Venture
VC firms back Irish start-ups in China
Led by the likes of Google, Facebook and LinkedIn, US tech companies have flocked to Ireland due to its EU access and business friendly policies, creating around 140,000 local jobs in the process. This has fostered spin-outs and serial entrepreneurs across...
Vertex backs FirstCry’s O2O e-commerce push
Indian baby and kids-focused e-commerce site FirstCry.com was not the first mover in its segment when it launched in 2010. Kalaari Capital-backed HushBabies and Babyoye, an Accel Partners and Tiger Global portfolio company, were among those already operating...
Strategic imperative: Chinese corporates embrace PE
Corporate private equity arms are catching on in China as companies beyond the tech space develop an appetite for investment. What does it mean for the industry’s independent incumbents?
TAL Education invests $25m in VC-backed Babytree
TAL Education, a China-based after-school tutoring services provider, has acquired a minority stake in childcare website Babytree for RMB150 million ($25 million). The online baby nursing information provider secured previous investments from Matrix Partners,...
India's National Innovation Council launches $792m fund
India's National Innovation Council (NIC) and the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MMSME) have together launched a new venture fund targeting INR50 billion ($792 million).
Suning acquires VC-backed group buying site Manzuo
Suning Commerce, a Chinese home appliance retailer, has acquired group buying site Manzuo.com. Transaction terms were not disclosed but the investment was said to facilitate a full exit for VC backer KPCB China.
Legend re-ups in US sports tech manufacturer Zepp
Legend Capital has re-upped in athlete training technology developer Zepp Labs, participating in a $15 million Series B round of funding led by GGV Capital. Bertelsmann and Cherubic Ventures also committed capital.
Blume Ventures leads seed round for India’s Turtle Yogi
Blume Ventures has led a seed round of funding for Bangalore-based Turtle Yogi Technologies, which runs cloud-based video calling service 1Click.io. Chennai Angels member R. Narayanan and Shead Holdings are also investors in the round.
CyberAgent Ventures backs Japan language learning site
CyberAgent Ventures, the corporate VC arm of the company behind Japanese blogging site Ameba, has invested an undisclosed amount in language learning platform Lang-8.
Nexus backs digital security firm Uniken
Nexus Venture Partners has invested a reported INR300 million ($4.8 million) in US enterprise security firm Uniken, which has its innovation center in India.
Singapore online grocer RedMart raises $5.4m funding round
RedMart, an online grocery service based in Singapore, has raised a $5.4 million round of funding led by Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Other investors in the bridge round included JFDI.Asia co-founder Meng Weng Wong, The Lo & Behold Group founder...
Japanese VCs invest $4m in social retail app developer
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and DBJ Capital have joined existing investors DCM Japan, Itochu Technology Ventures and Jafco Ventures, in a JPY400 million ($3.8 million) round of funding for Tokyo-based Tab, the start-up behind the location-based retail recommendation...
Profile: Globis Capital Partners' Yoshito Hori
From bust to boom, Yoshito Hori, CEO and founder of Globis Capital Management, has spent 20 years investing in Japanese VC - a story that is as much about education as it is capital
Bitcoin: VC firms eye Asia opportunities
Bitcoin’s emergence as a currency in Asia has attracted mixed reactions from regulators. For VC investors there is a chance to disrupt the exisitng payment hierarchy, but they must also work with it
Saif invests $30m in China fashion platform
Saif Partners China has committed $30 million in a Series C round of funding for Yoho, an online fashion magazine and e-commerce platform.
Japanese VCs invest $1.5m in ad platform Logly
Voyage Ventures, Mizuho Capital, SMBC Venture Capital and strategic investor CA Mobile have together invested JPY120 million ($1.15 million) in Logly, a Japan-based start-up running an internet ad platform.
China's WestSummit raises $325m across two tech funds
Beijing-based growth capital firm WestSummit Capital has raised $325 million across two funds, comprising $225 million for West Summit’s Fund II and $100 million for its China Ireland Technology Growth Capital Fund.
China game developer Linekong secures $80m Series C round
China online gaming developer Linekong has raised $80 million Series C round of funding led by Fosun International. Other investors include Orchid Asia, Starwish Global, SAIF Partners and Profitable Century International.
Inventus closes Fund II at $106m
Inventus Capital Partners has reached a final close on its second fund at $106 million, exceeding the $100 million target.
Sequoia invests in China Angel Group hospital
Sequoia Capital has invested in a Series B round of funding for Angel Women’s and Children Hospital, a Chengdu-based hospital chain.
Mayfield raises at least $86m for India fund
Mayfield has raised at least $86 million for its second India fund, which was launched a year ago.
IDG, IvyCap back India's FieldEZ Technologies
Bangalore-based FieldEZ Technologies has raised a first round of funding from IDG Ventures and IvyCap Ventures. The amount invested in the workforce management software company was not disclosed.
Canaan leads $5.6m round for India's SureWaves
Canaan Partners has led a INR350 million ($5.6 million) round of funding for SureWaves MediaTech, an Indian TV advertising platform operating out of Bangalore. Existing backers Accel Partners India and India Innovation Fund (IIF) also participated.
Microsoft Ventures backs 19 Asian start-ups
Microsoft Ventures, a corporate VC arm of Microsoft, has selected 19 Asian companies for the fourth batch of start-ups entering its Beijing-based accelerator program.