Technology
Hong Kong's Lalamove raises $10m round led by MindWorks
MindWorks Ventures has led a $10 million funding round for Hong Kong-based van rental app developer Lalamove.
China GPs underline merits of sector focus
China GPs must respond to the country’s economic slowdown by paying closer attention to picking sectors that can outperform – and in which they can help drive that performance – industry participants told the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private...
Morgan Stanley marks down India's Flipkart again
Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust has marked down its investment in Flipkart for the second quarter in a row, reducing its estimate of the Indian online retail giant by 15.5%.
Korea's Althea raises $3.5m Series A
Althea, a South Korean cosmetics e-commerce site that markets primarily to Southeast Asia, has raised a $3.5 million Series A round from a group of investors including Mirae Asset Ventures, Cherubic Ventures and 500 Startups.
Japan's Creema raises $10m round
Globis Capital Partners has led a JPY1.1 billion ($10 million) round for Japan-based Creema, the operator of an online consumer-to-consumer (C2C) marketplace specializing in handmade items.
Alibaba, Ant Financial to re-up in China’s Didi Chuxing
Alibaba Group and its financial affiliate Ant Financial plan to invest a further $400 million in Didi Chuxing. This comes as the Chinese ride-hailing app operator is raising a new round of fund said to be as large as $2.5 billion.
INCJ leads $10m round for Japan robotics start-up
Japanese robotics company 3D Media has received a JPY1.1 billion ($10 million) investment from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), Sparx Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital.
Intel Capital cancels plans for secondary sale
Intel Capital, the captive VC arm of Intel Corp, appears to have abandoned plans to offload some of its investments in technology companies, with Wendell Brooks (pictured), the unit’s president, saying there will be no major changes to the portfolio.
Aetius commits $5m Series A to Singapore's Cloud Alliance
Singapore-based mobile gaming platform developer Cloud Alliance has raised $5 million in Series A funding from Aetius Capital.
Fund focus: WI Harper sticks to small scale
While other VC firms have seen significant jumps in fund size as they target the growth space, WI Harper's latest Asia-US vehicle will remain focused on early-stage deals with a cross-border angle
Autohome shareholders challenge sale to China's Ping An
Minority shareholders of Chinese auto services company Autohome have filed a petition against a recent move by Telstra to sell the majority of its controlling stake to Ping An Insurance Group for $1.6 billion.
Asia leads first quarter global fintech investments
VC-backed companies in Asia led a worldwide surge of investments in financial technology companies in the first quarter of 2016, according to a new report from KPMG and CB Insights (CBI).
China micro VC: The micro wave
Micro VC firms are a relatively new segment in China’s venture capital ecosystem, the product of angel investors going institutional. They focus on early stage deals, but as demand grows, will they stay there?
Highland leads $16m round for NuTonomy’s Singapore push
Highland Capital Partners has led a $16 million Series A investment in NuTonomy, a US tech developer aiming to commercialize a driverless taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018.
Corporate VC: A fine balance
Corporations in Asia increasingly see the merits of captive VC units, but they must be clear in their financial and strategic objectives in order to give teams the right combination of autonomy and guidance
Portfolio: The Riverside Company and Simcro
The Riverside Company believes New Zealand’s Simcro has what it takes to build its animal health device business worldwide, and is using its global reach and long-term perspective to help the company succeed
Fund focus: Geodesic helps US start-ups go big in Japan
The former US ambassador to Japan and the ex-head of Andreessen Horowitz's growth investment practice have joined forces to help US start-ups gain traction in Japan
China's Fujian Grand Chip offers $751m for Aixtron
Fujian Grand Chip Investment Fund (FGC), an investment vehicle controlled by Chinese entrepreneur Zhendong Liu, has offered to buy German semiconductor equipment maker Aixtron for EUR670 million ($751 million).
DMP leads $3m Series A for Malaysia's Jirnexu - update
Singapore-based venture capital firm DMP has led a $3 million Series A round for Malaysian financial technology start-up Jirnexu.
Australia's Data Republic gets $7.6m Series A round
Australia-based financial technology company Data Republic has received $10.5 million ($7.6 million) in funding from National Australia Bank (NAB), Westpac and Qantas.
PE-backed Giant completes $2b backdoor listing in Shenzhen
Chinese online game developer Giant Interactive Group, which was taken private by a consortium of PE investors in conjunction with the company’s CEO, has completed a backdoor listing in Shenzhen that values the business at RMB13.1 billion ($2 billion).
China GPs back US tech player's Asian consolidation
Chinese investors have underpinned an $88 million Series E round of funding for Kateeva, a US electronics developer that operates in China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan.
Healthcare app launched by China's Ping An Insurance raises $500m
Ping An Good Doctor, a healthcare-focused mobile app controlled by Chinese Ping An Insurance Group, has raised $500 million in a Series A round of funding at a valuation of $3 billion.
Malaysia's Khazanah opens London office
Khazanah Nasional, an investment fund controlled by the Malaysian government, has opened a new office in London aimed at strengthening the country’s business development links with Europe.