Technology
VCs invest $25m in Japan's Plaid
Japanese digital marketing services provider Plaid has raised JPY1.5 billion ($25.1 million) from a group of VCs including existing investor Eight Roads Ventures Japan and Femto Partners.
Sequoia leads $48m round for China online baby products retailer
Sequoia Capital China has led a RMB300 million ($48 million) Series C round of funding for PatPat, a China-based e-commerce platform operator that exports maternal and infant products overseas.
IFC co-leads $22m Series C for India's Coverfox
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, has co-led a $22 million Series C round for Indian online insurance marketplace Coverfox.
Indonesia tech: Sleeping giant
Bullishness around Indonesia’s young online economy has been encouraged by a handful of VC-backed homeruns and promising demographics. Achieving scale in new business models remains a sticking point
Singapore's RE Lee Capital launches alternatives program
Singapore-based RE Lee Capital has confirmed it will launch a series of alternative asset investment products across the next three months and commit up to $60 million to pre-seed technology start-ups.
Alibaba invests $717m in China PE-backed rural e-commerce site
Alibaba Group has agreed to invest RMB4.5 billion ($717 million) in Huitongda Network, a private equity-backed online retailer that focuses on China’s rural areas.
Softbank leads $25m round for Singapore fintech player
Softbank Ventures Korea has led a $25 million Series B round for Funding Societies, a Singapore-based financial technology company focused on crowdfunding and peer-to-peer (P2P) lending.
VCs back $12m Series B for Japan's Optical Comb
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has joined a group of VCs in a JPY1.3 billion ($12 million) Series B round for Optical Comb, a Tokyo-based auto industry supplier that uses advanced 3D scanning technology.
Chinese fintech start-up raises $159m Series C
China Reform Holdings Corporation (CRHC), a Chinese state-owned asset manager, has led a RMB1 billion ($159 million) Series C round for 100Credit, a financial technology start-up that uses big data to provide credit services.
China-Indonesia VC: Biding their time
Investments by China's tech giants becoming more prominent in Indonesia's tech space, but Chinese VC investors continue to tread cautiously in the country for the most part
Q&A: 500 Startups' Khailee Ng
Khailee Ng, a managing partner with 500 Startups in Southeast Asia, discusses the rising demand for start-up exposure in Indonesia, the prospects for the country’s four unicorns, and exit opportunities
Indonesia tech IPOs: Fringe benefits
The Indonesia Stock Exchange has seen the first IPOs of domestic tech start-ups in Kioson and M Cash. The appeal of these listings may lie chiefly on the non-financial side
MSPEA, Crescent Point lead Series C round for China’s Qingke
Morgan Stanley Private Equity (MSPEA) and Crescent Point have jointly led a Series C round of funding for Qingke, a long-term rental apartment services platform in China.
Singapore's Zimplistic gets $30m Series C round
Singapore-based household automation technology developer Zimplistic has raised a $30 million Series C funding round led by Credence Partners and EDBI.
BBVA backs China Sinovation Ventures’ fourth fund
Spanish bank BBVA has committed $50 million to Chinese VC firm Sinovation Ventures’ latest US-dollar denominated fund.
Chinese big data firm MiningLamp gets $159m Series C
MiningLamp Software, a big data solutions provider in China, has raised a RMB1 billion ($159 million) Series C round of funding led by China Renaissance’s Huaxing Growth Capital and Tencent Holdings.
China’s Qiming raises $1.39b across three VC funds
Qiming Venture Partners has closed two China-focused VC funds – including its sixth US dollar-denominated vehicle and fifth renminbi-denominated vehicle – and a newly-established US healthcare fund, with $1.39 billion in aggregate commitments.
India's Reliance to acquire VC-backed Embibe
Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries has agreed to invest up to $180 million for a 73% stake in Embibe, a domestic educational technology start-up backed by Kalaari Capital and Lightbox Ventures.
CLSA backs MBO of Japan medical IT systems supplier
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has supported a management buyout of NHOSA Corporation, which provides electronic health record (EHR) systems to dental clinics across Japan.
Alibaba vs Tencent: Trench warefare
Alibaba Group and Tencent Holdings have different approaches to M&A but the same objective of achieving pre-eminence in China's internet industry. Other companies are obliged to take sides
Chinese healthcare SaaS platform raises $48m
Taimei Medical Technology, a Chinese cloud-based software provider that serves pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations (CROs), has raised RMB300 million ($48 million) in Series D funding.
Brandon invests $6m in Australia medtech company
Brandon Capital has committed A$7.7 million ($6 million) to Australian medical technology developer Global Kinetics.
VCs invest $12m in US, Southeast Asia-based Element
A number of Asian VCs including MDI Ventures, a unit of Telkom Indonesia, have joined a $12 million Series A round for Element, a biometrics technology developer based in New York, Jakarta, and Singapore.
VIDEO: Vertex Holdings' Kee Lock Chua
Kee Lock Chua, CEO of Temasek-owned Vertex Holdings, discusses venture capital trends in Asia
