Funds
Superangel swoops in to support Vancl
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi is a smash hit, valued at $10 billion in its most recent round of funding. Lei Jun, the company’s founder, is riding high. In contrast, Chen Nian (pictured), who set up online clothing retailer Vancl six years ago, is...
Jack Ma returns to school
Jack Ma was an English teacher at Hangzhou Dianzi University before he went on to found Alibaba Group. Now he has returned to the education sector to support the next generation.
Of the same mind
So now we know, or at least we are in a position to make an informed guess: Alibaba Group is worth $127.6 billion. Others would puts its value at north of $150 billion, but that’s not the point. More interesting is the process that led to this estimate...
Israeli crowdfunding platform launches in Australia
OurCrowd, an Israeli equity crowd-funding platform set up by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, has established operations in Australia.
Sequoia leads Series B for China home renovation site to8to
Sequoia Capital has led a Series B round of funding for to8to, a Chinese online renovation site, with participation from existing investor Matrix Partners.
China travel site 17u raises $82m from Tencent, Boyu, Oriza
Chinese online travel agency 17u.cn has received a RMB500 million ($82 million) round of investment from Tencent Holdings, Boyu Capital and Oriza Holdings.
JAIC, Nippon Venture lead Series D for Regimmune
Japan Asian Investment Corporation (JAIC) and Nippon Venture Capital have together led a $9.2 million Series D round of investment in Tokyo-based biotech firm Regimmune Corporation.
Sequoia leads $50m round for second-hand car platform Cheyipai
Sequoia Capital has led a $50 million round of funding for Cheyipai, a Chinese second-hand car trading platform. Existing backers Morningside Ventures, Matrix Partners and CITIC Capital also participated.
Vipshop buys majority stake in VC-backed China cosmetics site
Chinese online retailer Vipshop Holdings, a DCM and Sequoia Capital portfolio company that went public in the US in 2012, has agreed to buy a 75% stake in cosmetics and fashion products site Lefeng.com for approximately $132.5 million.
Xiaomi Ventures invests in Kingsoft gaming unit Westhouse
Xiaomi Ventures, a corporate VC unit of Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, has invested $20 million in Westhouse Group, a game developer controlled by Kingsoft Corporation.
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.
Tiantu Capital commits $8m to Qinghai dairy firm
China’s Tiantu Capital has committed RMB50 million ($8 million) to Qinghai Xiaoxiniu Biological Dairy Industry, a dairy products manufacturer, for an undisclosed stake.
China's Sungy Mobile buys VC-backed app store Getjar
Sungy Mobile, a VC-backed Chinese app developer that went public on NASDAQ last year, has acquired GetJar, a US-based mobile ad network. GetJar previously raised three rounds of VC funding, two led by Accel Partners and the third led by Tiger Global....
JLL reaches final close on maiden India property fund
Segregated Funds Group (SFG), the private equity unit of Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), has reached a INR1.6 billion ($27 million) final close on its maiden Indian real estate fund - short of its original INR3 billion target.
INCJ picks up stake in robotic hand maker
State-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has acquired a 20% stake in Squse - a Kyoto-based company that makes robotic hands - for JPY500 million ($4.9 million). INCJ joins existing investors Amazon and Google.
Piramal, CPPIB form $500m realty finance fund
India's Piramal Enterprises is to form a $500 million realty debt fund with CPPIB Credit Investments,, a subsidiary of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
CITIC leads $41m China tech fund launch
A group of investors, including CITIC Capital and the Shenzhen municipal government have launched a RMB250 million ($41 million) venture fund to invest in technology companies.
Jafco-backed Eleven Bio raises $50m in NASDAQ IPO
Eleven Biotherapeutics, a US biopharma company firm backed by Japan’s Jafco Ventures, has raised $50 million through its NASDAQ IPO – short of the $69 million initially sought.
TMall's Inman Apparel receives funding from IDG, Alibaba – report
IDG Capital Partners and Alibaba Group have reportedly invested in Inman Apparel, a Guangzhou-based clothing brand that sells its products through Alibaba’s TMall and Taobao platforms.
American Express VC unit backs India's Capillary Technologies
American Express Ventures (AEV), the corporate venture arm of credit card company American Express, has made its first India investment, backing Bangalore-based cloud software solutions provider Capillary Technologies.
Premji tries Myntra on for size
The growth of Indian e-commerce is well documented and recent estimates by online marketplace and industry poster child Flipkart illustrate just how much farther it has to go. According to Sachin Bansal, Flipkart’s co-founder and CEO, e-commerce grew...
CDH Ventures invests in online travel site Lailaihui
CDH Venture has led a new funding round for Lailaihui, a Chinese backpacker travel service start-up, alongside existing investor Unity Ventures. Transaction details were not disclosed but the investment was said to be about $1 million.
VCs pump another $13m into PubMatic
Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) has led a $13 million round of funding for PubMatic, an advertising platform based in India and US. Existing investors August Capital, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Helion Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners also took part in the...
KKR eyes Asia opportunities as valuations fall
KKR sees increasing opportunities in Asia for private equity and special situations as valuations fall amid growing investor uncertainty about the prospects for emerging markets globally.