Technology
Japan Industrial Solutions backs beleaguered Sharp
Turnaround specialist Japan Industrial Solutions (JIS) has invested JPY25 billion ($208 million) in ailing electronics group Sharp as part of JPY225 billion bailout.
Japanese e-payment service Paidy expands Series A to $8.3m
Arbor Ventures has led an additional $5 million round of funding for Exchange Corporation (ExCo), the Japanese start-up behind e-commerce payment and instant credit service Paidy.
Chinese face recognition start-up raises $25m
Face++, a Chinese producer of facial recognition software, has raised $25 million from unnamed investors as part of its Series B round.
CEO of India's Housing.com transfers all his shares to staff
Rahul Yadav, the controversial CEO of VC-backed Indian property listing platform Housing.com, has said he will transfer all his shares in the company to its employees.
Australia backs crowdfunding scheme, offers start-up tax breaks
The Australian government has allocated A$7.8 million ($6.2 million) to develop crowd-sourced equity funding (CSEF) and offered tax breaks for start-ups in its latest federal budget.
Korea’s Posco, Green Cross lead round for US-based Juventas
South Korea-based Posco Capital and biopharmaceutical player Green Cross have led a $7.5 million round for Juventas Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech development company based in the US.
Deal focus: Canva’s simple design wins VC support
When Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins taught design in schools, she noticed that students struggled when using traditional software such as Adobe Photoshop and InDesign. Clearly there could be a simpler solution.
Deal focus: Warburg Pincus rides with China’s eDaijia
It is estimated that around three shots of soju is sufficient for an adult to attain a blood alcohol content of 0.05% and therefore be in violation of Korea’s laws that prohibit driving while intoxicated. Punishments start at six months in jail or a...
India e-commerce: Grocery growth spurt
There has been a proliferation of start-ups in India’s online grocery sector, and investors have taken notice. But the companies that survive in the harsh competition to come will have to be tough
PE tech boom: High stakes
It is still only May but Asia has seen 28 deals in the technology, media and telecom (TMT) space of $100 million or more. This compares to 31 in 2014 and an average of approximately 14 for the eight years before that.
PE, Alibaba-backed Baozun set terms for US IPO
Baozun, a Chinese e-commerce platform solutions provider that has several strategic and private equity backers, has set terms to raise up to $177.1 million through a US IPO.
Primavera leads $50m round for China online advertising platform
Primavera Capital has led a $50 million Series D round of funding for Miaozhen Systems, a Chinese third-party big data company that specializes in advertising services.
Thailand’s aCommerce raises $5m from existing backers
Existing investors including Ardent Capital, Indonesian conglomerate Sinarmas and Inspire Ventures have committed $5 million to aCommerce, a Thailand-based e-commerce services provider.
Australia's Tank Stream raises $15.8m to back start-ups
Australia's Tank Stream Ventures has raised a A$20 million ($15.8 million) fund to invest in local tech start-ups.
China tour provider gets $500m from JD.com, PE investors
Tuniu, a US-listed Chinese online package tour provider, has agreed to raise $500 million through a private placement to e-commerce giant JD.com and several of its existing PE and VC backers.
Lightspeed to raise dedicated India venture fund
US-based Lightspeed Venture Partners is looking to raise $115 million for its first India-focused fund.
Crescent leads $50m round for China parenting site
Crescent HydePark - a unit of Crescent Group - has led a $50 million Series B round of funding for Guo.com, a Chinese online retail platform for maternity and baby products.
VC-backed 58.com acquires ChinaHR.com
Chinese online marketplace 58.com has acquired local recruitment site ChinaHR.com from its parent company Sangroup, an Irish recruitment firm.
Nexus raises $434m for two India VC funds
Nexus Venture Partners has closed its fourth India venture capital fund at $304 million and raised a further $130 million for a top-up fund focusing on later-stage investments in existing portfolio companies.
VC investors commit to Indian online education start-ups
Two Indian online education start-ups have received venture capital funding, with Toppr raising a $10 million round led by Fidelity Growth Partners and Vedantu attracting $5 million in Series A funding from Accel Partners and Tiger Global.
China’s Tsing Capital joins $20m round for GaN Systems
Beijing-based Tsing Capital has participated in a $20 million Series C round of funding for GaN Systems, a Canadian fabless semiconductor developer. Local VC firm Cycle Capital is the lead investor.
SAIF leads $16m round for China real estate site Jiwu
SAIF Partners China has led a RMB100 million ($16 million) Series A round of funding for Jiwu.com, a Shenzhen-based real estate listings portal.
Indian's Box8 raises $3.5m Series A from Mayfield
US early stage investor Mayfield has led a INR210 million ($3.3 million) Series A round of funding for Poncho Hospitality, the start-up behind Indian quick service restaurant (QSR) chain and on-demand food delivery services firm Box8.
Singtel Innov8 leads Series B round for US big data start-up
Singtel Innov8, the early stage investor backed by Singapore telco Singtel, has led a $15 million Series B round for US big data start-up DataTorrent. GE Ventures, and the start-up's existing investors, also took part in the round.