Funds
Horizon Ventures leads $15.2m Series B for Misfit Wearables
Hong Kong-based Horizon Ventures has led a $15.2 million Series B round for Misfit Wearables, the US start-up behind the physical activity monitor Shine. Existing investors – which include Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, OATV,...
Sequoia-backed Citrus Payment raises $5.5m in Series B funding
Citrus Payment Solutions has raised a $5.5 million Series B round from Japanese investors econtext Asia, an online payments company, and Beenos. Existing investor Sequoia Capital also participated in the round.
Tokio Marine to launch $294m mezz fund
Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance is to launch a new mezzanine fund with a target of JPY 30 billion ($294 million).
BootstrapLabs launches Korea accelerator
Silicon Valley-based accelerator program BootstrapLabs, and Coolidge Corner Investment (CCVC), a Korean technology venture firm, have together formed BootstrapAccelerator Korea, a Seoul-based six-month accelerator program.
Jafco Asia leads Series B round for US games developer
Japanese venture capital investor Jafco Asia has led a Series B round of funding for US games developer Playnery. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
EIG raises $6b for global energy fund
EIG Global Energy Partners has reached a final close of $6 billion for its Energy Fund XVI after just 10 months in the market. The fund had a target of $4.25 billion.
Japan's Ride On Express raises $23m in Tokyo IPO
Ride On Express, a Japanese food delivery franchise operator backed by Jafco Ventures, saw its stock open at JPY3105 per share - a 55% premium on the offering price - on its first day of trading. The company earlier raised JPY2.3 billion ($22 million)...
VCs to take Kingsoft across borders, platforms
Hong Kong-listed software developer Kingsoft is not in desperate need of capital. It posted a net profit of RMB466.4 million ($76.6 million) in 2012, up 39% year-on-year, and its cash reserves stood at RMB2.4 billion for the year. Furthermore, in July...
Asia Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Richard Liu
Richard Liu has spent 14 years investing in tech, media and telecom for Morningside Technologies. He has witnessed increasing competition, ups and downs in e-commerce, and the rise of the domestic super angel
Asia Awards: VC Deal of the Year – Tujia
Lightspeed China likes disruptive business models that build up traction online and then use the momentum to gain a foothold offline as well. This has worked to good effect with Meilele, an online furniture retailer that now has a network of 200 offline...
China Huace Media buys stakes in VC-backed Herun Media
Shenzhen-listed film and television producer Huace Media has picked up a 20% stake in Herun Media, a Beijing-based marketing specialist backed by several domestic VCs, for RMB104 million ($17 million).
Crescent-owned travel insurer to raise $475m in Australia IPO
Crescent Capital Partners-owned travel insurer Cover-More Group is targeting a A$521.2 million ($475 million) IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange.
MBK consortium bids for Woori NPL unit - report
MBK Partners is said to have teamed up with BS Financial Group to place a final bid for Woori Finance Holdings’ non-performing loans business. This is the second part of a three-phase auction intended to finally dispose of the Korean government’s interest...
Advantage to exit Japan's Nissen for $22.8 million
Advantage Partners, the Japanese mid-market buyout firm, is to exit its stake in catalogue and web-based retailer Nissen Holdings to Seven & i Holdings, the Japanese parent of 7-Eleven and the Ito Yakado supermarket chain, for JPY2.36 billion ($22.8 million)....
Sailing Capital launches cross-border RMB buyout fund
China’s Sailing Capital and its subsidiary Shanghai Sailing Industrial Capital have launched a RMB5 billion ($821 million) buyout fund, in a bid to facilitate cross-border transactions.
Portea Medical raises $7.6m from Accel, Ventureast
Accel Partners and Ventureast have contributed INR480 million ($7.69 million) in Series A funding for Indian home healthcare provider Portea Medical.
Itochu, Mizuho back Japan restaurant finder app
Itochu Ventures and Mizuho Capital have led a JPY330 million ($3.2 million) Series B round of funding for Retty, the Japanese start-up behind the restaurant app of the same name.
Singapore's Coda Payments gets Series A round
Carrier billing provider Coda Payments has raised $2.3 million in Series A funding from GMO Global Payment Fund, Rakuten Ventures, CyberAgent Ventures, and return backers Golden Gate Ventures and Skype co-founder Toivo Annus.
Blackbird leads round for Australian bitcoin start-up
Blackbird Ventures has invested A$250,000 ($227,645) to lead a A$500,000 round of funding for Melbourne-based CoinJar, a bitcoin wallet and exchange provider. Angel investors in the round include RetailMeNot founders Guy King and Bevan Clark and game...
Highland leads Series A round in food ordering website
Highland Capital Partners has provided approximately $10 million in Series A funding to Etaoshi, a Chinese online food ordering and delivery platform. Several undisclosed domestic venture capital firms also participated in the round.
IvyCap leads $5m round for India's Aujas Networks
IvyCap Ventures has led a INR310 million ($5 million) round of funding for Aujas Networks, an information risk management (IRM) service provider. Existing investor IDG Ventures India, along with new entrant Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund (RVCF), also...
China's CBC invests in travel website Breadtrip
China Broadband Capital (CBC) has provided a Series B round of funding for Breadtrip.com, an online travel platform. The company has now raised about $10 million across two rounds.
More than 50 Chinese PE firms suspected of illegal fundraising
More than 50 Chinese private equity firms are suspected of illegal fundraising activity, according to the head of a taskforce charged with tracking down offenders. A total of RMB16 billion ($2.6 billion) and more than 100,000 people are thought to be...
India's Girnar Software raises $15m from Sequoia Capital
Sequoia Capital has invested $15 million in a first round of funding for Girnar Software, which owns the automotive marketplace Cardekho.com. The funds will be used to support the marketplace's expansion plans.