Horizons Ventures and Iconiq Capital.
China online dancing content app Tangdou raises $20m
Tangdou.com, a Chinese online platform through which users can share their dancing experiences and join recreational dance groups, has completed a $20 million Series B round of funding across two tranches.
Lightspeed leads $4m round for India's ShareChat
Lightspeed Venture Partners has led a $4 million Series A round for Indian social networking platform ShareChat.
Vertex leads $5.5m round in Singapore's Spacemob
Vertex Ventures, the VC arm of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, has led a $5.5 million seed round for Singapore-based co-working space developer Spacemob.
Sequoia invests $5m in India's Vymo
Sequoia Capital India has committed $5 million in Series A funding to Vymo, an enterprise sales assistant based in India and the US.
Japan's LifeRobotics raises $9m Series B round
Japanese industrial robotics developer LifeRobotics has raised a JPY1 billion ($9 million) Series B round led by Global Brain.
VCs commit $5.2m to Australian big data start-up Instaclustr
Sydney-listed growth-stage investor Bailador Technology Investments has led a A$7 million ($5.2 million) funding round for domestic IT company Instaclustr alongside two domestic VCs.
RRJ invests in China HNA's internet finance platform
RRJ Capital has led a $200 million Series A round for Jubaohui, an internet finance platform established by Chinese conglomerate HNA Group.
LGT leads $10m Series B for India's Aye Finance
LGT Impact Ventures, the impact investment arm of LGT Group, has led a $10 million Series B round for Indian small business-focused microfinance institution (MFI) Aye Finance.
IFC proposes $20m investment in China's Huochebang
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, is considering a commitment of up to $20 million to China-based online logistics platform Huochebang.
China fitness app Hotbody secures $15m
Chinese fitness app developer Hotbody has raised approximately RMB100 million ($15 million) in a new round of funding led by domestic GP Haodao Capital, with participation from existing investor Ameba Capital.
Deal focus: Treasure Data helps businesses reach the cloud
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan ventured outside its domestic comfort zone to support Treasure Data, and thereby help Japanese corporates get to grips with big data
Asia fintech hubs: Head start
Singapore's move to strengthen its financial technology ecosystem underlines the importance of creating appropriate infrastructure and incentives for start-ups in the space
Japan's Seven Dreamers receives $60m Series B round
Seven Dreamers Laboratories, a Japan-based manufacturer of personal-use devices, has raised a $60 million Series B round of funding from Panasonic, SBI Investment and construction company Daiwa House Industry.
China's Advantech leads $15m round for AI start-up
Advantech Capital, one of two parallel funds launched by executives from Chinese GP New Horizon Capital, has led a $15 million Series A round of funding for Petuum, a US-based artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solution developer....
China VCs tell start-ups to focus on sustainability - AVCJ Forum
China VC investors are reminding portfolio companies to pursue profitability rather than sky-high paper valuations as the market continues to rationalize following an explosion of activity in recent years.
Singapore's MC Payment gets $3.5m for SE Asia expansion
Singapore private equity firm 2W Group has led a $5 million ($3.5 million) funding round for domestic financial technology company MC Payment.
IFC proposes $25m investment in CompareAsiaGroup
The International Financial Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, has proposed an investment of up to $25 million in Hong Kong-based financial comparison platform CompareAsiaGroup.
Singapore to ease regulations on start-ups as part of fintech push
Singapore is promising to provide venture capital firms with streamlined approval processes and tailored incentives as part of efforts to develop the fundraising landscape for local start-ups.
Q&A: Qunar co-founder CC Zhuang
As co-founder of Chinese online travel site Qunar, Chenchao Zhuang has experience building and selling a technology business. Now a VC investor in his own right, he offers insights into the world of start-ups