Technology
Australia's Blue Sky buys stake in Origo Education
Australia-based Blue Sky Private Equity has acquired a significant minority stake in Origo Education, a mathematics tuition provider for primary school students.
Everbright leads $63m round for China's Baifendian
Baifendian, a Beijing-based big data technology developer backed by several VC investors, has raised RMB400 million ($63 million) in a Series D round of funding led by Everbright Securities.
Delivery start-up Lalamove gets $10m bridge round
Lalamove, a Hong Kong-based delivery start-up, has received $10 million in funding from MindWorks Ventures, AppWorks and Crystal Stream Capital, as well as several individual backers.
500 Startups to raise Japan seed fund
US-based accelerator 500 Startups has extended its Asia footprint with the launch of a $30 million fund dedicated to early-stage Japanese technology companies.
Alibaba, Yunfeng, Sina launch sports business
Alibaba Group has set up sports unit alongside Chinese internet company Sina Corporation and Yunfeng Capital, a PE firm backed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
Deal focus: Qiming targets last-mile delivery
As e-commerce continues to grow in China, demand for last-mile delivery services that get the goods to the consumer on time and in good shape has yet to be fully addressed. While leading online food-ordering platforms, such as Ele.me and Baidu’s Waimai,...
US tech firms in China: Out of the comfort zone
The likes of Uber and Airbnb are looking for strategic partners to help them enter the China market. Can they do better than eBay and Amazon a decade ago, both of which were swamped by local competition
Big deals: Buyouts, tech transactions and the AVCJ Awards
Starting with the acquisition of Japan Telecom’s fixed-line business in 2003, Asia has seen 29 buyouts of $2 billion or more, although about 10 of those could be classified as large-scale infrastructure deals somewhat removed from the corporate private...
Uber CEO confirms China fundraising plans
Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, has confirmed that the company has raised $1.2 billion for Uber China, a dedicated unit set up to address the local market.
H Capital leads $30m round for China education site
China-focused venture capital firm H Capital has led a $30 million Series A round of funding for Lexue Education, an online education platform.
Temasek, Vy Capital lead $60m round for India's Zomato
Temasek Holdings and existing investor Vy Capital have committed $60 million in funding to Indian online restaurant and event guide Zomato.
China Post Capital invests in Alibaba's Ant Financial
China Post Capital, an investment arm of postal service operator China Post Group, has purchased a minority stake in Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s online financial services affiliate.
GGV leads $19m round for China AR toy maker
GGV Capital has led a RMB120 million ($19 million) round of funding for Neobear, a China-based company that develops interactive learning tools for children.
Australian SME lender Prospa raises $41m
Prospa, an online platform that focuses on lending to Australian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has raised A$60 million ($41 million) in a funding from a string of private equity firms.
Tencent, Yunfeng back China social-networking site for doctors
Tencent Holdings and Yunfeng Capital have committed $40 million in a Series B round of funding to Medlinker, a Chinese social-networking platform for doctors.
Founder of Japan's Beenos launches $60m Asia VC fund
The founder of Japanese e-commerce company Beenos, Teruhide Sato, has a launched a $60 million venture capital fund that will support internet and mobile start-ups in India, Southeast Asia, Japan and the US.
Sequoia, Legend back Baidu’s education spin-out
Sequoia Capital and Legend Capital have invested an undisclosed sum in a Series A round of funding for Zuoyebang, a K-12 learning and teaching mobile app that spun-out from Chinese online search giant Baidu.
Warburg Pincus leads round for India's Capillary Technologies
Warburg Pincus has led a $45 million Series C round of funding for Capillary Technologies, an Indian cloud-based software provider that focuses on customer relationship management (CRM) solutions.
Zodius, Khazanah back India online lingerie retailer
Zodius Capital and Malaysian state-controlled investor Khazanah Nasional have committed $40 million in Series C funding to Zivame, an India-focused online lingerie retailer.
China second-hand car trading platform Chemao raises $188m
Chemao.com, a Chinese second-hand car trading platform, has raised RMB1.2 billion ($188 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Shenzhen-listed hydropower equipment maker Zhefu Holding Group.
Korean start-ups: Pursuing critical mass
A handful of Korean start-ups have achieved valuations in excess of $1 billion as investors look to leverage a mobile-centric consumer base. But how many unicorns can this market accommodate?
Aspada, Qualcomm back India's Reverie with $4m
Aspada Investment Company and Qualcomm Ventures have committed $4 million in Series A funding to India-based local language software platform Reverie Language Technologies.
Q&A: Formation 8's Brian Koo
As Formation 8 prepares to launch an Asia fund, Brian Koo, co-founder of the venture capital firm, explains why the strategy has evolved from rolling out US technologies in Asia to backing local start-ups
India's PremjiInvest leads $82m round for US-based ServiceMax
PremjiInvest, the private investment firm for Wipro Enterprises Chairman Azim Premji, has led an $82 million Series F round for US-based field service software developer ServiceMax.