Technology
Founder of VC-backed ShopClues faces US charges
Sandeep Aggarwal, founder of VC-backed Indian e-commerce site ShopClues, has been arrested in the US in connection with the SAC Capital Advisors insider trading investigation. He is charged with passing confidential information to a trader concerning...
INCJ invests $27m in Japan patent fund
Government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY2.75 billion ($27.8 million) in a fund that will buy unused patents and license them to domestic start-ups.
China Merchants sells stake in NTong Technology
The direct investment arm of China Merchants Group plans to sell its entire 12.34% stake in NTong Technology to Shenzhen-listed Unisplendour Corporation (UNIS), for RMB86.36 million ($14.07 million). The proposed deal values the company at about RMB700...
Japan's ACA targets $100m for domestic IT fund
Japanese buyout firm Asian Capital Alliance (ACA) is targeting $100 million for a new fund focused on businesses in the domestic information and communications technology space.
VCs back India SME group-buying service
Despite there being around 47 million small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India, the segment has not yet participated in the country's e-commerce boom. While 51% of online SMEs use the internet to advertise, a mere 27% use it for trade, according...
Portfolio: CLSA Capital Partners and Indonesia's Sari Wangi
Sari Wangi is Indonesia's largest private tea player. CLSA Capital Partners invested not so much for exposure to the crop as what the company offers as a platform for distributing agricultural technology.
China's Baifendian secures $10m Series B round
Baifendian, a Chinese recommendation engine that tracks user tastes and predicts how they might rate items, has received $10 million in Series B financing from Zhejiang Shinkansen Media Investment via its Eastern Starry Sky Culture Fund.
Zennon, New World invest $25m in China games developer CMGE
Zennon Capital Partners and New World Strategic Investment (NWSI) have invested $25 million in NASDAQ-listed China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (CMGE).
Nissay Capital backs Japanese online ad platform Dennoo
Nissay Capital has invested $1.1 million in Japanese online ad platform, Dennoo. The investment brings the start-up's total amount of venture capital funding to $3.1 million.
DCM targets $250m for China VC fund
DCM is seeking $250 million for its latest China-focused fund. The target for Venture China Fund VII is less than the $400 million raised for DCM's previous vehicle, which invests in China, the US and Japan.
Femto invests $1m in Japanese restaurant app startup
Japanese venture capital firm Femto has committed JPY100 million ($1 million) of seed funding in Toreta, a start-up developing apps for the food service industry.
Revolution Growth invests $40m in Australia's Bigcommerce
US venture capital firm Revolution Growth has invested $40 million in Australian tech start-up Bigcommerce. The company sells e-commerce software for online retailers covering website design, store management, marketing and electronic payments.
Accel leads $6m investment in India B2B group buy platform
Accel Partners and return backers Kalaari Capital and Inventus Capital have put $6 million into group buying website Power2SME, in a Series B round for the company.
DCM, Infinity invest $2.7m in Japanese accounting software firm
DCM and Infinity Capital Partners have invested $2.7 million in Japanese online accounting software company, Freee, as part of a Series A round of funding.
East Ventures backs Japanese flea market app Mercari
East Ventures has invested JPY50 million ($500,000) in Mercari, a Japanese flea market app launched by former Zynga Japan General Manager Shintaro Yamada.
Kartrocket gets seed funding from 5ideas Startup Superfuel, 500 Startups
Indian e-commerce platform Kartrocket has raised a seed round of funding from 5ideas Startup Superfuel and 500 Startups.
Strategics buy Singapore start-ups Techsailor, YFind
Two Singapore-based start-ups – Techsailor and YFind – have been snapped up by strategic investors. This follows last week’s acquisition of VC-backed travel website TravelMob by NASDAQ-listed vacation rental portal HomeAway.
Artesian Ventures, University of Queensland to launch start-up fund
Artesian Capital Management, an alternative investment arm spun out of ANZ Banking Group, has partnered with University of Queensland to create a A$1.5 million ($1.4 million) Accelerate Investment Fund. The vehicle will invest in graduates from the university’s...
Google buys stake in VC-backed Taiwan glass supplier
Google has taken a 6.3% stake in Himax Display, a subsidiary of Taiwanese company Himax Technologies, which manufactures liquid crystal silicon (LCOS) chips used in Google Glass and other products. The company also counts KPCB Holdings, Khosla Ventures...
New Zealand's Rangatira takes 12% stake in Magritek
New Zealand PE firm Rangatira has acquired a 12% stake in Magritek, which manufactures nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, for an undisclosed sum. It has the option of increasing its holding to 18% in a year....
Singapore online grocer RedMart closes Series A round
Online grocery store RedMart has closed its Series A round of funding from Singapore-based Garena, which offers online gaming. The company did not disclose the exact amount raised in this round, only that the total amount of funding raised so far adds...
Oak Capital invests $6.6m in Japan's K-Lab
Japan's Oak Capital Corp. has invested JPY650 million ($6.6 million) in online mobile game designer KLab.
Globis, KDDI invest $2.6m in Japanese how-to site
Globis Capital Partners and the KDDI Open innovation fund have led a JPY270 million ($2.6 million) investment in Nanapi, a Japanese website offering everyday how-to advice. This is the second round of investment for Globis which previously backed the...
HomeAway acquires VC-backed vacation rental startup Travelmob
US-based vacation rentals site HomeAway has bought a controlling stake in Singapore-based Travelmob in a bid to boost its online rental accommodations business in Asia. Early investors of the start-up include Accel Partners and Jungle Ventures, alongside...