Technology
Singapore’s Tin Men targets $100m for debut fund
Tin Men Capital, a Southeast Asia-focused VC firm founded earlier this year, is targeting $100 million for its debut fund. The GP has committed $6.9 million to Overdrive IOT and Globaltix, marking its first two investments.
Qiming, Sequoia-backed CooTek files for US IPO
CooTek, a Chinese company that also goes by the name of Chubao and is best-known for the TouchPal smart phone keyboard, is seeking to go public in the US.
Matrix raises $300m for third India fund
Matrix Partners has raised $300 million for its third India-focused venture capital fund, which will back companies in sectors including consumer and enterprise technology and financial technology.
Boulevard Capital invests $20m in Singapore's Stratech
Boulevard Capital Partners, a private equity investor focused on infrastructure including telecom towers, has agreed to invest $20 million in Singapore-listed surveillance technology specialist Stratech.
Chinese karaoke equipment supplier gets $29m Series B
Thunder Stone Technology, a Chinese karaoke equipment producer, has received nearly RMB200 million ($29 million) in Series B funding led by China Minsheng Investment Group.
Y Combinator hires ex-Baidu COO to lead China business
Silicon Valley-based seed-stage accelerator Y Combinator (YC) has chosen Qi Lu, the former group president and COO of search giant Baidu, as the founding CEO of its China branch, YC China.
Golden Equator launches Brunei accelerator
Singapore’s Golden Equator has launched an accelerator in Brunei aimed at helping local small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) expand across Southeast Asia.
China-US computer vision start-up Clobotics gets $11m
Clobotics, a China and US-based computer vision start-up backed by a number of venture capital firms, has raised $11 million in Series A funding.
Japan's Line launches $10m token fund in Korea
Japan’s Line Corporation has set up a $10 million fund via a Korean subsidiary that will make token investments in early-stage blockchain start-ups.
Indian e-commerce: Tipping the scales
India’s new e-commerce policy seeks to provide clarity for all industry participants, but many stakeholders are wary that the government plans to tilt the playing field against overseas players
Data infrastructure: Steel and thin air
Wrongly dismissed as a mere communications upgrade, data infrastructure is a new asset sub-class unto itself. A growing field of investors is recognizing the evolving opportunity set
GGV seeks $1.9b for new venture funds
Sino-US venture capital firm GGV Capital is targeting $1.88 billion for its latest fund, which like its previous fund is grouped into four separate vehicles.
Nexus leads $8m Series A for India-US BPO platform
Nexus Venture Partners has led an $8 million Series A funding round for Observe.AI, a business process outsourcing (BPO) services provider based in the US and India.
Chinese electric car maker Nio files for US IPO
China’s Nio, an electric vehicle (EV) maker backed by a number of private equity firms, has filed for an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange that is expected to be the largest US listing for a Chinese car company to date.
Q&A: GLP's Yoshiyuki Chosa
Warehouse operator GLP is betting heavily on technology as it builds out capacity in the Tokyo region. Yoshiyuki Chosa, president of the company’s Japan unit, sketches a difficult but rewarding logistics market
Openspace closes second SE Asia VC fund at $135m
Southeast Asia-focused VC firm Openspace Ventures – best known for being the first institutional investor in Indonesian ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek – has closed its second fund at the hard cap of $135 million.
Crescendo hits $398m hard cap on second Korea fund
Crescendo Equity Partners, a mid-market Korean GP that concentrates on the industrial technology space, has closed its second fund at the hard cap of KRW450 billion ($398 million).
GA, Hillhouse lead $120m Series C for Chinese co-working space
MyDreamPlus, a Beijing-based co-working space provider, has raised $120 million in Series C funding led by General Atlantic (GA) and Hillhouse Capital.
Taiwan blockchain player Dexon gets $20m from IDG
IDG Capital has led a $20 million investment in Taiwan-based blockchain technology developer Dexon Foundation.
China commercial space start-up raises $44m Series B
China International Capital Corp (CICC) has led a RMB300 million ($44 million) Series B funding round for Chinese commercial space industry start-up One Space.
Golden Gate launches crypto, blockchain fund
Singapore’s Golden Gate Ventures has launched a cryptocurrency and blockchain fund in partnership with LuneX Ventures, a new firm established by Kenrick Drijkoningen (pictured), Golden Gate’s former head of growth.
Walmart, JD.com commit $500m to China grocery delivery business
US retailer Walmart and its Chinese online counterpart JD.com have led a $500 million funding round for Dada-JD Daojia, a Chinese online grocery delivery service.
China's Koala Reading raises $20m Series B round
Beijing Xiangyue Education Technology, operator of the Koala Reading platform that assesses the difficulty of Chinese language texts and helps schools create digital libraries, has received $20 million in Series B funding.
PE-backed Chinese healthtech firms to merge
China-based healthcare platforms Tencent Doctorworks and Xingren.com, both of which have several private equity and venture capital investors, have agreed to merge.