Funds
Ping An VC, Qiming invest $30m in China car-sharing platform
Ping An Ventures, a VC arm of insurer Ping An Group, and Qiming Venture Partners have co-led a $30 million Series A round of funding for Baojia.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform.
Fidelity backs China-based antibody specialist
Two Fidelity funds have participated in a Series A round of funding worth $8 million for Adagene, a China-based life sciences company that specializes in smart antibody technology.
SoftBank hitches a ride with GrabTaxi
Six months ago, Southeast Asia-focused mobile taxi-booking platform GrabTaxi was adjusting to the fact that its resources had ballooned by $15 million, following a Series B round provided by GGV Capital and Qunar. On this basis, the past six weeks have...
Tech valuations: Ill-fated inflation?
As valuations in the tech space continue to soar, comparisons are inevitably drawn with the dotcom bubble era. Asia can point to favorable fundamentals, but it remains to be seen whether the exuberance is justified
VC-backed LanzaTech raises $60m from NZ Super
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has provided $60 million growth capital for low-carbon fuels producer LanzaTech.
Tiantu commits $16m in Chinese electric scooter manufacturer Inmotion
Chinese GP Tiantu Capital has committed RMB100 million ($16 million) in a Series B round of funding for Inmotion Technologies, a manufacturer of sensor controlled vehicles.
DST leads $100m round for Chinese payment platform Fenqile
DST Advisors has led a $100 million Series B round of funding for Fenqile.com, a Chinese installment payment platform.
Sequoia, Nexus invest $3m in India food-ordering start-up
Indian food-ordering start-up TinyOwl Technology has raised $3 million from Sequoia Capital and Nexus Venture Partners in Series A round of funding.
Australia's Crescent Capital closes Fund V at $565m
Crescent Capital Partners has reached a final close on its fifth Australia and New Zealand-focused fund at the hard cap of A$675 million ($565 million) after only 10 weeks in the market.
Banyan leads $35m round for Chinese wearables maker
Banyan Capital has led a $35 million Series B round of funding for Huami, a Chinese start-up that manufactures fitness wearables launched by smart phone maker Xiaomi.
Lightspeed China backs online travel agency Lulutrip
Lightspeed China Partners has invested in a Series A1 round of funding for Lulutrip, an online travel agency focused on the Chinese outbound market.
Northern Light backs Chinese mobile app service provider
Northern Light Venture Partners (NLVC) has invested $5 million in a Series A round of funding for APICloud, a China-based mobile app cloud service provider.
Taiwan’s CDFH, Fujian Electronics in first close on debut RMB fund
Taiwan-based China Development Financial Holding (CDFH) and China’s Fujian Electronics & Information Group have reached a first close of RMB1 billion ($162 million) on their debut renminbi-denominated fund.
Japanese crowdsourcing platform gets $8.5m from VCs
Lancers, a Japanese crowdsourcing platform, has raised JPY1 billion ($8.5 million) from six VC and strategic investors, including Gree Ventures, Globis Capital Partners and GMO Venture Partners.
SoftBank invests $250m in Southeast Asia’s GrabTaxi
Japanese tech giant SoftBank Corp. has committed $250 million to GrabTaxi, becoming the largest investor in the Southeast Asia-focused mobile taxi-booking platform.
India VCs see early-stage explosion - AVCJ Forum
India has seen an explosion in early-stage investment opportunities but sorting the wheat from the chaff is a challenge, venture capitalists told the AVCJ Forum.
Chinese investors join $40m round for Misfit Wearables
GGV Capital, Shunwei Venture Partners, smart phone maker Xiaomi and online retailer JD.com have participated in a $40 million Series C round of funding for Misfit Wearables, which manufactures wearable devices that track health and fitness.
Qiming leads $10m round for China biopharma player
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $10 million Series A round of funding for CANbridge Life Science, a Beijing-based biopharmaceutical firm.
Fenox VC launches $200m Bangladesh fund
Silicon Valley venture capital firm Fenox VC is launching a $200 million fund that will focus on investments in Bangladesh’s technology, internet and media sectors.
China healthcare: Technology transfer
Healthcare-focused private equity firms want to take technologies from developed markets into China, leveraging rising domestic demand. It is a lucrative strategy, but not necessarily a straightforward one
India secondaries: Much heat, little light
India has yet to fulfil its potential as a direct secondaries market as buyers and sellers fail to agree on valuations. A revival in investor sentiment hasn’t helped matters, but patience may eventually pay off
Chinese personal finance app Wacai raises $50m
Hangzhou Wacai Science, a Chinese personal finance management mobile app developer, has raised $50 million in a Series B round of funding led by China Broadband Capital and CICC Capital, a PE arm of China International Capital Corporation.
China New Oriental CEO launches $32m angel fund
Michael Yu, co-founder and CEO of New Oriental Education & Technology Group, has partnered with Xitai Shen, a former CEO of Huatai United Securities, to launch a RMB200 million ($32 million) angel investment fund.
VC-backed Chinese dating app set for $267m US IPO
Momo, a Chinese location-based social-networking app with several VC backers, will raise up to $266.8 million through a US IPO. The company has also agreed to sell shares to Alibaba Group and 58.com through a separate private placement.