Funds
Facebook buys VC-backed Indian start-up Little Eye Labs
Facebook has acquired Ventureast and GSF Superangels-backed start-up Little Eye Labs, reportedly paying around $15 million for the Android app optimizer.
Omaha Capital leads $30m round for China jewelry maker
Hong Kong-based Omaha Capital has led a $30 million Series C round of funding for Bloves, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of customized wedding rings.
Lightspeed leads Series B for China cloud services provider
Lightspeed China has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Chinese cloud services provider QingCloud. Matrix Partners and existing investor BlueRun Ventures also participated.
Asian Healthcare Fund leads Series B for Forus Health
Asian Healthcare Fund (AHF) has led a INR500 million ($8 million) Series B round of investment in Forus Health, a Bangalore-based firm that develops affordable medical technology for eye treatment.
JAIC spin out WM Partners reaches first close on maiden secondaries fund
WM Partners, a venture capital secondaries fund launched last year by former JAIC CEO Moriyoshi Matsumoto, has reached a first close on its JPY5.25 billion ($50.1 million) first fund.
Blackstone passes $3b mark on Asia real estate fund
The Blackstone Group has received more than $3 billion in capital commitments for its first Asia real estate fund, which is targeting $4 billion.
Bull Capital, Sequoia back China online steel trading platform
Zhaogang.com, a Chinese B2B steel trading platform, has received a $34.8 million Series C round of funding led by Bull Capital Partners and Sequoia Capital. Previous investors Matrix Partners and China Renaissance K2 Ventures also participated.
BVCF leads $7.5m Series A for Quark Pharma China JV
China-focused life sciences and healthcare investor BVCF has led a RMB45 million ($7.5 million) Series A round of funding for Kunshan RiboQuark Pharmaceutical Technology, a joint venture established by Quark Pharmaceuticals and Suzhou Ribo Life Science.
LightInTheBox to buy VC-backed e-commerce player Ador
LightInTheBox, the venture capital-backed Chinese online retailer that went public in the US last year, has acquired US social e-commerce site Ador for an undisclosed sum.
Japan IPOs: Rising sun
On the back of a cautious economic recovery Japan witnessed a boom in IPOs in 2013 as a host of venture capital-backed companies went public. How long will the good times last?
Intel connects to car tech with SanJet
"The way things are evolving, there is more and more technology getting into the car - the functionality and electronics components are increasing," says Sudheer Kuppam, Intel Capital's managing director for Asia Pacific.
Longreach agrees Christmas carve-out
Christmas was delayed at the Longreach Group as the North Asia-focused private equity firm finalized an agreement to buy Japanese molded plastics manufacturer Sol-Plus Group on December 25, bringing to an end several weeks of negotiations.
TA promotes Sippel, Wadhera to lead Asia operations
TA Associates has promoted Edward Sippel and Naveen Wadhera to co-heads of its Asia business. The changes were effective January 1.
Blackstone names Carnegie Australia PE head
The Blackstone Group has appointed James Carnegie as a senior managing director in its Sydney office from where he is expected to lead private equity activities in Australia.
SAIF leads $30m round for battery maker Amprius
SAIF Partners has led a Series C round of funding worth $30 million for Amprius, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer headquartered in the US but with production lines in China. All of the company’s existing investors also participated.
Vietnam restaurant chain receives $3.5m in funding
Huy Vietnam Group, Vietnam’s largest restaurant chain, has secured another $3.3 million in funding from institutional and high net worth investors from China and Singapore.
Top IDFC Securities analyst quits to launch India VC fund
Nikhil Vora, IDFC Securities' managing director, has quit the firm to launch an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the consumer sector.
Digital Garage leads Series A for Indonesia babycare site
Indonesian online babycare retailer Bilna.com has raised a new round of funding led by Digital Garage Incubation, with participation from Golden Gate Ventures, Japanese animation studios TMS Entertainment and existing investors Cyber Agent Ventures and...
South Korea orders KT Corp to buy back satellite from Permira-owned ABS
The South Korean government has ordered telecom operator KT Corp. to buy back a satellite it sold to Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS), a Hong Kong-based company owned by Permira.
CITIC PE leads Series C for China taxi booking app - report
CITIC Private Equity has reportedly led a Series C round of funding worth up to $100 million for Didi Dache, a Chinese taxi booking app. Existing investor Tencent is also among the participants.
INCJ joins Japanese companies to form $300m start-up fund
The Innovation Corporation Network of Japan (INCJ) has joined a consortium of 10 Japanese companies to set up a $300 million start-up fund to be managed by Silicon Valley-based venture firm WiL.
Nissay, SMBC, Incubate invest $1m Japan budget app
Nissay Capital, SMBC Venture Capital and Incubate Fund have together invested JPY100 million ($955,000) in BearTail, the Japanese start-up behind the cloud-based household accounting app Dr. Wallet.
Dream Incubator leads $2m round for Japan mobile video network
Dream Incubator has led a $2 million round of investment for Breaker, a Japanese start-up that distributes mobile video content. Seimer Ventures also took part in the round alongside an number of undisclosed investors.
NLVC backs Chinese P2P lending platform Dianrong
Northern Light Venture Capital (NLVC) has led a Series A round of funding for Chinese P2P lending service Dianrong. The specific investment amount was not disclosed but the company said it was tens of millions of dollars.