Technology
Japan VCs invest $3m in Tokyo tech boot camp
Life is Tech, a Tokyo-based IT boot camp program for elementary and junior high school students, has raised JPY310 million (about $3 million) from Japanese investors Jafco, Mistletoe, KCJ Group, DeNA and Recruit Holdings.
US game firm Kabam attracts $120m from Alibaba
China e-commrce giant Alibaba Group is investing $120 million in US venture capital-backed gaming company Kabam. The investment is understood to value the company at over $1 billion.
China's JinkoSolar raises $225m from PE investors
China Development Bank International (CDBI), New Horizon Capital and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets - via the Macquarie Greater China Infrastructure Fund (MGCIF) - have invested $225 million in the downstream solar power project subsidiary of...
Japan game publisher 3rdKind raises $1m from VCs
Nippon Venture Capital (NVCC), early stage investor Global Brain Corp., and Japanese internet firm Adways have together invested $1 million in mobile games publisher 3rdKind.
Asian Venture Capital: Not yet bubble territory
Is Asian venture capital back in favor? Based on what has been happening in the last year or so, the answer would be a resounding yes. Like their peers in Silicon Valley, the Asian VC community is certainly seeing more activity than say three years ago....
EQT taps mobile professional growth
As wealth among the Gulf states has has grown so has the demand for better healthcare. According to a recent report by Dubai-based Alpen Capital, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) healthcare market will be worth $69.4 billion by 2018 - up from $39.4...
India's Flipkart raises a record $1b from VC backers
Indian e-commerce firm Flipkart has raised $1 billion from new and existing backers in what is one of the biggest funding rounds raised by an e-commerce company globally and the single largest round by an internet company in the country.
Arbor leads $3.3m Series A round for Japan e-payments service
Arbor Ventures has led a $3.3 million Series A round for Exchange Corporation (ExCo), the Japanese start-up behind e-commerce payment and instant credit service Paidy, with participation from CyberAgent Ventures and Recruit Strategic Partners. Exisiting...
Hony leads $50m round for US mobile commerce specialist
Chinese GP Hony Capital has led a $50 million round of expansion funding for Deem, a San Francisco-headquartered cloud and mobile commerce company.
Bain sells Japan's Bellsystem24 stake to Itochu
Bain Capital has sold a 49.9% stake in Bellsystem24 Holdings to trading house Itochu Coporation for an undisclosed amount.
Inventus, IDG lead $2m Series A for India's Peel-works
Inventus Capital Partners and IDG Ventures India have led a $2 million Series A round of funding for Peel-works, a Mumbai-based software as a service (SaaS) and big data analytics firm.
Apis Partners to launch Asia, Africa fintech fund
Newly-created private equity firm Apis Partners has launched its first growth capital fund targeting financial technology (fintech) investments in Asia and Africa.
Inflexion Point launches $15m Japan-focused game fund
Singapore venture capital firm Inflexion Point Capital (IPC), has launched a $15 million fund to focus on investments in Japan's mobile gaming start-ups.
Chinese big data platform raises $25m Series C round
Baifendian, a Chinese data analytics start-up, has raised a $25 million Series C round of financing. Details of investors were not disclosed.
Sequoia, Mayfield lead $16m investment in India's Knowlarity
Sequoia Capital and Mayfield Advisors have invested $16 million in India's Knowlarity Communications, a cloud telephony and call handling solutions provider.
Government funds back Chinese P2P platform Huaguo
The government-backed Blue Economy Zone Industry Fund (Blue Fund) and Capital Science and Technology Group, the private equity arm of the Beijing local government, have led a Series A round of funding for Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform Huaguo...
Global Brain, others lead $4m Series C round for Japan photo app
Japanese early stage investor Global Brain Corp. has joined Energy and Environment Investment and publishing firm Kodansha to invest JPY400 million (about $4 million) in Toyko-based Mind Palette, the start-up behind fashion-focused photo sharing app Snapeee....
EQT buys HK compliance and integrity service provider Dataflow
EQT Partners has acquired a majority stake in Dataflow Verification Services, an immigration compliance and credential verification service provider based in Hong Kong, via its EQT Mid Market Fund.
Qualcomm commits $150m to invest in Chinese start-ups
Qualcomm has launched a $150 million strategic venture fund to invest in Chinese start-ups in the mobile technology space.
Taiwan's Cathay Life commits $20m to Vista tech fund
Taiwan’s Cathay Life Insurance has committed $20 million to US technology-focused private equity firm Vista Equity Partners’ latest flagship fund - Vista Equity Partners Fund V.
SAIF Partners leads $15m round for US monetization platform
SAIF Partners has led a $15 million Series B round of funding for Supersonic, a mobile app monetization firm based in San Francisco.
Founders Fund, Shasta Ventures back Australia's Canva
Founders Fund and Shasta Ventures have led a $3.6 million round of funding for Canva, an Australian website that allows amateur designers to create polished web graphics using drag-and-drop tools.
Helion leads Series A for mobile workplace provider
India’s Helion Venture Partners has led a $6.5 million Series A round of funding for Workspot, a cloud-based administration platform that allows users to access business applications and data via mobile devices.
VC firm launches $13.6m Anglo-Japanese agri fund
Japanese venture capital firm Tsukuba Technology Seed (TTS) has teamed up with the UK's Adapt Low Carbon Group to launch an Anglo-Japanese VC fund focusing on agricultural innovation.