TMT
Tiantu leads Series C round for China cosmetics retailer
China consumer-focused GP Tiantu Capital has led a Series C round of funding for Meilapp, a mobile portal devoted to cosmetics and skincare.
Alibaba agrees Youku Tudou acquisition at $4.8b valuation
Alibaba Group has agreed to acquire US-listed Chinese online video platform Youku Tudou in an all-cash deal that values the company at approximately $4.8 billion.
Innovation Works to list on China’s New Third Board
Innovation Works, a Chinese early stage VC firm founded by Kai-fu Lee, former head of Google China, has applied to list on the National Equities Exchange and Quotation (NEEQ), also known as the New Third Board.
BAI leads $65m round for China P2P lending site
Bertelsmann Asia Investment (BAI) has led a $65 million Series A round of funding for Meili Jinrong, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform with a focus on consumer finance.
China Q&A platform Zhihu raises $55m
Tencent Holdings has led a $55 million Series C round of funding for Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to US-based Quora.
VCs say more is to come from the tech boom - AVCJ Forum
The technology boom has seen a large amount of capital enter start-ups in the online-to-offline (O2O) and mobile consumer spaces, and VC investors think there are still plenty of innovative start-ups worth backing.
Deal focus: CMC’s big ambitions for Chinese football
Having paid $1.3 billion for the broadcasting rights to domestic Chinese football, CMC Capital Partners is targeting better players, better production standards and broader market appeal
Fund focus: Morningside scales up for growth deals
Morningside Venture Capital divides up the corpus of its $660 million fourth fund to address a China market increasingly characterized by early-stage and late-stage deals
KKR commits $300m to Asia media investment platform
KKR has committed $300 million to a Emerald Media, an investment platform that will target media and entertainment opportunities across Asia. The Chernin Group is participating as a minority co-investor in the deal.
Sequoia, Matrix commit $7.6m to India's TinyOwl
TinyOwl, an India-based mobile food-ordering platform, has raised INR500 million ($7.6 million) from existing investors Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners.
China cross-border e-commerce platform raises $30m
Bolome, a Shanghai-based cross-border e-commerce platform, has raised a $30 million Series B round of funding from Chinese and South Korean investors including search engine Baidu, LB Investment, Share Capital and Chengwei Capital.
Japan female-focused video ad network raises $6.6m
Jafco, TBS Innovation Partners and strategic investors iStyle and Excite Japan have invested JPY800 million ($6.6 million) in Open8, a Tokyo-based start-up that a video ad platform targeted at women.
Indonesia’s restaurant discovery app secures $8m
Qraved, an Indonesia-based online restaurant booking platform, has secured an $8 million Series B round of funding co-led by US-based Richmond Global Ventures and China-based Gobi Partners.
Morningside closes fourth China TMT fund at $660m
Morningside Venture Capital, a VC firm set up by Hong Kong’s Chan family – owners of property developer Hang Lung Group – has closed its fourth China-focused fund at $660 million.
CMC secures $1.3b China football rights deal
CMC Capital Partners, a China-focused PE firm that specializes in media and entertainment investments, has agreed an RMB8 billion ($1.3 billion) deal to broadcast matches in China’s domestic football league.
Singapore government joins Coursera's Series C
EDBI, the corporate investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board, has joined a Series C round of funding for US-based online education provider Coursera.
Q&A: CMC Capital Partners' Ruigang Li
Ruigang Li forged a career with Shanghai Media Group and then left to start media-focused private equity firm CMC Capital Partners. He explains why capital is entering the sector and where he sees it heading
Asia O2O services: The long tail
From taxi journeys to pedicures, online-to-offline services are changing consumption channels in Asia’s emerging markets. Some leaders have emerged, but much of the sector is still up for grabs
Q&A: GrabTaxi's Anthony Tan
GrabTaxi started out as an entry in business plan contest at Harvard Business School in 2011, where it placed second. Co-founder and CEO Anthony Tan explains how it has become Southeast Asia’s leading ride-hailing company
The billion-dollar club: Asia's tech unicorns
Asia accounts for one fifth of the global tech sector’s unicorn population as companies raise larger rounds at ever higher valuations. But as investor sentiment weakens, some of these behemoths should be concerned
Tiger, Matrix commit $9m Series A to India's RazorPay
Tiger Global has led a $9 million Series A round for India-based online payment gateway RazorPay, with participation by Matrix Partners.
China travel sites Ctrip, Qunar agree merger
China-based travel services companies Ctrip and Baidu-controlled Qunar have agreed an all-share merger that will create a single dominant player in the domestic hotel and air ticket booking market.
OrbiMed leads $50m round for India's Netmeds
Healthcare focused investment firm OrbiMed has led a $50 million round of funding for Indian online drug marketplace Netmeds.
China O2O delivery start-up raises $13m
Matrix Partners and Lightspeed China Partners have committed $13 million in extended Series A round of funding to 123Feng.com, a Chinese start-up provides delivery services for e-commerce and food-ordering platforms.