Funds
China's Cybernaut partners with Russian firm for $200m fund
China's Cybernaut Capital has agreed to form a $200 million venture fund, a start-up incubator and a robotics development center with Russia's government-backed Skolkovo Foundation.
Profile: Kalaari Capital's Vani Kola
It has been nearly a decade since Vani Kola, managing director of Kalaari Capital, went from being Silicon Valley entrepreneur to an India venture capitalist. The big move appears to have paid off
LPs remain loyal to Asia Alternatives
New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) made its first direct China commitment in 2011, investing $100 million in Hony Capital’s fifth fund. Over the preceding years, the LP fashioned a more targeted Asia strategy, complementing its participation...
Investors pay big for India grocery exposure
The last year has seen an explosion of interest in India’s grocery delivery apps. Customers order food and other goods on their smart phones; the order goes to a buyer, who purchases the goods and then delivers them to the customer’s home. The approach...
Deal focus: Ninebot's innovation keeps it rolling
China's legendary traffic jams are a source of frustration to countless tourists and locals, not to mention a major cause of pollution. With studies putting the average speed of traffic in Beijing at 7.5 miles per hour, there is a clear opportunity for...
China crowdfunding: The madding crowd
With established Chinese companies, led by e-commerce giant JD.com, getting involved in equity crowdfunding, will these platforms gain traction as a financing channel for Chinese start-ups?
Investec Bank leads $84m round for China P2P lending site
South African-based Investec Bank has led an $84 million Series C round of funding for Jimubox, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform, with participation from Haitong Kaiyuan, a PE arm of Haitong Securities.
Singapore's TradeGecko receives NSI, Jungle backing
Singapore-based inventory management platform TradeGecko has raised a $6.5 million Series A round of funding led by NSI Ventures and existing investor Jungle Ventures.
Keytone leads $20m round for China auto service site
Keytone Ventures has led a $20 million Series A round of funding for Chemayi, a Chinese auto after-sales service platform.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
Brandon raises $154m for Australia life sciences fund
Australian life sciences-focused VC firm Brandon Capital has reached a A$200 million ($154 million) final close on its latest vehicle - the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund 3 (MRCF 3).
PE, Alibaba-backed Baozun to list in the US
Baozun, a Chinese e-commerce platform solutions provider, has filed for an IPO in the US. Backers include Alibaba Group, SoftBank Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Crescent Group, Infinity Group and New Access Capital.
India's Freshdesk raises $50m Series E from existing investors
Online customer support start-up Freshdesk has raised $50 million in Series E funding from existing investors Tiger Global Management, Google Capital and Accel Partners.
India classifieds platform raises $28m from GIC, Norwest
Singapore’s GIC Private has led a Series C round of funding worth INR1.75 billion ($28 million) for Sulekha.com, an India-based classifieds platform based in India. Existing investor Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) also participated.
India's Robosoft gets Series B round, spins out subsidiaries
Indian mobile app developer Robosoft will spin off its subsidiaries after receiving a INR740 million ($11.8 million) Series B round led by Ascent Capital, with participation by existing investor Kalaari Capital.
CBC leads $10m round for Chinese auto repair start-up Kalading
Chinese auto repair start-up Kalading has raised a $10 million Series A round led by CBC Capital. Existing investor Gobi Partners also participated, as did Geek Partners.
China's 58.com buys stake in VC-backed rival Ganji
US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com has agreed to buy a 43.2% stake in its domestic rival Ganji.com in a deal worth around $1.61 billion. It is part of a broader consolidation in China’s internet industry.
BlueRun commits $10m to China securities trading site
BlueRun Ventures has committed $10 million in a Series A round of funding to Mazhan.com, a Chinese online margin trading platform.
VC-backed Chinese credit card management app raises $50m
U51.com, a VC-backed credit card management mobile app, has raised $50 million from Shanghai-listed property developer Xinhu Zhongbao.
India's IDFC targets $400m private equity fundraise
IDFC Alternatives is preparing to launch its latest private equity fund soon, which will have a target of $400 million.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
DCM invests $3m in China's Udesk
DCM has committed $3 million in a Series A round of funding to Udesk, a China-based customer service outsourcing business.
Asian LPs back Israel-based Viola's $250m fund
At least six Asian investors are LPs in the latest fund being raised by Israel-based technology growth capital and buyout firm Viola Private Equity, which reached its targeted amount of $250 million.
Japan's Dentsu launches $42m corporate venture fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu has established a new corporate venture capital arm, Dentsu Ventures, and launched a new fund with a corpus of JPY5 billion ($42 million).