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Softbank injects $627m into India e-commerce firm Snapdeal
Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group has agreed to invest $627 million in Indian e-commerce site Snapdeal, bringing the start-up's total funding to more than $1 billion.
SoftBank bets big on Indonesia e-commerce
Softbank's first investment in Alibaba Group came 14 years ago. The initial $20 million was followed by around $80 million more, and by the time of Chinese e-commerce giant's IPO earlier this year, the Japanese tech firm held a 32.4% stake. This holding...
Mobile payments: Breaking down barriers
Driven by strong demand from consumers underserved by traditional payment channels, VC and strategic investors are increasingly active in Southeast Asia mobile payment. It is too early to identify winners.
China mobile marketing firm Lomark raises $30m
A group of VC investors – DFJ DragonFund, KPCB, ABC Capital and Shenzhen Fortune Venture Capital – have committed $30 million in Series B funding to Lomark, a Chinese mobile advertising firm.
China photo-sharing app Blink secures $20m round
Blink, a Chinese photo sharing and messaging mobile app, has raised $20 million in Series A funding from Tencent Holdings, Sequoia Capital, H Capital, ZhenFund and Innovation Works.
CDH VC, Pine invest in China cloud service provider Upyun
CDH Ventures and Pine Capital have provided a Series A round of funding for Upyun, a Chinese cloud services specialist.
Vertex leads investment in China household services app
Vertex Venture, an investment unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a Series B round for Ayibang, a Chinese housekeeping service booking app, with participation from Shunwei Capital Partners and Ceyuan Ventures.
Tencent, Tiger Global lead $350m round for China mobile shopping app
Koudai Gouwu, a Chinese mobile shopping portal, has raised a $350 million Series C round of funding led by Tencent Holdings and Tiger Global. H Capital, VY Capital and DST Advisors also participated.
Sequoia leads $55m Series C for Chinese English-study site
Sequoia Capital has led a $55 million Series C round of funding for 51Talk, a Chinese online English-teaching platform, with participation from Shunwei Capital Partners and DCM.
SoftBank leads $100m round for Indonesia e-commerce player
SoftBank will lead a $100 million round of funding for Tokopedia, an Indonesian online marketplace. Sequoia Capital will also participate alongside existing investor SB Pan Asia Fund.
China's Baidu, Ping An, Qihoo360 invest in Israeli VC fund
Israeli VC firm Carmel Ventures has reached a $194 million final close on its latest VC fund with participation Chinese tech giants Baidu and Qihoo360 as well as insurer Ping An Group.
Intel Capital invests $28m from China smart device fund
Intel Capital, the US chip maker's corporate venture capital arm, has invested $28 million from its China Smart Device Innovation Fund (CSDIF) into a batch of technology start-ups.
VC-backed eHi Car Rental invests in China's Kuaidi Dache
Chinese car rental firm eHi Car Services, which has several VC backers and is targeting a US IPO, has invested $25 million in Kuaidi Dache, one of the country’s two dominant taxi-booking apps.
Japanese mobile app Quan gets VC backing
Japanese mobile game developer Quan has received an undisclosed sum from a group of domestic VC investors.
Tiger Global leads Series C round for GrabTaxi
Tiger Global Management has led a Series C round of funding for GrabTaxi, a Southeast Asian-focused taxi-booking mobile phone app.
Chinese VC-backed semiconductor specialist files for US IPO
VeriSilicon Holdings, a China-based semiconductor design services provider backed by several VC investors, has filed for a US IPO.
Tembusu provides seed round for Singapore's GNum
Tembusu Partners has committed S$7 million ($5.5 million) in seed funding to GNum, developer of a patent-pending technology that allows calls from PCs and handheld devices to be routed to a user’s mobile phone without the need to first download an app....
Telstra, Global Brain lead $19m round for India's Adnear
India location-based mobile advertising platform Adnear has raised a $19 million Series B round of funding from Telstra Ventures, the Australian telecom giant's corporate venture capital arm, and Japanese VC Global Brain.
JFDI.Asia launches fifth start-up batch
Singapore-based start-up accelerator JFDI.Asia has launched the fifth batch of its program which will include 12 new companies.
India's Snapdeal set for $650m funding round – report
Indian e-commerce business Snapdeal is expected to raise up to $650 million in a new round of funding lead by Japan's SoftBank Corporation with existing investors also participating.
DCM raises $170m China top-up fund, wins SFERS backing
The San Francisco Employees' Retirement System (SFERS) has committed $25 million to a China-focused venture capital fund being raised by DCM that will make follow-on investments in later-stage portfolio companies.
Bain leads $18m investment in Korean car-sharing service
Bain Capital has led a KRW18 billion ($18 million) Series A round of funding for Socar, a Korean car sharing company.
SoftBank to buy VC-backed online video site DramaFever
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank has agreed to buy DramaFever, a streaming video service that specializes in Korean TV shows and movies. Financial details were not disclosed.
CyberAgent, Mizuho back Japan venue rental marketplace
CyberAgent Ventures and Mizuho Capital have together invested JPY100 million (about $1 million) in SpaceMarket, a Japanese online platform that lists vacant spaces that users can rent for corporate events such as meetings and training courses.