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Chinese entrepreneurs: Under pressure
The health tolls of the entrepreneurial lifestyle and its effect on founders' lives and performance are an increasing source of concern for China's VC investors
China B2B liquor platform Yijiupi raises $100m Series C
China-based B2B liquor-trading platform Yijiupi has raised a $100 million Series C round led by existing investor Greenwoods Asset Management.
Deal focus: AID returns to the MCN space
Multi-channel networks that raise online content creators' views are expected to thrive as profit-sharing spreads among video platforms. AID hopes to take advantage with its investment in Freedom! Network
Australia-founded SafetyCulture gets $23m Series B
SafetyCulture, an Australia-founded developer of mobile software for safety inspectors, has raised A$30 million ($23 million) in Series B funding from a group of investors including Index Ventures and Blackbird Ventures.
India's MakeMyTrip to buy Naspers, Tencent-backed ibibo
Indian online travel agent MakeMyTrip has agreed to merge with rival booking portal ibibo Group, which is backed by South African internet conglomerate Naspers Group and China's Tencent Holdings, in an all-stock deal.
Redpoint closes debut China VC fund
Redpoint Ventures, a US early-stage venture firm, has closed its debut China VC fund at $180 million.
CDIB leads round for Taiwan image-recognition start-up
Viscovery, a Taiwanese cloud-based image-recognition technology start-up, has raised $10 million in an extended Series A round led by China Development Industrial Bank (CDIB), a subsidiary of China Development Financial Holding.
VC-backed FirstCry buys rival Babyoye
VC-backed Indian baby and child-focused retailer FirstCry.com has acquired rival children's store chain and e-commerce outlet Babyoye.
Indian news app Dailyhunt raises $25m
Indian online news aggregator Dailyhunt has raised a $25 million Series D round led by ByteDance, a Chinese VC-backed online content provider.
Hong Kong's AID Partners acquires YouTube partner network
Hong Kong-based private equity firm AID Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Freedom! Network, a multi-channel network on YouTube, for HK$468.1 million ($60 million).
Hillhouse, Warburg, Tencent lead round for China’s Mobike
Shanghai-based bike rental service start-up Mobike has raised a Series C round of funding led by Hillhouse Capital, Warburg Pincus and Tencent Holdings.
Deal focus: Grana takes fashion to the information edge
With $10 million in Series A funding, Hong Kong fashion e-commerce business Grana is looking to accelerate expansion of its high-automation, low-cost and high-quality service offering
GM invests in VC-backed China car-sharing platform
General Motors has bought a stake in Chinese car-sharing company Yi Wei Xing, which is backed by Langmafeng Ventures and Fujian Huaxing Venture Capital.
China’s Baidu launches $3b technology fund
Chinese search giant Baidu has established a RMB20 billion ($3 billion) investment fund, called Baidu Capital, to target mid- and late-stage deals in the internet industry.
China K12 education platform Xuele raises $200m Series C
Xueleyun, a Chinese education platform, has raised a $200 million Series C round led by China-based PE firm New Horizon Capital. Existing investors GSR Ventures and Huaxin Shiji Investment also participated in the round.
Profile: Saama Capital's Ash Lilani
Ash Lilani of Saama Capital has seen India’s VC community develop from pure growth deals to support a population of true entrepreneurs. Now he hopes to help the country keep building on its strengths
China’s PE-backed Tongcheng merges with Wanda Tourism
Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group has spun out its travel-related assets and merged them with a subsidiary of Tongcheng Network Technology, a PE-backed online travel platform. The aim is to create China's largest online-to-offline (O2O) travel business.
China bike-sharing app Ofo raises $130m Series C
Ofo, a Chinese online-to-offline (O2O) bike-sharing platform, has raised a $130 million Series C round of funding across two tranches.
KKR platform Emerald Media commits $50m to Indian streaming site
Emerald Media, a pan-Asian media and entertainment investment platform founded by KKR, has committed $50 million to India and US-based video-streaming provider YuppTV.
China’s CSC Group backs UK AI incubator
Chinese private equity firm CSC Group has invested in Founders Factory, a London-based accelerator and incubator, with a view to getting exposure to artificial intelligence (AI) technology start-ups.
Philippines’ Xurpas buys VC-backed mobile ad firm
Early-stage VC firm Wavemaker Partners has made a full exit from Art of Click as Philippines-based mobile service developer Xurpas acquired the Singaporean mobile advertising player in deal worth $45 million.
China tech M&A: Friends or rivals?
Consolidation is becoming a dominant theme in China’s internet industry as ever more sophisticated companies use M&A as a means of remaining dominant in their core areas and exploring new ones
China sports M&A: They shoot, they score?
China wants to develop its sports industry, with football a priority, prompting numerous investors to look for overseas assets in the name of government policy. Their rationale is often divorced from reality
MBK, TPG to buy Wharf’s telecom business for $1.2b
MBK Partners and TPG Capital have agreed to acquire Hong Kong telecom services provider Wharf T&T from its parent company The Wharf Holdings for HK$9.5 billion ($1.2 billion).