Venture
India local-language media start-up gets $16m from VCs
Sequoia Capital has led a INR1 billion ($16.4 million) round of funding for Verse Innovation, owner and operator of India-based local-language mobile platform NewsHunt.
Altos Ventures reaches $60m close on South Korea fund
Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Altos Ventures has reached a final close on its debut South Korea-focused fund at a hard cap of $60 million after eight months in the market.
Qiming commits $10m to China car rental platform Zuzuche
Qiming Venture Partners has invested $10 million in a Series A round of funding for Zuzuche.com, a Chinese third-party car rental platform.
Japan learning platform Mana.bo raises $3m Series A round
Nissay Capital and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have joined Japanese education firm Benesse in investing JPY330 million ($3 million) in online learning platform Mana.bo.
Xiaomi Ventures backs China health products maker
Xiaomi Ventures, a corporate VC unit of Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, has paid $25 million for a 20% stake in iHealth, an offshore unit of healthcare electronics maker Andon Health.
New Zealand's Shuttlerock raises $2.35m Series A
Shuttlerock, a New Zealand-based visual marketing software company, has raised $2.35 million in a Series A round of funding.
Tencent, Morningside commit $20m in China travel site
Tencent Holdings has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Woqu.com, a Chinese outbound travel start-up, with participation from existing investor Morningside Technologies.
Korea's SMBA to form VC fund with DFJ, Walden
Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) and Walden International have agreed to set up a $150 million venture capital fund with South Korea’s Small and Medium Business Administration (SMBA).
India's Quikr gets $60m from Tiger Global
Tiger Global Management has led a $60 million round of funding for in Indian online classifieds platform Quikr.
Australian VC firm Square Peg plans global push
Square Peg Capital, the Australia-based venture capital firm founded by the co-founder of job search site Seek is looking to expand overseas, with plans to invest up to A$100 million a year in Israel and the US.
China second-hand car platform Youxinpai raises $260m
Warburg Pincus and Tiger Global Management have participated in a $260 million funding round for Youxinpai.com, a Chinese second-hand car auction platform.
GIC leads Series C for China car rental service Yongche
Chinese car rental and taxi-booking site Yongche.com - which has a similar business model to Uber - has raised a Series C round of funding led by Singapore sovereign investor GIC Private.
JD.com, Macquarie commit $50m to China food-ordering site Daojia
Chinese food-ordering platform Daojia has completed a Series D round of funding worth $50 million, led by domestic online retailer JD.com and Macquarie Capital.
China Growth Capital, TDF invest in e-commerce marketplace DHGate
China Growth Capital and TDF Capital have provided a Series D round of funding for DHGate.com, a Chinese B2B cross-border e-commerce marketplace.
Cross-border e-commerce: The final frontier
Rocket Internet and Alibaba Group are preparing to go public and have ambitious growth plans. But how suited are their respective models to cross-border e-commerce expansion?
Crowdfunding: Herd dynamics
More start-ups are tapping crowdfunding platforms for capital. How well prepared are Asian markets to accommodate the phenomenon and what does its emergence mean for venture capital investors?
ClearVue leads Series A for China mobile crowdtasking app
ClearVue Partners have led a $3.2 million Series A round of funding for WeiChaiShi, a Chinese mobile crowdtasking platform, with participation from Nokia Growth Partners.
Renren leads round for Chinese financial social network
China’s social networking platform Renren has led a $40 million Series C round for Snowball, a Chinese financial information portal, with participation from existing investor Morningside Technologies.
Australia's Looop raises $2m
Looop, an Australian online learning platform for employees, has raised a $2 million seed round from an undisclosed education investor.
IvyCap, IDG invest in Indian online apparel retailer eShakti
IvyCap Ventures and IDG Ventures India (IDGVI) have participated in a undisclosed Series B round investment for India's eShakti.com, an online women's apparel retailer.
Baidu backs China online learning site SmartStudy
Chinese internet giant Baidu has invested $10.6 million in a Series A round of funding for Smart SmartStudy.com, an online education platform.
Xiaomi, Shunwei lead $37m round for China P2P lending site Jimubox
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi and Shunwei Capital Partners, both founded by Chinese angel investor Lei Jun, have jointly led a $37.2 million Series B round of funding for Jimubox, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending start-up in China.
VCs back Zai Lab drug development model
Few VC firms are keen to invest in China's early-stage drug discovery space because the development cycle is long and risky. Taking a new drug from clinical testing to commercialization often takes 7-10 years and the success rate in China is less than...
Portfolio: YPX and China casual dining
YPX Cayman was born out of an idea for a tech-style start-up in China's casual dining space. Backed by a string of investors, the firm is making headway with Cloud 9 and preparing to launch new concepts