Technology
China crowdfunding: The madding crowd
With established Chinese companies, led by e-commerce giant JD.com, getting involved in equity crowdfunding, will these platforms gain traction as a financing channel for Chinese start-ups?
Investec Bank leads $84m round for China P2P lending site
South African-based Investec Bank has led an $84 million Series C round of funding for Jimubox, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform, with participation from Haitong Kaiyuan, a PE arm of Haitong Securities.
India's MakeMyTrip buys VC-backed Mygola
Indian travel site MakeMyTrip has acquired VC-backed travel planning startup Mygola.
Singapore's TradeGecko receives NSI, Jungle backing
Singapore-based inventory management platform TradeGecko has raised a $6.5 million Series A round of funding led by NSI Ventures and existing investor Jungle Ventures.
Keytone leads $20m round for China auto service site
Keytone Ventures has led a $20 million Series A round of funding for Chemayi, a Chinese auto after-sales service platform.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
KKR, Anchor buy controlling stake Korea's Ticket Monster
A consortium led by KKR and Anchor Equity Partners has agreed to buy a controlling stake in South Korean mobile e-commerce company Ticket Monster from US-listed Groupon for $360 million.
PE, Alibaba-backed Baozun to list in the US
Baozun, a Chinese e-commerce platform solutions provider, has filed for an IPO in the US. Backers include Alibaba Group, SoftBank Corporation, Goldman Sachs, Crescent Group, Infinity Group and New Access Capital.
India's Freshdesk raises $50m Series E from existing investors
Online customer support start-up Freshdesk has raised $50 million in Series E funding from existing investors Tiger Global Management, Google Capital and Accel Partners.
India classifieds platform raises $28m from GIC, Norwest
Singapore’s GIC Private has led a Series C round of funding worth INR1.75 billion ($28 million) for Sulekha.com, an India-based classifieds platform based in India. Existing investor Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) also participated.
China's 58.com buys stake in VC-backed rival Ganji
US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com has agreed to buy a 43.2% stake in its domestic rival Ganji.com in a deal worth around $1.61 billion. It is part of a broader consolidation in China’s internet industry.
BlueRun commits $10m to China securities trading site
BlueRun Ventures has committed $10 million in a Series A round of funding to Mazhan.com, a Chinese online margin trading platform.
VC-backed Chinese credit card management app raises $50m
U51.com, a VC-backed credit card management mobile app, has raised $50 million from Shanghai-listed property developer Xinhu Zhongbao.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
India taxi-booking service Ola closes Series E round at $400m
Indian taxi-booking service Ola - operated by ANI Technologies - has closed its latest Series E round of funding at $400 million, valuing the company at $2.4 billion. The round was led by DST Global.
DCM invests $3m in China's Udesk
DCM has committed $3 million in a Series A round of funding to Udesk, a China-based customer service outsourcing business.
Asian LPs back Israel-based Viola's $250m fund
At least six Asian investors are LPs in the latest fund being raised by Israel-based technology growth capital and buyout firm Viola Private Equity, which reached its targeted amount of $250 million.
China's Ninebot raises $80m, acquires Segway
Ninebot, a China-based electric scooter manufacturer, has bought its US-based rival Segway for an undisclosed sum and raised $80 million in Series A funding.
China virtual reality headset maker raises $10m
Baofeng Mojing, a Chinese virtual reality headset manufacturer, has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding led by film producer Huayi Brothers Media.
Tiger Global leads $5m round for Indian services marketplace
Indian local services marketplace LocalOye has raised a $5 million Series A round of funding from Tiger Global Management and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Japan's KDDI buys majority stake in VC-backed Luxa
Japanese telecom giant KDDI has acquired a majority stake in VC-backed premium group-buying site Luxa.
Q&A: Hera Capital's Thierry Panafieu
In six years of operation, Singapore’s Hera Capital has pursued a strategy focusing on small funds and quick deployment. Managing Partner Thierry Panafieu explains the virtues of staying small
Dianping secures $850m pre-IPO round
Having raised $850 million - the largest disclosed round for a Chinese tech start-up so far this year – in a matter of months, Dianping is now thought to be nearing an IPO. The investment values the 12-year-old company, described as a Chinese version...