Venture
Singapore VC: Silicon dreams
Buoyed by government support and increasing private sector interest, Singapore has created a legion of tech start-ups that now require further investment. Can it become Southeast Asia’s answer to Silicon Valley?
Jafco invests $2m in Japan leisure booking site
Globis Capital Partners and Jafco Ventures have invested JPY200 million ($1.95 million) in Catarizm, the Japanese start-up behind online leisure booking site Asoview.
IDG leads round for Chinese restaurant review app Ricebook
IDG Capital Partners has led a $7 million Series B round of funding for Ricebook, a Chinese restaurant review mobile app operator.
Kalaari provides Series A for India big data start-up
Kalaari Capital has committed $3 million in Series A funding to Germin8, a Mumbai-headquartered big data analytics company.
Sequoia-backed Baioo Family launches HK IPO
Baioo Family Interactive, a children's online game developer backed by Sequoia, has launched its Hong Kong IPO, seeking to raise between $200 million and $250 million.
Profile: Intel Capital's Richard Hsu
Richard Hsu, managing director at Intel Capital, has spent 14 years as a VC investor, mostly in China. For all the change he has witnessed in entrepreneurs and ideas, some market features remain steadfastly the same
Valar, SquarePeg lead $20m round for New Zealand’s Vend
Vend, a New Zealand-based point-of-sale software provider, has received NZ$25 million ($20 million) in Series B funding. The round was co-led by Valar Ventures, an investment vehicle run by PayPal co-founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel, and...
Northstar enters Southeast Asia VC space
The Northstar Group, a Singapore-headquartered private equity firm with significant interests in Indonesia, is expanding its franchise to include venture capital. The VC unit is called Silicon Island, in reference to Singapore’s ambition to become a...
ClearVue leads new round for China online fruit store
ClearVue Partners has led a round of funding for Fruitday, a Chinese fresh fruit online store, followed by SIG Asia Investments.
Shenzhen Capital launches retail fund arm
Shenzhen Capital Group, a Chinese VC investor, has diversified its investment platform into mutual funds.
China mobile app platform Wandouja gets Goldman funding
Wandougjia, a Chinese mobile app platform, has received an undisclosed sum in follow-on funding from Goldman Sachs to complete a Series B round of funding that saw new and existing investors commit $120 million in January.
DCM leads $8m round for Chinese property portal
Meiaoju, a Chinese online platform for buyers seeking property overseas, has received a RMB50 million ($8 million) Series A round of funding led by DCM.
India’s Persistent backs hand hygiene wearables start-up
Persistent Venture Fund, a VC fund controlled by listed Indian software and technology company Persistent Systems, has invested in Hyginex, a US-based wearable technology manufacturer specializing in healthcare applications.
GSR Ventures to invest $580m in China new energy play
GSR Ventures has agreed to invest a total of RMB3.6 billion ($580 million) in Wuhan Kaidi Electric Power, a Shenzhen-listed clean energy technology provider.
China's Alibaba invests $215m in US messaging app Tango
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group has invested $215 million in California-based mobile messaging app maker Tango. The deal values the start-up at a reported $1 billion.
Jafco-backed Fixsters, Shirohato file for Tokyo IPOs
Japanese venture capital investor Jafco will see two portfolio companies - software firm Fixstars and online lingerie retailer Shirohato - launch their Tokyo IPOs on the same day next month.
Qiming raises $500m for China VC fund - update
Qiming Venture Partners has raised approximately $500 million for its fourth US dollar-denominated China venture capital fund.
Vertex commits $5m to China education app Xuebajun
Vertex Venture, an investment unit of Temasek Holdings, has committed $5 million in Series A funding for Shanghai-based mobile study tool developer Xuebajun.
Singapore accelerator JDFI raises $2.1m
Singapore-based tech accelerator Joyful Frog Digital Incubator (JFDI) has raises S$2.7 million ($2.1 million) from investors.
Orchid Asia leads $74m round for China's FunPlus Game
Beijing-based mobile social games developer FunPlus has raised a $74 million Series B round of funding led by Orchid Asia. GSR Ventures and Steamboat Ventures also participated.
Kalaari leads $10m round for Indian online jeweler
Kalaari Capital has led a $10 million round of funding for India-based online jeweler Bluestone.com. Existing investors Accel Partners and Saama Capital also took part in the round.
DCM bets bigger on China
DCM's latest global fund is smaller than its two predecessors because Silicon Valley-based general partners, Carl Amdahl and co-founder Dixon Doll, are stepping down. As a result, there will be fewer US investments, but China is expected to play a more...
Korea M&A: Regulatory relief
The Korean government’s recently announced M&A stimulation package includes a relaxation of restrictions on domestic private equity firms. But how much change are these reforms likely to bring?
Accel India, Horizen Ventures back tea commerce start-up
Accel Partners India and Horizen Ventures have together invested $1 million in Teabox, a start-up that operates out of Singapore and Bangalore.