Media
Focus Media to relist in Shenzhen via reverse merger
Chinese outdoor advertising business Focus Media, which was taken private two years ago by a consortium of PE investors in conjunction with company management, will re-list in Shenzhen through a reverse merger.
China’s Yunfeng, Wanda back sports entertainment business
Yunfeng Capital and conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group have led a Series A round of funding worth RMB800 million ($129 million) for LeTV Sports, a Chinese sports channel.
Deal focus: Canva’s simple design wins VC support
When Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins taught design in schools, she noticed that students struggled when using traditional software such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Clearly there could be a simpler solution.
Primavera leads $50m round for China online advertising platform
Primavera Capital has led a $50 million Series D round of funding for Miaozhen Systems, a Chinese third-party big data company that specializes in advertising services.
NewMargin leads $200m round for China advertising platform
NewMargin Ventures has led a $200 million Series B round for Panshi Information Technology, valuing the Chinese digital marketing platform at $1 billion.
Australian web design start-up Canva raises $6m
Canva, an Australian platform that allows amateur designers to create web graphics using drag-and-drop tools, has raised $6 million in a fresh round of funding led by existing investors Matrix Partners and Shasta Ventures.
Rocket's FoodPanda raises a further $100m
Goldman Sachs has led the latest funding round for Rocket Internet's emerging markets-focused food delivery app FoodPanda, netting the company $100 million.
VC-backed news app Gunosy sees modest gain after Tokyo IPO
Shares in Gunosy - a Japanese news app developer backed by the venture capital firm Jafco, telecoms company KDDI Corp. and B Dash Ventures - is up marginally on its IPO price after two days trading in Tokyo.
VC-backed PropTiger buys local rival Makaan
Indian property marketing platform PropTiger, which is backed by Accel Partners, Horizen Ventures and SAIF Partners, along with News Corp, has bought online property listing and classifieds website Makaan for an undisclosed amount.
India's BuyingIQ bought by VC-backed CarDekho
Price comparison portal BuyingIQ has been bought for an undisclosed sum by Girnar Software, parent company of auto marketplace CarDekho, which is supported by Hillhouse Capital and Sequoia Capital.
SAIF leads $3.5m Series A for India start-up tracker
Tracxn, an Indian data analytics firm that aims to be the "Gartner of start-ups," has raised a $3.5 million Series A round led by SAIF Partners.
China online movie ticket app Weiying raises $105m round
Beijing Weiying Times Technology, a Chinese online portal that sells movie tickets, has completed a Series B round of funding worth $105 million.
Accel, SAIF in $12m Series B round for Coverfox
Indian online insurance marketplace Coverfox has raised a INR750 million ($12 million) Series B round from existing investors Accel Partners and SAIF India.
Mayfield leads Series C for Indian education tech start-up
Mayfield has led a $15 million Series C round for Indian IT certification start-up Simplilearn, with participation from previous investors Kalaari Capital and Helion Venture Partners.
Southeast Asia Netflix clone gets $30m in funding
Iflix, a Southeast Asian video-on-demand platform with a similar business model to Netflix, has received $30 million from Catcha Group and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).
CMC Capital acquires stakes in HK broadcaster TVB
Chinese media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners has acquired a stakes in the consortium that controls Television Broadcasts (TVB), a free-to-air broadcaster in Hong Kong.
Hony backs Hong Kong consortium bidding for TV channel
Chinese GP Hony Capital has joined a consortium led by David Chiu, chairman of Hong Kong-listed property developer Far East Consortium International, that is applying for a domestic free-to-air television license.
India's Robosoft gets Series B round, spins out subsidiaries
Indian mobile app developer Robosoft will spin off its subsidiaries after receiving a INR740 million ($11.8 million) Series B round led by Ascent Capital, with participation by existing investor Kalaari Capital.
CBC leads $10m round for Chinese auto repair start-up Kalading
Chinese auto repair start-up Kalading has raised a $10 million Series A round led by CBC Capital. Existing investor Gobi Partners also participated, as did Geek Partners.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
Affinity to buy Nine's Australia events business for $496m
Affinity Equity Partners has agreed to buy Australia-based Nine Entertainment’s live events and ticketing business for an enterprise valuation of A$640 million ($496 million).
India's Grofers raises $35m Series B from Tiger, Sequoia
India-based online grocery marketplace Grofers has raised a Series B round of funding worth $35 million from Tiger Global and Sequoia Capital.
Accel, Recruit Holdings back Australia's 99designs
Australia-founded online design marketplace 99designs has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Recruit Strategic Partners, with existing investor Accel Partners also participating.
PE consortium closes in on Korea's Ticket Monster - report
A group of private equity investors including KKR is set to buy Korean e-commerce mobile app Ticket Monster from US-based Groupon in a deal that could value the company as highly as $800 million.