TMT
India's VC-backed Yatra Online agrees backdoor US listing
VC-backed Yatra Online, an Indian travel services provider, has agreed to be acquired by a special purpose US buyout firm as part of a backdoor NASDAQ listing scheme that values the company at $218 million.
Legend Capital leads $14m round for China's Udesk
Legend Capital has led a RMB100 million ($14 million) Series B round of funding for Udesk, a China-based customer service outsourcing business.
Chinese investors in $181m round for US-based Unity
Unity Technologies, a US-based video game engine maker, has closed a $181 million Series C round of funding led by DFJ Growth, with participation from China Investment Corporation (CIC) and Chinese early-stage investor FreeS Fund.
DCM leads $10m round for China big data specialist
DCM Ventures has led a $10 million round for SequoiaDB, a Chinese big data software developer, followed by existing investor Qiming Venture Partners.
IDG Capital Partners closes $1b China VC fund
IDG Capital Partners has closed its latest China-focused venture capital fund at $1 billion, in partnership with Silicon Valley-based Breyer Capital.
CLSA exits Japanese used car auction operator
CLSA Capital Partners, the alternative asset management arm of Hong Kong-headquartered brokerage and investment group CLSA, has fully exited its stake in Japanese used car auction operator Mirive.
Singapore's Paktor raises $10m for Japan, Korea expansion
Paktor, a Southeast Asia-focused mobile dating app, has raised $10 million in a new round of funding led by Japan’s YJ Capital, the corporate venture arm of Yahoo Japan.
IIFL, Accion lead round for Indian fintech startup NeoGrowth
IIFL Asset Management and Accion Frontier Inclusion Fund have led a funding round of an undisclosed amount in Indian small retailer-focused fintech start-up NeoGrowth.
Japan's SmartNews secures $38m Series D
Tokyo-based news discovery app SmartNews has raised $38 million in a Series D round led by Development Bank of Japan.
China's VC-backed Qufenqi raises $490m pre-IPO round
Qufenqi, a Chinese retailer that allows online buyers to pay in installments for consumer electronics purchases, has raised approximately RMB3 billion ($490 million) in pre-IPO financing.
CMC reaches $350m first close on China media fund
CMC Capital Partners, a private equity firm set up by Ruigang Li, formerly president of Shanghai Media Group (SMG), has reached a first close of just over $350 million on its second US dollar-denominated fund.
Alibaba acquires VC-backed Chinese app platform Wandoujia
Alibaba Group has bought China-based Android mobile app platform Wandoujia - which has several VC and PE investors, including DCM Ventures and Goldman Sachs - for an undisclosed sum.
Cross-border VC: Changes in the wind
US-China cross border investment continues to present exciting opportunities for venture capital firms targeting technology start-ups, but investors must keep up with the pace of the market’s transformation
Sequoia leads $70m round for China cloud services specialist
Existing investor Sequoia Capital China has led a $70 million Series C round for Yuntongxun, a Chinese provider of cloud-based services for corporate communications, followed by TrustBridge Partners.
Legend spin-out Joy Capital raises $200m for VC fund
Joy Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm that spun out from Legend Capital, has raised $200 million for its debut fund.
DCM closes Asia-US fund at $500m hard cap
DCM has closed its latest global fund, which primarily targets investments in China and the US, at the hard cap of $500 million.
Australia's Telstra buys Blue Sky-backed Readify
Telstra has acquired Blue Sky Private Equity’s majority stake in Australian IT services company Readify.
Brand Capital invests $22m in India's Meru
Brand Capital has invested INR1.5 billion ($22.2 million) in Indian app-based taxi service provider Meru Cab.
OTPP-owned Nextgen sells network assets in Australia
Nextgen Group, the Australian telecommunication network owned by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) and CIMIC Group, has agreed to sell some of its assets to Vocus Communications.
China Mobile fund leads $100m round for job site Liepin
A fund launched by China Mobile in partnership with the State Development & Investment Corporation (SDIC) has led a $100 million Series D round of funding for online recruitment services provider Liepin.com.
OneVentures backs Australia's Employment Hero
OneVentures has led a A$3 million ($2.2 million) Series A round of funding for Australian online human resources services start-up Employment Hero.
Indonesia VC: Work in progress
As Indonesia’s start-up space matures, with ever more capital pouring in, VC players recognize that exits are the key to creating a sustainable investment environment. However, it is still early days
Rocket-backed frontier markets e-commerce platforms to merge
Two Asian frontier markets e-commerce platforms created by Rocket Internet – Daraz and Kaymu – have agreed to merge.
Telstra completes sale of Autohome stake to Ping An
Australia’s Telstra has closed the sale of a 47.7% interest in Chinese auto services company Autohome to Ping An Insurance Group for $1.6 billion.