TMT
Japan's Globis re-ups in UK educational app developer
Globis Capital Partners, the Japanese venture capital firm, has returned to lead a GBP3.4 million ($5.8 mllion) Series B round for Quipper, a UK company that develops educational mobile applications.
SBI education fund backs China's Tutor Group
TutorGroup, a China-based online education platform that recently raised $100 million in Series B funding, has added SBI Group as a strategic investor.
Gaorong Capital leads $48m round for China's Avazu
Avazu, a Shanghai-based digital advertising firm, has raised $48 million in a Series A round of funding led by Gaorong Capital. An undisclosed US-based internet-focused private equity fund and a consortium of internet companies also took part in the round.
China ZJ Capital targets $50m co-investment VC fund
Zhijing Capital Management (ZJ Capital), a Shanghai-based early-stage VC firm, is seeking $50 million for its debut US dollar-denominated fund. The vehicle will make co-investments in Chinese start-ups.
DCM closes China VC Fund at $330m
Technology-focused venture capital firm DCM has closed its latest China-focused fund - DCM Ventures China Fund (DCM VII) - at $330 million, above the initial target of $250 million.
VC-backed Food Runner buys Philippines' City Delivery
Food Runner, a Singapore-based food delivery company backed by Digital Media Partners, has acquired Philippines counterpart City Delivery.
Qiming leads $15m round for Chinese personal finance app developer
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $15 million round of funding for Hangzhou Wacai Science, a Chinese personal finance management mobile app developer, with participation from IDG Venture Partners and CDH Investments.
EBay leads $134m round for Indian online marketplace Snapdeal
Indian online marketplace Snapdeal has raised a new round of funding worth $133.8 million led by eBay. It comes less than a year after the US e-commerce giant led a $50 million Series C round for the company.
SIG leads $10m round for China mobile voice search app
SIG has led a Series B round of funding worth nearly $10 million for Mobvoi, a voice-activated mobile search services provider. Sequoia Capital and ZhenFund, which provided the Series A round in 2012, also participated.
Linkedin to enter China, launch JV with CBC, Sequoia
Linkedin, a social media site for professionals has established a joint venture with Sequoia China and China Broadband Capital Partners (CBC Capital) to expand into the China market.
Ventech invests in China P2P lending platform Jimubox
Ventech Capital, a France-based VC firm, has provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing-based peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Jimubox.com. Transaction details were not disclosed but the investment is worth about $10 million.
Focus Media targets $1b Hong Kong IPO - report
Chinese display advertising business Focus Media, which was taken private in last May by a consortium of private equity investors in conjunction with company management, is said to be working towards a $1 billion IPO in early 2015.
Morningside raises $412m across three China TMT funds
Morningside Technologies, an investment company set up by Hong Kong's Chan family - owners of property developer Hang Lung Group - has raised $412 million across three China technology-focused funds.
Artesian launches Australian crowdfunding platform
Early-stage venture capital firm Artesian Venture Partners has launched its equity-based crowdfunding platform – VentureCrowd – in Australia with over 200 registered investors and 36 start-ups.
Tencent buys 20% stake in VC-backed Dianping
Tencent Holdings has paid an undisclosed sum for a 20% stake in Dianping, a VC-backed online listings provider best known as one of China’s most popular sites for restaurant reviews. The deal comes as China’s internet giants continue to broaden their...
Jungle Ventures, Spring Seeds back big data start-up
Jungle Ventures has led a S$1.5 million ($1.2 million) round of funding for Crayong Data, a Singapore-based big data start-up, with participation from Spring Seeds Capital.
Fosun Venture leads Series B round for Kmsocial
Fosun Venture Capital Investment has led a Series B round of funding for Kongming, a Beijing-based social media marketing solutions provider, with participation from previous investor Fidelity Growth Partners Asia. The investment size is about $10 million.
Japan's education app Smart Education raises $5.4m
CyberAgent Ventures and Infinity Venture Partners have invested JPY550 million ($5.4 million) in Smart Education, a Tokyo-based developer of educational mobile apps for kids.
Mayfield closes second India fund at $108m
Early-stage investor Mayfield has reached a final close of $108 million its second India-focused venture fund.
Intel invests in three China cloud, big data firms
Intel Capital, the corporate investment arm of the US chipmaker Intel Corp, has invested in three Chinese tech start-ups: big data firm Shanghai Yeapoo Information Technology; cloud storage provider Tianjin Zhongke BlueWhale Information Technology; and...
Spain's Telefonica signs up Chinese incubator
Wayra, Spanish telecom giant Telefonica’s accelerator initiative, has signed an agreement with Virtue Inno Valley (VIV), an incubator program backed by China’s Tsinghua University.
Superangel swoops in to support Vancl
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi is a smash hit, valued at $10 billion in its most recent round of funding. Lei Jun, the company’s founder, is riding high. In contrast, Chen Nian (pictured), who set up online clothing retailer Vancl six years ago, is...
Jack Ma returns to school
Jack Ma was an English teacher at Hangzhou Dianzi University before he went on to found Alibaba Group. Now he has returned to the education sector to support the next generation.
Of the same mind
So now we know, or at least we are in a position to make an informed guess: Alibaba Group is worth $127.6 billion. Others would puts its value at north of $150 billion, but that’s not the point. More interesting is the process that led to this estimate...