Sectors
India's VC-backed Qubecell acquired by mobile payments company Boku
Mobile billing aggregator Qubecell, which is backed by Kae Capital, Blume Ventures, Mumbai Angels and TA Ventures, has been acquired by San Francisco-based Boku.
Risa Partners exits drug store to Tsuruha Holdings for $99m
Risa Partners, a unit of NEC Capital, has exited its 56% stake in Japanese drug store operator Hearty Wants to strategic investor Tsuruha Holdings for JPY10.1 billion ($99 million).
Indonesian fashion site Berrybenka raises $5m Series B
Japan's Transcomos has led a $5 million Series B round of funding for Berrybenka, picking a more than 30% interest in the Indonesian fashion e-commerce start-up. Existing backer GREE Venture also participated.
Tencent an investor in Snapchat – report
Tencent reportedly made a minority investment in video messaging app Snapchat in June.
Indian T-shirt design crowd-sourcing platform gets VC funding
Mumbai-based online apparel retailer VoxPopClothing has raised $400,000 in funding from Blume Ventures and other unnamed investors.
Virgin forms India JV with Cinema Capital Venture Fund
Richard Branson’s Virgin Produced media production company has entered into a partnership with Mumbai-based Cinema Capital Venture Fund and Tantrik Group, a media and entertainment asset management firm, to launch Virgin Produced India, which will develop,...
DCM, Bertelsmann commit $10m to China's Ucloud
Ucloud, a Chinese cloud computing service provider, has received more than $10 million in Series A funding from DCM and Bertelsmann Asia Investments.
Gaw Capital acquires London property for Korean investors
Gaw Capital Partners, a Hong Kong-based private equity real estate firm, has acquired Waterside House - an office building in London - on behalf of a pool of South Korean institutional investors.
Exhilway closes $200m mines and minerals fund, targets Indonesia
Exhilway Global, a US-based hedge fund and emerging markets private equity manager, has closed its maiden mines and minerals PE fund at $200 million. The vehicle will acquire and operate mines in alliance with local companies in Indonesia, as well as...
Everstone in Burger King India tie-up
The Everstone Group has entered into a joint venture with Burger King Worldwide to bring the world’s second-largest fast food hamburger chain to India.
Blackstone, Panchshil Realty to buy Mumbai office tower
The Blackstone Group and Xander Group-backed Indian developer Panchshil Realty are set to buy a majority stake in an office tower in Mumbai for close to INR9 billion ($144 million).
China's NSSF invests in US-listed mobile games developer
The National Council for Social Security Fund (NSSF), China's state pension fund, has invested $15 million in China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (CMGE), a US-listed mobile games operator.
Alibaba buys VC-backed mobile app analytics operator
China e-commerce conglomerate Alibaba Group has purchased Umeng, a Beijing-based mobile app analytics service provider incubated by Innovation Works.
SMBC Venture, Adways invest in Japan e-commerce site
SMBC Venture Capital and strategic investor Adways have together backed Flask Park, a Japanese gift e-commerce company. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Australia's HighPoint Capital invests in Brand New Media
HighPoint Capital has acquired a significant minority shareholding in Brand New Media (BNM), a Sydney-headquartered business that runs digital channels for brands and broadcasters. Its partners include Seven West Media in Australia, New Zealand’s national...
Bitcoin boom
“It is in some ways easier to buy things in China using bitcoin than it is using traditional fiat currency,” says Dan Ciporin, partner at the VC firm Canaan Partners.
Bitcoin exchange BTC China Raises $5m from Lightspeed
China’s largest bitcoin exchange by trading volume, BTC China, has raised $5 million in Series A funding from Lightspeed China Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
SAIF, Kalaari provide Series A round for Urban Ladder
Indian online furniture store Urban Ladder has raised $5 million from SAIF Partners and return backer Kalaari Capital in a Series A round.
Oaktree ups stake in New Zealand's MediaWorks
Oaktree Capital has increased its stake in New Zealand broadcaster MediaWorks to 43%, after acquiring a 14.6% stake from Dutch lender Rabobank. The transaction took place the same day lenders completed their recapitalization of MediaWorks, reducing its...
RRJ to launch $1b real estate fund - report
RRJ Capital, the Hong Kong-based private equity firm set up by former Hopu Investment Management executive Richard Ong, is said to be launching a $1 billion real estate fund targeting investments in China.
Temasek, Greenwoods back Phoenix Healthcare IPO
Temasek Holdings and Shanghai-based Greenwoods Investment have made a pre-IPO investment in Phoenix Healthcare Group, picking up a 10% stake in the company for RMB165 million ($26.8 million).
CDC commits $200m to IDFC Infrastructure Fund II
CDC Group, the UK government’s development finance arm, has announced a $200 million commitment to IDFC Alternatives’ India Infrastructure Fund 2 (IIF2), its largest ever to an Indian investment fund.
Vision Knight, Softbank China back tourism site 8trip
Vision Knight Capital has led a RMB150 million ($25 million) round of funding for 8trip, a Chinese B2B online travel website. SoftBank China Venture Capital (SBCVC) also participated in the round.
SoftBank China invests in P2P lending site Yooli.com
Chinese peer-to-peer financing platform Yooli.com has received $10 million in Series A funding from Softbank China Capital. The platform launched in February but already has nearly 100,000 registered users and has transacted more than RMB264 million ($43...