Technology
Second hand, first place
Manheim, the world's largest automobile auction provider, was a project more than 30 years in the making. The company facilitates sales of used cars worth $46 billion annually, dominating a US market that trades 40 million vehicles a year.
Southeast Asia e-commerce: Logistics logjam
Southeast Asia is expected to see rapid growth in e-commerce over the next five years. But are there enough competent logistics providers to deliver the goods in a timely and cost-effective fashion?
What now, Alibaba?
Chinese online furniture retailer Meilele started out life as a store within Taobao, Alibaba Group's C2C e-commerce platform in 2008. The company's transactions ran through the Taobao platform, with online payment service Alipay collecting monies owed....
Sinarmas supports Ardent Capital's Southeast Asia expansion
Southeast Asia-focused e-commerce investor Ardent Capital has received $12.5 million in funding led by Indonesian conglomerate Sinarmas. Existing backers also participated.
Legend leads $50m round for China online finance site Tongbanjie
Legend Capital has led a $50 million Series B round of funding for Tongbanjie, a Chinese online finance mobile app, with participation from existing investors IDG Capital Partners and China Growth Capital.
Matrix invests in India's Red Monster
Matrix Partners India has invested an undisclosed sum in mobile game developer Red Monster Games.
India local-language media start-up gets $16m from VCs
Sequoia Capital has led a INR1 billion ($16.4 million) round of funding for Verse Innovation, owner and operator of India-based local-language mobile platform NewsHunt.
Alibaba shares surge 38% on US trading debut
Shares in Alibaba Group soared 38.07% in their first day of trading on August 19, following a $21.8 billion IPO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Lazard PE buys majority stake in Australia’s Skybridge
Lazard Australia Private Equity has acquired a majority interest in Skybridge, an Australian satellite broadband services provider, for an undisclosed sum.
China Haier VC, SAIF launch smart home industry fund
Qingdao Haier Venture Capital (Haier VC), a corporate VC arm of Chinese white goods maker Qingdao Haier, has teamed up with SAIF Partners to form a RMB320 million ($32 million) smart home-focused VC fund.
Alibaba sets terms for $21.8b IPO
Alibaba Group will raise $21.8 billion in its IPO after pricing shares at the top end of the indicative range. The Chinese internet company could end up with as much as $25 billion if the overallotment option is fully exercised.
Xiaomi Ventures backs China health products maker
Xiaomi Ventures, a corporate VC unit of Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi, has paid $25 million for a 20% stake in iHealth, an offshore unit of healthcare electronics maker Andon Health.
New Zealand's Shuttlerock raises $2.35m Series A
Shuttlerock, a New Zealand-based visual marketing software company, has raised $2.35 million in a Series A round of funding.
Tencent, Morningside commit $20m in China travel site
Tencent Holdings has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Woqu.com, a Chinese outbound travel start-up, with participation from existing investor Morningside Technologies.
India's Quikr gets $60m from Tiger Global
Tiger Global Management has led a $60 million round of funding for in Indian online classifieds platform Quikr.
UK's Amadeus Capital to open India office
Amadeus Capital Partners, the UK-based technology venture capital firm, will open an office in India as it looks to invest up to $10 million in local start-ups.
China second-hand car platform Youxinpai raises $260m
Warburg Pincus and Tiger Global Management have participated in a $260 million funding round for Youxinpai.com, a Chinese second-hand car auction platform.
GIC leads Series C for China car rental service Yongche
Chinese car rental and taxi-booking site Yongche.com - which has a similar business model to Uber - has raised a Series C round of funding led by Singapore sovereign investor GIC Private.
JD.com, Macquarie commit $50m to China food-ordering site Daojia
Chinese food-ordering platform Daojia has completed a Series D round of funding worth $50 million, led by domestic online retailer JD.com and Macquarie Capital.
China Growth Capital, TDF invest in e-commerce marketplace DHGate
China Growth Capital and TDF Capital have provided a Series D round of funding for DHGate.com, a Chinese B2B cross-border e-commerce marketplace.
Cross-border e-commerce: The final frontier
Rocket Internet and Alibaba Group are preparing to go public and have ambitious growth plans. But how suited are their respective models to cross-border e-commerce expansion?
Alibaba ups IPO price range, could raise $25b
The Alibaba Group IPO will now be worth up to $25 billion after the Chinese e-commerce giant raised the indicative price range for the offering. It is now all but certain to supplant Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) as the largest IPO ever seen.
KKR to buy majority stake in Japanese DJ equipment business
KKR has agreed to buy Japanese electronics manufacturer Pioneer Corporation’s DJ equipment division for around JPY59 billion ($551 million). Pioneer will retain a minority interest in the business.
ClearVue leads Series A for China mobile crowdtasking app
ClearVue Partners have led a $3.2 million Series A round of funding for WeiChaiShi, a Chinese mobile crowdtasking platform, with participation from Nokia Growth Partners.