Technology
Japanese VCs invest $4m in social retail app developer
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and DBJ Capital have joined existing investors DCM Japan, Itochu Technology Ventures and Jafco Ventures, in a JPY400 million ($3.8 million) round of funding for Tokyo-based Tab, the start-up behind the location-based retail recommendation...
CITIC Capital finally bags AsiaInfo take-private
Private equity firms have supported 11 management buyouts of Chinese firms listed in the US since mid-2011. Until last week, only two of these successful transactions - Funtalk China and Focus Media - were control buyouts, where one or more PE backers...
Bitcoin: VC firms eye Asia opportunities
Bitcoin’s emergence as a currency in Asia has attracted mixed reactions from regulators. For VC investors there is a chance to disrupt the exisitng payment hierarchy, but they must also work with it
Japan Industrial Partners eyes $666m Biglobe deal - report
Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) could acquire Biglobe, Japan's fourth-largest internet service provider (ISP) by number of customers, from IT giant NEC in a deal worth JPY70 billion ($666 million).
Japanese VCs invest $1.5m in ad platform Logly
Voyage Ventures, Mizuho Capital, SMBC Venture Capital and strategic investor CA Mobile have together invested JPY120 million ($1.15 million) in Logly, a Japan-based start-up running an internet ad platform.
China's WestSummit raises $325m across two tech funds
Beijing-based growth capital firm WestSummit Capital has raised $325 million across two funds, comprising $225 million for West Summit’s Fund II and $100 million for its China Ireland Technology Growth Capital Fund.
Accel, Tiger Global invest $10.3m in India's CommonFloor
Accel and Tiger Global have upped their stake in Indian online real estate portal CommonFloor, together investing an additional INR640 million ($10.3 million) in the company.
Tyco shortlists PE firms for Korean unit - report
KKR, Bain Capital, IMM Private Equity and The Carlyle Group are reportedly among those shortlisted by US security specialist Tyco International as potential buyers for its South Korean unit - ADT Caps - in deal worth as much as $1.4 billion.
IDG, IvyCap back India's FieldEZ Technologies
Bangalore-based FieldEZ Technologies has raised a first round of funding from IDG Ventures and IvyCap Ventures. The amount invested in the workforce management software company was not disclosed.
Canaan leads $5.6m round for India's SureWaves
Canaan Partners has led a INR350 million ($5.6 million) round of funding for SureWaves MediaTech, an Indian TV advertising platform operating out of Bangalore. Existing backers Accel Partners India and India Innovation Fund (IIF) also participated.
Tencent invests in PE-backed China South City
Chinese internet company Tencent Holdings has bought a 9.9% stake in China South City Holdings, a logistics center operator that count PAG among its investors, for HK$1.5 billion ($193 million).
China's JD.com targets $2b IPO - report
Chinese online retailer JD.com, which has received $1.7 billion in venture capital and private equity funding in the last two years, is said to be planning an IPO for the second half of 2014.
CITIC Capital consortium completes $887m AsiaInfo take-private
CITIC Capital Partners has completed the privatization of US-listed Chinese telecom software provider AsiaInfo-Linkage in a deal that values the company at $887 million. CITIC Private Equity and China Broadband Capital were also part of the buyer consortium....
Matrix leads Series B round for China menstruation app
Matrix Partners China has led a $15 million Series B round of funding for Meet You, a menstruation cycle-tracking mobile app. Founder Fangyi Chen and existing investor China Renaissance K2 Ventures has reportedly participated.
Technology Crossover Ventures leads Series B for Australia's Siteminder
Australian hotel booking start-up SiteMinder has raised $30 million in funding led by Palo Alto-based Technology Crossover Ventures (TCV).
Helion backs India language localization firm
Pune-based LinguaNext has raised a Series A round of funding from Helion Venture Partners to expand its international business. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
SoftBank leads $120m round for Chinese app platform Wandoujia
SoftBank Corp. has led a $120 million Series B round of funding for Wandoujia, a Chinese Android mobile app platform. Existing investors DCM and Innovation Works Development Fund (IWDF) also participated in the round.
India Awards: Venture Capital Deal of the Year – Snapdeal
Having brought in eBay as a financial and a strategic partner for its Series C round, online marketplace Snapdeal continues to invest in its technology with one eye on profitability and ultimately a US IPO
Facebook buys VC-backed Little Eye Labs
Within 19 months of starting-up, Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs was snapped up by Facebook to take the social network’s mobile development to the next level. Little Eye Labs was also in talks with Twitter, but Facebook ended up offering a better deal....
Qiming hires ex-GGV partner to cover consumer internet space
Qiming Venture Partners has hired Helen Wong, formerly of GGV Capital, as a partner with responsibility for investment in the internet and consumer sectors. The move comes a few months after her predecessor in the role, Hans Tung, left Qiming for GGV....
Cloud billing platform ChargeBee gets Series A backing from Accel
Accel Partners has led an $800,000 Series A round of investment in ChargeBee, an Indian start-up that helps companies manage their subscription billings.
Platinum buys Australia directories business Sensis
US private equity firm Platinum Equity has reached an agreement with Telstra Corporation, Australia's biggest phone company, to acquire a 70% stake in its directories business Sensis for A$454 million ($407.17 million).
Facebook buys VC-backed Indian start-up Little Eye Labs
Facebook has acquired Ventureast and GSF Superangels-backed start-up Little Eye Labs, reportedly paying around $15 million for the Android app optimizer.
Lightspeed leads Series B for China cloud services provider
Lightspeed China has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Chinese cloud services provider QingCloud. Matrix Partners and existing investor BlueRun Ventures also participated.