Media
Deal focus: Whale takes a bite of big data
China-focused digital marketing start-up Whale has secured $50 million in Series B funding to hone a product offering that helps companies optimize customer engagement by analyzing traffic flows
China digital marketing platform gets $50m Series B
Whale, a China-focused digital marketing platform, has raised a Series B round of $50 million led by Temasek Holdings. Existing investors Nio Capital, Linear Capital, and Alpha Startups Fund re-upped.
Lightspeed joins $125m round for India virtual events platform
Lightspeed Venture Partners has joined a $125 million Series B round for India-based virtual events platform Hubilo.
Vietnam NFT start-up Axie Infinity raises $152m
Andreessen Horowitz has led a $152 million Series B round for Vietnam-based non-fungible token (NFT) gaming start-up Axie Infinity, also known as Sky Mavis.
India's Meesho sees valuation double in five months
Indian social e-commerce start-up Meesho has raised a $570 million Series F round, doubling its valuation in less than five months to $4.9 billion.
Carlyle buys Japan advertising business
The Carlyle Group has completed its acquisition of Japanese advertising content provider AOI TYO Holdings follow a tender offer that valued the Tokyo-listed company at JPY21.4 billion ($191 million).
India's MPL closes Series E, hits $2.3b valuation
Mobile Premier League (MPL) has joined rival Indian mobile gaming platform Dream Sports in the unicorn club on closing a Series E round of funding at a valuation of $2.3 billion.
Australia's Canva raises $200m at $40b valuation
Australian design and workplace collaboration platform Canva has raised $200 million at a valuation of $40 billion - up from $15 billion five months ago and $3.2 billion in 2019.
Japan's SmartNews secures $230m Series F
Japan-based news app SmartNews has achieved a valuation of $2 billion on closing a $230 million Series F round featuring US-based Princeville Capital and Woodline Partners as well as several local investors.
India media SaaS platform Amagi raises $100m
Accel Partners, Avataar Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, and Premji Invest, have committed $100 million in funding to Amagi, an India-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform aimed at TV broadcasters.
Baring Asia invests $150m in Singapore game developer
Baring Private Equity Asia has invested $150 million in Singapore-based game developer Virtuos, becoming the largest external shareholder.
Deal focus: India’s AppsForBharat inspires VC devotees
AppsForBharat aims to be the first mobile player to create a product that sticks in the hard-to-monetize spirituality services space. Sequoia Capital India and Matrix Partners India are among the faithful
China-focused NFT marketplace Cybertino raises $10m
A group of Chinese investors including Sky9 Capital, Ince Capital, and Draper Dragon have joined a $10 million round for non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace Cybertino Lab.
China's DayDayCook agrees $300m SPAC merger
DayDayCook, a China-focused direct-to-consumer brand that started as a cooking-themed video platform, has agreed to merge with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an enterprise valuation of $300 million.
China comic platform Kuaikan raises $240m
Kuaikan, China’s largest publishing platform for comics, has raised $240 million from CCB International, Korean mobile app marketplace One Store, Tencent Holdings, Coatue Management, and Tiantu Capital.
NFTs: Spirits in an invisible world
The use of blockchain to create digital assets has evolved from the mass circulation of ethereal, volatile, and interchangeable tokens into something that feels much more real
India's Dailyhunt raises $450m at $3b valuation
VerSe Innovation, operator of Indian news app Dailyhunt, has raised $450 million in Series I funding featuring The Carlyle Group at a valuation of about $3 billion.
India's Dream Sports launches $250m corporate VC fund
Dream Sports, operator of India’s largest fantasy sports platform, has established a $250 million venture capital unit that will invest in sports, gaming, and fitness-tech start-ups nationwide.
Deal focus: ShareChat makes hay in TikTok’s absence
The Indian social networking platform has seen its valuation grow more than fourfold in the past year, helped in no small part by the rise of short video offering Moj as an alternative to TikTok
Deal focus: Chiratae sees 43x return on gaming start-up
India’s Chiratae Ventures has realized its largest-ever exit in terms of multiple with a zero-to-one leap of faith for local gaming studio PlaySimple
India's ShareChat raises additional $145m
Temasek Holdings, Moore Strategic Ventures, and Mirae Asset Global Investments have led a $145 million Series F round for Indian social media platform ShareChat at a valuation of $3 billion.
Taiwan video SaaS start-up raises $16m Series B
Kdan Mobile Software, a Taiwanese software-as-a-service company focused on corporate video and design services, has raised a $16 million Series B round featuring WI Harper Group.
India media platform Pratilipi raises $48m Series D
Pratilipi, a literature, comics, and audio storytelling platform with service in 12 Indian languages, has raised a $48 million Series D that will see the start-up branch into gaming.
Tiger Global leads $144m round for India's DealShare
Tiger Global Management has led a $144 million Series D round for Indian social e-commerce start-up DealShare.
