Venture
Baidu pays $1.9b for VC-backed 91 Wireless
Chinese search engine giant Baidu is to acquire 91 Wireless - the mobile app store business of online gaming company NetDragon Websoft - for $1.9 billion.
Japanese mobility chair firm raises $1m VC round
Whill, a Japanese startup which has designed a type of electronic mobility chair, has received JPY100 million ($1 million) in funding from a group of venture capital investors including Itochu Technology Venture, 500 Startups and Sun Bridge Global Ventures....
India's FlipKart shops a $200m round
Indian e-commerce is in a state flux. While penetration is still relatively low compared to developed nations - just one in 10 Indians has access to the internet - the industry was worth $14 billion last year and growing rapidly. Competition for wallet...
China medical devices: Climbing the value chain
Driven by government policy, China's medical devices industry is growing rapidly and VC capital is flowing in. Picking winners requires a keen eye for new technology and potential distribution obstacles
Fatfish acquires 65% of Indonesian auto insurance portal RajaPremi
Singapore-based tech investor Fatfish Internet has acquired Indonesian car insurance price comparison site RajaPremi.com, marking its first foray into the country. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Toho Bank, Yamada Business Consulting establish $10m VC fund
Japan's Fukushima-headquartered Toho Bank has established a JPY1 billion ($10 million) venture capital fund, along with Tokyo-based Yamada Business Consulting, to provide early-stage capital to Japanese businesses.
India's Flipkart raises $200m from VC backers
Online retailer Flipkart has raised $200 million (INR12 billion) from existing investors Accel Partners, Tiger Global, Iconiq Capital and Naspers, in one of the largest fundraising rounds for an Indian e-commerce player. This fifth round brings the total...
Fidelity Japan leads $3m round for e-ticketing start-up PeaTiX
Fidelity Japan has led a $3 million Series A round for Japanese e-ticketing startup PeaTiX. The company provides an online platform for event organizers, allowing them to manage ticket sales.
Investors commit another $26m to Australia fashion site The Iconic
Australian fashion online retailer The Iconic has picked up A$28 million ($26 million) through a new round of funding led by Verlinvest, a Belgium-based investment firm set up by the founding families of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Existing shareholders Investment...
Southeast Asia's unloved
Southeast Asia is in vogue, seen by many as an increasingly credible alternative to China and India. Indonesia, as the region’s only market of scale, has naturally attracted the most interest. Virtually every regional and global private equity firm has...
Samurai Incubate Fund invests in Japanese child monitor app
Samurai Incubate Fund has backed Japanese mobile app developer Unirings - the company behind child monitoring app Mimamoru. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Hong Kong launches start-up program
Hong Kong has launched a start-up program intended to attract local and global entrepreneurs to set up or expand their businesses in the city.
Korea to grant start-up visas to foreigners
South Korea is to grant start-up visas to foreign entrepreneurs in a bid to facilitate inbound investment.
Microsoft Ventures enters China market
Microsoft has launched Microsoft Ventures in China to provide seed funding and other resources to local start-ups.
Japanese software testing service in $4m VC round
Shift, a Japanese software testing service, has raised JPY400 million ($4 million) from VC investors Simplex Holdings and Movida Capital as well as strategic investor Bit-isle, a cloud data service provider.
DBJ, SMBC, Mitsubishi UFJ back Japan's Adinnovation
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) , SMBC Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have together invested JPY160 million ($1.5 million) in marketing specialist Adinnovation.
Nissay Capital invests $2m in display component maker Cerebrex
Nissay Capital has invested JPY250 million ($2.4 million) in Cerebrex, a semiconductor start-up that produces components for liquid crystal displays.
KDDI Fund participates in $2m round for Japanese game developer
KDDI Open Innovation Fund has joined CyberAgent Ventures and Japanese entertainment company FuRyu in committing a total JPY230 million ($2.2 million) to Japanese game developer Mutations Studio.
Samsung Electronics buys VC-backed Boxee
Samsung Electronics has acquired Boxee, a VC-backed Israeli start-up that manufactures digital video recorders (DVRs). The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
India's ShopClues eyes $50m growth round
Online marketplace ShopClues.com is looking to raise a further $30-50 million from investors, after January’s $10 million round from Helion Venture Partners, Nexus Venture Partners and Japan’s Netprice, which is backed by CyberAgent and Dentsu.
South Asian impact fundraising platform gets Series A round
Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has led a $1.1 million round of funding for Milaap Social Ventures, an impact-focused fundraising platform in South Asia. Lion Rock Capital and two angel investors also participated, as did existing investor Unitus Seed Fund....
India's Robosoft Technologies gets $3m from Kalaari Capital
India-focused Kalaari Capital has invested INR220 million ($3.69 million) for a minority stake in mobile apps and games developer Robosoft Technologies. Kalaari Managing Director Kumar Shiralagi and Vice President Sumit Jain will join the Robosoft board....
Angels in Asia: Exporting Silicon Valley
Early-stage investors in the US are casting their eyes eastwards as they seek out new partnerships in Asia. But what can these angels offer the region’s start-up community?
Untapped Japan VC market targets mobile space - AVCJ Japan
Japanese venture capital is still being overlooked by LPs despite the untapped potential of Asia's fastest growing mobile internet space, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.