Technology
Sequoia, Kae lead round for India logistics marketplace
Sequoia Capital and Kae Capital have led a INR350 million ($5.5 million) Series A round for Indian online logistics marketplace Porter, with participation from three strategic angel investors.
Matrix, SAIF back India-based hotel start-up
Treebo, an Indian online budget hotel chain, has raised a $6 million Series A round led by Matrix Partners India and SAIF Partners.
Onshore IPOs and China VIEs: Replacement capital?
With Chinese entrepreneurs considering domestic IPOs, foreign VCs face the prospect of having to sell off investments in restricted industries. But the trend can only be sustained as long as valuations remain high
KKR commits $70m to China education player Tarena
KKR has invested $70 million in Tarena International, a provider of professional education and training in China, forming a new partnership with a PE backer as existing investors trim their holdings.
Legend-owned third-party payment platform raises $242m
Lakala, a Chinese offline third-party payment service provider owned by Legend Holdings, has raised RMB1.45 billion ($242 million) in its latest financing round, giving the company a valuation of more than RMB10 billion.
Tech in Asia secures $4m funding round
Tech in Asia, a Singapore-based digital media company that focuses on Asian start-ups, has raised a $4 million round led by SB ISAT Fund, a $50 million vehicle backed by Japan's SoftBank and Indonesia's Indosat.
Google, Lightspeed-backed InnoLight files for US IPO
InnoLight Technology, a manufacturer of components used in cloud computing and Google Capital’s first China-based portfolio company, has filed for an IPO in the US.
China regulator allows 100% foreign ownership in e-commerce
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has permitted foreign investors to fully own and operate e-commerce companies operating within the country.
India's Hansa Customer Equity gets $4.7m round
Indian GP ASK Pravi has invested INR300 million ($4.7 million) in Hansa Customer Equity (Hansa Cequity), a Mumbai-based company that provides consulting services covering marketing, customer strategy, data management, and customer relationship management...
Faering leads $11m Series C for FundsIndia
Faering Capital has led a INR700 million ($11 million) Series C round for Wealth India Financial Services, the parent company of online financial services platform FundsIndia.
NSSF joins funding round for Alibaba’s Ant Financial
The National Council for Social Security Fund (NSSF) has participated in a funding round for Alibaba Group’s internet finance affiliate – Ant Financial Services – that is said to value the business at more than $40 billion.
Alibaba, Foxconn invest $236m in SoftBank robotics division
Alibaba Group and Foxconn Technology Group have agreed to invest JPY29 billion ($236 million) in SoftBank Robotics Holding Corp, which manages SoftBank's robotics business.
VC in Japan's universities: Getting schooled
For the past decade, Japan’s universities have been working with venture capital to commercialize their research. Recent developments in the public and private sectors suggest this relationship is evolving
Sequoia's Shen joins China take-private wave
Neil Shen, managing partner at Sequoia Capital China, is supporting take-private bids for budget hotel operator Home Inns and online real estate agency E-House as a growing number of US-listed Chinese companies turn their attention to domestic listings.
Hong Kong's GoGovan gets $10m Series B round
Hong Kong app-enabled logistics start-up GoGoVan has raised $10 million in Series B round of funding. Investors in the round included Hu Zemin, the former CEO of Android app store 91 Wireless, and social media firm RenRen.
Hong Kong storage start-up Boxful raises $6.6m
Hong Kong-based "valet storage" start-up Boxful has raised a HK$51.1 million ($6.6 million) Series A round from a consortium including Arocrest Capital, Lonsdale Capital, and several real estate investors.
Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui backs GMO Payment
Japan's GMO Internet - which runs its own early-stage investment unit, GMO Venture Partners - has raised JPY8 billion ($65 million) from Sumitomo Mitsui to develop e-commerce payment solution GMO Payment Gateway (GPG).
Deal focus: Aspada backs India’s agri-tech ‘Uber’
Indian agriculture is woefully inefficient. This is in part due to the extreme fragmentation of land ownership; the UN estimates the average farm holding is 1.6 hectares, or just larger than two football pitches. As a result, the nation’s food producers...
Hong Kong's Nest forms accelerator with Nissan
Infiniti, the luxury car unit of Japanese automaker Nissan, has teamed up with Hong Kong-based incubator Nest to launch a platform that will support start-ups developing smart city solutions.
China social e-commerce start-up raises $10m from GGV
Chinese e-commerce discovery site Red has raised more than $10 million in Series B funding from GGV Capital.
China bus Wi-Fi network raises $11.5 Series A round
Baidu has led a $11.5 million Series A round investment in Qianhai Mobile, a unit of digital outdoor advertising firm Vision China Media, which operates Wi-Fi networks for bus routes.
Chinese premier backs local listings for start-ups
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the government would promote start-ups with “special ownership structures” to list onshore, as part of efforts to encourage the development of the venture capital industry.
Morningside backs China mathematics teaching start-up
Early-stage investor Morningside Technologies has led a $5 million Series A round of funding for Leleketang, a China-based online teaching platform that specializes in mathematics and Chinese.
Wavemaker provides seed funding for Singapore 3D pen developer
CreoPop, a Singapore start-up which has developed a pen that enables objects to be drawn in 3D, has received seed funding from Wavemaker Partners and the Singapore National Research Foundation (NRF).