Technology
Qiming leads Series B for China goods delivery app
Qiming Venture Partners has led a Series B round of funding for Linjia.me, a Chinese mobile app that offers last mile delivery services.
Gobi leads $5.7m Series A for Thailand's Eko
Gobi Partners has led a $5.7 million Series A round of funding for Bangkok-based Eko Communications, developer of workplace messaging app Eko.
India's StartupXSeed launches $4.5m venture fund
Indian seed-stage venture investment firm StartupXSeed has launched a VC fund, with an initial corpus of INR300 million ($4.5 million), to invest in Indian technology start-ups.
Global Brain backs Japan 3D printing start-up
Global Brain has committed JPY400 million ($3.3 million) to Japan-based Kabuku, which runs the 3D printing service Rinkak.
Chinese food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $630m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has raised $630 million from a combination of new and existing investors. The investment reportedly values the business at more than $3 billion.
Intel Capital invests $60m in China drone maker Yuneec
Intel Capital has committed more than $60 million in Yuneec International, a Chinese drone manufacturer.
Times Internet backs Coursera, supports India expansion
Times Internet, an Indian internet and mobile service provider that has backed several local start-ups, has joined a $49.5 million first close of a Series C round for US-based online education provider Coursera.
Asia e-commerce: The next generation
Most of emerging Asia’s e-commerce giants faced a binary choice between the asset-heavy online retail and asset-light marketplace models. Now, though, investors have a more nuanced opportunity set
Deal focus: Standard Chartered PE backs exceptional Dianrong
Regulators are catching up with China’s booming online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending industry. Last month the People Bank of China (PBoC), in conjunction with nine other government agencies, issued the first guidelines for policing internet finance. P2P...
Deal focus: RedMart channels the Amazon spirit
Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer, but it retains fleetness of foot that defies its size. This is based on the ability to embrace not only new technology but also innovative approaches to management. The “two-pizza rule” devised...
Loan or own? Chinese strategics offer debt to start-ups
As Chinese start-ups raise larger, later-stage rounds, strategic investors are looking to participate through structured debt products rather than through equity. This approach presents its own risks
Deal focus: Tata Capital bets on Uber in India
Tata Opportunities Fund (TOF) has deployed $400 million of its $600 million corpus over the last two years, with two thirds of that capital going to India-based companies that have global operations. The recent investment in ride-hailing app Uber Technologies...
China drone start-up EHang gets $42m Series B round
GP Capital, a China-focused PE fund backed by Shanghai International Group, has led a $42 million Series B round of funding for EHang, a Chinese commercial drone manufacturer.
Japan’s Freee raises $30m Series C round
DCM, Recruit Holdings and Japan Co-Invest have committed $30 million in Series C funding to Freee, a Japan-based provider of automated online accounting software.
Philippines targets 500 domestic tech start-ups by 2020
The Philippines government has outlined plans to achieve 500 domestic technology start-ups with a combined valuation of $2 billion by 2020.
China’s Qihoo to acquire HK-listed Vision Values
Chinese internet security software provider Qihoo360 Technology, which recently received a take-private offer from its management and VC investors, intends to acquire a majority stake in Hong Kong-listed Vision Values. It is suggested Qihoo might seek...
VCs exit China online furniture retailer Meilele to strategic buyer
Several VC investors – including Lightspeed China Partners, Vertex Ventures and China Renaissance K2 Ventures – will exit Meilele as Shanghai-listed Guangdong Yihua Timber Industry agreed to buy an 18.21% stake in the online furniture retailer.
NEA, Orios commit $4m to India's IntelligenceNODE
IntelligenceNODE, a retail-oriented big data analytics start-up based in India, has raised a $4 million Series A round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Orios Venture Partners.
IFC to back Jungle Venture's second fund
International Finance Corporation (IFC) will invest up to $10 million in Singapore-based Jungle Ventures' second venture capital fund.
Yunfeng leads Series C round for China’s logistic app Yunmanman
Yunfeng Capital has led a Series C round of funding for Yunmanman, a Shanghai-based mobile logistic distribution platform. Existing investors Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed China Partners also participated.
Tata Opportunities Fund invests in Uber
Tata Capital will make a significant investment in ride-hailing service Uber through its Tata Opportunities Fund (TOF).
Fund focus: Lightspeed gets traction in India
In 2010, Lightspeed Venture Partners concluded that it could more effectively tap China’s burgeoning technology space with a dedicated country fund. A China vehicle was duly launched and reached a final close in 2013 at $168 million.
China agriculture: Seeds of hope
Fragmentation and inefficiency have hampered Chinese agriculture for years, but a combination of policy reform and consumer demand may allow the sector to unlock its potential. Does private equity have the key?
Deal focus: Blume targets e-commerce’s back-end
Asian e-commerce companies are having a hard time living up to their billing. Orders may come in at the speed of light, but deliveries come from warehouses that largely still dependent on relatively slow human labor.