Funds
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.
China to see PE fundraising rebound in 2014 – PwC
China is expected to see a significant rebound in private equity fundraising this year in response to the domestic IPO markets re-opening, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers(PwC). Meanwhile, renminbi-denominated fundraising will prevail as usual.
Scentan invests $75m in SaaS start-up Tradeshift
Tradeshift, a start-up which provides businesses with free payment management tools, has raised $75 million from Singapore-based Scentan Ventures.
Q&A: HarbourVest's Sebastiaan van den Berg
Sebastiaan van den Berg, managing director and head of Asia at HarbourVest Partners, discusses his expectations for Australian deal flow, best practice for IPO exits, and co-investment opportunities
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
Australia distress: Sifting the strain
The low-hanging fruit created by the post-global financial crisis troubles of highly-leveraged Australian companies has mostly been picked. Distress investors are looking in smaller and less obvious places
EQT buys restructured I-Med from hedge fund owners
Australian radiology provider I-Med Network Radiology is being sold by its hedge fund owners to a consortium led by EQT Partners.
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.
Kendall Court ends Intrepid's Indonesia mining nightmare
Kendall Court has acquired Intrepid Mines’ interest in the Tujuh Bukit copper-gold project in Indonesia for $80 million, ending the Australia-listed resources company’s long-running ownership dispute over the asset.
CSRC to restructure, introduce private equity department
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) is undergoing a restructuring that will see the creation of four divisions to oversee fast-moving markets, including private equity.
VC-backed robot suit maker files for Tokyo IPO
Cyberdyne, a Japanese robotics company that counts Jafco Ventures, Nissay Capital and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) among its investors - has received approval for its Tokyo IPO.
INCJ invests $9 million in animation tool developer New
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY900 million ($8.7 million) in New, a start-up that develops tools for creating motion comics.
GGV targets $500m for new Sino-US fund
GGV Capital, the US- and China-focused venture capital investor, is seeking $500 million for its fifth fund.
KKR's Kravis highlights India distress openings
KKR plans to capitalize on corporate indebtedness in India by investing in companies with distressed balance sheets that have difficulty raising capital through conventional channels, according to Henry Kravis, the private equity firm’s co-founder and...
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...
Jungle Ventures, Spring Seeds back big data start-up
Jungle Ventures has led a S$1.5 million ($1.2 million) round of funding for Crayong Data, a Singapore-based big data start-up, with participation from Spring Seeds Capital.
Fosun Venture leads Series B round for Kmsocial
Fosun Venture Capital Investment has led a Series B round of funding for Kongming, a Beijing-based social media marketing solutions provider, with participation from previous investor Fidelity Growth Partners Asia. The investment size is about $10 million....
Japan's education app Smart Education raises $5.4m
CyberAgent Ventures and Infinity Venture Partners have invested JPY550 million ($5.4 million) in Smart Education, a Tokyo-based developer of educational mobile apps for kids.
Mayfield closes second India fund at $108m
Early-stage investor Mayfield has reached a final close of $108 million its second India-focused venture fund.
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...
Horizon Ventures leads $23m round for Hampton Creek Food
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s Horizon Ventures has led a $23 million Series B financing round for Hampton Creek, a US-based food technology firm.
Spain's Telefonica signs up Chinese incubator
Wayra, Spanish telecom giant Telefonica’s accelerator initiative, has signed an agreement with Virtue Inno Valley (VIV), an incubator program backed by China’s Tsinghua University.
Q&A: Partners Group's Andreas Baumann
Partners Group has raised $2 billion for its latest PE direct investment program, up to 40% of which can be deployed outside of the US and Europe. Andreas Baumann, head of the firm’s Singapore office, highlights the opportunities in Asia