Technology
India Value Fund commits $50m to taxi firm Meru
India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) has injected a fresh $50 million in radio taxi service Meru Cab, and is understood to be in talks to invest an additional $100 million in the next two months.
China’s Cheetah Mobile buys VC-backed mobile ad network
Cheetah Mobile, a US-listed Chinese internet security software provider backed by Matrix Partners and Tencent Holdings, has purchased VC-backed mobile ad network MobPartner for $58 million.
TA Associates, Far East Horizon back China’s YeePay
TA Associates has invested an undisclosed sum in YeePay, a Chinese payments provider that has previously received backing from several VC players. Hong Kong-listed financial leasing business Far East Horizon also contributed to the investment.
PE investors exit India's SFO Technologies
IL&FS Investment Managers Limited (IIML), Franklin Templeton and Asia Mezzanine Capital Group (AMCG) have exited SFO Technologies, a leading Indian technology manufacturer.
China P2P car-sharing site uuzuche raises $10m
Uuzuche.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform backed by Lightspeed China Partners, has raised $10 million in a Series A+ round of funding from Bitauto, a Chinese auto information web portal.
Japanese restaurant app Retty raises $8.2m
Fidelity Growth Partners Japan has led a JPY1 billion ($8.24 million) Series C investment in Retty, a Japanese social restaurant guide. Existing investors also took part.
Indian game developer Moonfrog raises Series A round
Indian mobile gaming start-up Moonfrog has raised $15 million in a Series A round of funding led by Tiger Global and existing investor Sequoia Capital.
Rocket Internet leads $110m round for Foodpanda
Emerging markets-focused food delivery app Foodpanda has raised another $110 million in a funding round led by its Germany-based parent Rocket Internet. A number of existing and new backers also took part.
China interior design site To8to raises $200m
To8to, a Chinese interior decoration service platform, has raised $200 million in a Series C round of funding from Sequoia Capital, Matrix Partners China and classifieds online marketplace 58.com.
Japan's Rakuten leads $530m Series E round for Lyft
Japanese e-commerce player Rakuten has led a $530 million Series E round of funding for US ride sharing app Lyft - valuing the business at $2.5 billion. Fortress Investment Group also participated.
SummitView consortium agrees $639m take private of ISS
A consortium led by Chinese GP SummitView Capital has agreed to buy NASDAQ-listed semiconductor manufacturer Integrated Silicon Solution (ISS). The deal values the company at approximately $639.5 million.
Alibaba, SAIC Motor launch $160m internet car fund
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and SAIC Motor, the country's largest automaker, have launched a RMB1 billion ($160 million) fund to invest in the development of internet-enabled cars.
South Korea's Memebox raises $17.5m from VCs
Beauty-focused e-commerce start-up Memebox has raised a $17.5 million Series B round of funding from a consortium of VC backers.
Matrix leads $15m round for China CRM platform Xiaoshouyi
Matrix Partners has led a $15 million Series C round of funding for Xiaoshouyi, a Chinese customer relationship management (CRM) platform, alongside Sequoia Capital.
China's Alibaba to invest $200m in Snapchat - report
Alibaba Group plans to commit $200 million to US-based social network Snapchat.
Lightspeed backs China’s DaoCloud
Lightspeed China Partners has invested in DaoCloud, a Chinese cloud computing start-up.
Indonesia's IndoTrading receives $1.5m in Series A funding
Indonesian e-commerce portal IndoTrading has raised $1.5 million in a Series A round of funding led by OPT SEA, the Southeast Asian investment arm of Japanese e-marketing firm OPT.
VC-backed Flipkart acquires India's AdIQuity
Indian VC-backed e-commerce giant Flipkart has acquired AdIQuity, a domestic mobile ad network. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Hahn & Co-owned Cowell e Holdings files for Hong Kong IPO
Cowell e Holdings, a portfolio company of South Korea-based Hahn & Co. portfolio and a major supplier of camera modules used in Apple devices, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong.
China car-washing app raises $20m from Ping An VC
Ping An Ventures, a venture capital arm under Ping An Insurance, has provided $20 million in Series A funding for Exc118.com, a Chinese car-washing service mobile app.
Ola and TaxiForSure share a ride
Car ownership in India is very low; according to the country’s 2011 census, passenger vehicle penetration is just 4.9% overall and a mere 9% for urban areas. For a country of 1.3 billion, suffering from poor public transport, it means the demand for...
The C2B segue: China used-car trading platforms
While private equity capital is pouring into China’s B2B online car-trading platforms, some investors claim to see more value in smaller scale but less-penetrated and higher-margin C2B space
Global ambitions: China targets Israel VC
Chinese corporates and financial investors are gravitating to Israel in their quest for high-end technology. This has buoyed local VC activity and more cross-border expansion is likely to follow
Kalaari invests $2.5m in India-based Codigami
Kalaari Capital has committed $2.5 million to Codigami, parent company of Indian social media manager app Crowdfire, in a Series A round of funding.