Technology
China VC: Selection issues
China's venture capital space is increasingly popular among LPs, overpopulated by GPs, and generally difficult to navigate
China social e-commerce player Red raises $300m
Alibaba Group has led a $300 million Series D round of funding for Red, a social e-commerce site that enables Chinese consumers to buy products from overseas.
Temasek, PayPal invest $125m in India's Pine Labs
Temasek Holdings and PayPal have invested $125 million in Pine Labs, an Indian financial technology company backed by Actis Capital, Sequoia Capital India and Madison India Capital.
Japan's Gumi raises $30m for blockchain VC fund
Gumi, a Japanese mobile game publisher backed by a number of VCs, has secured $30 million for a venture capital fund that will invest in blockchain and cryptocurrency start-ups.
Fund focus: AlphaX tracks evolving China VC story
Having raised $270 million for his debut fund at AlphaX Partners, former Highland Capital Partners executive Chuan Thor is keen to tap emerging trends in consumer internet and enterprise services
SoftBank's Japanese AI incubator targets $55m fund
Deepcore, a Japanese incubator focused on artificial intelligence (AI) that was set up last year by Softbank Corp, has launched a fund targeting JPY6 billion ($55 million) for seed to early-stage companies.
China's SenseTime closes $620m Series C-plus round
Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer SenseTime has raised $620 million in Series C-plus funding, its second capital injection in as many months. The investment values the business at over $4.5 billion.
China used car trading business Uxin files for US IPO
Uxin Group, a Chinese e-commerce platform that specializes in used-car trading and related services, has filed for a US IPO. Jeneration Capital, Warburg Pincus, and Tiger Global Management are among the company’s PE backers.
Q&A: Ofo's Alan Jiang
Alan Jiang helped launch Uber in China, Malaysia and Vietnam before serving as Indonesia country head. Now he is leading Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo’s expansion in Southeast Asia
India e-commerce: Turning a page
The acquisition of Flipkart by Walmart signals the beginning of a new chapter in India’s e-commerce story. Venture capital investors also hope it represents a model for more exits from technology start-ups
Chinese state-backed PE fund anchors Foxconn IPO
A private equity fund backed by China’s State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC) is the largest strategic investor in the RMB27.1 billion ($4.3 billion) Shanghai IPO of a Foxconn Technology Group manufacturing unit.
East Ventures joins $32m ICO for Swiss bitcoin app
East Ventures, a VC firm focused on Japan and Southeast Asia, has joined a $32 million initial coin offering (ICO) for Switzerland-based bitcoin wallet operator BRD.
Longreach to exit Japanese mobile content platform
The Longreach Group has agreed to sell Japanese mobile content provider Cybird to Aeria, a listed online gaming platform, for JPY7 billion ($64 million).
Singapore biotech player gets $20m Series A
A group of VCs including Yashang Capital and Westlake Ventures have backed a $20 million Series A funding round for Singaporean biotech developer Lion TCR.
CDH leads round for Chinese DNA-based drug developer
CDH Investments has led a RMB250 million ($39 million) Series B round of funding for HitGen, a Chinese biotech company that develops drugs based on the synthesis and screening of DNA fragments.
Amazon leads $12m round for India's VC-backed Acko
Amazon has led a $12 million funding round for Acko, an Indian online insurance broker that is backed by the likes of SAIF Partners and Accel Partners.
China's Sinovation launches AI-focused fund
Sinovation Ventures has formed a RMB2.5 billion ($395 million) venture capital fund that will focus on artificial intelligence (AI). It is a cooperative effort with the Guangzhou government to drive technology development.
PEP, Landis+Gyr to acquire Australia smart meter business
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Landis+Gyr, a Switzerland-based technology supplier to the electricity industry, have agreed to jointly acquire Australian smart meter company Acumen for A$267 million ($202 million).
Brii Biosciences gets $260m for China expansion
A group of VCs, including Sequoia Capital, have committed $260 million to Brii Biosciences, a China and US-based healthcare start-up executing a number of China-focused growth initiatives.
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving FoxConn, China Minsheng Investment Group, Qiming Venture Partners, GGV Capital, Matrix Partners China, Hongxiu VC, Geekbeans Capital, Albatross Venture, Node Capital, and Insight Capital
Fund focus: Tapping the Alibaba talent seam
Vision Plus Capital looks to tap the entrepreneurial talent developing in Alibaba Group's ecosystem for its second US dollar and renminbi-denominated funds
Profile: SparkLabs Group's Bernard Moon
Bernard Moon, co-founder of SparkLabs Group, has helped bring a global approach to seed investment. Early work bridging US and Korean start-up cultures clarified the value in going cross-border early
Hong Kong technology IPOs: Size matters
Hong Kong has altered its IPO regime to attract tech companies with unorthodox shareholding structures and biotech start-ups with no revenue. But only certain businesses are welcome to apply
China's AlphaX raises $270m venture capital fund
AlphaX Partners, a Chinese venture capital firm established by Chuan Thor (pictured), formerly of Highland Capital China, has closed its first US dollar and renminbi-denominated fund with around $270m in commitments.