TMT
Lead Capital invests $2m in Japan's Talknote
Lead Capital Management has invested JPY200 million ($2 million) in Talknote, the Japanese start-up behind the corporate social networking platform of the same name. This is the second round of funding the company has received, following an undisclosed...
Intel Capital unveils seven new Asia investments
Intel Capital, a corporate VC arm of chipmaker Intel Corporation, has invested in seven Asia-based companies as part of a batch of 16 global commitments totaling $65 million. The Asian firms, coming from China, India, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan, account...
India e-commerce: Sink or swim
India’s e-commerce sector is in the midst of consolidation. VC money continues to flow to the larger players but even they are examining their business models in a climate of higher operating costs
Baidu, VC-backed Qunar sets terms for $127m US IPO
Qunar, a Chinese-travel website majority-owned by internet search giant Baidu, is seeking to raise up to $127.8 million through its NASDAQ IPO. The company is also backed by GSR Ventures and GGV Capital, neither of which will sell any shares in the offering.
New Horizon leads $50m round for China's Chukong Technologies
New Horizon Capital has led a $50 million Series D round of investment in Chukong Technologies, a Chinese mobile game developer. GGV Capital, Sequoia Capital, Steamboat Ventures and Northern Light Venture Capital also participated in the round, which...
Chinese online marketplace 58.com sets terms for $165m US IPO
Chinese online marketplace 58.com is seeking raise up to $165 million through its New York Stock Exchange IPO. The company’s venture capital investors – Warburg Pincus, SAIF Partners and DCM – will not sell any of their shares in the offering.
TPG to buy 21st Century Fox stake in Phoenix Satellite TV
TPG Capital has agreed to buy a 12.15% stake in Chinese satellite television operator Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings from 21st Century Fox for HK$1.66 billion ($214 million).
Helion, Blumberg invest $1.5m in India's Mygola for US expansion
Mygola.com, an Indian online travel planning start-up, has raised a $1.5 million Series A round led by Helion Venture Partners and including existing backer Blumberg Capital. The funding will be used to support the company's US expansion plans.
China's Pactera agrees to $625m Blackstone-led take-private
Pactera Technology International has agreed to be taken private by a consortium led by The Blackstone Group that values the NASDAQ-listed Chinese tech outsourcing firm at approximately $625 million. Existing investor GGV Capital is also participating...
Global Brain invests $3.3m in Japan group buying site Luxa
Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain has invested JPY330 million ($3.3 million) in luxury group buying site Luxa through its KDDI Open Innovation Fund.
Fosun VC leads Series B round for Chinese animation producer
Fosun Venture Capital Investment, a VC arm of Fosun Group, has invested in a Series B round of funding for Beijing Dream Castle Culture, a Chinese animation producer. Existing backer GGV Capital also participated. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Japan's SoftBank acquires VC-backed Supercell for $1.5b
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank has acquired SuperCell - a Finnish mobile games developer backed by Index Ventures, Accel Partners and Atomico - paying JPY150 billion ($1.53 billion) for a 51% stake.
People’s Daily to buy Sequoia-backed online literacy platform
People.cn, a Chinese online newspaper run by state-owned People’s Daily, intends to purchase a 69.25% stake in Kanshu.com, an online book reading platform backed by Sequoia Capital, for RMB249 million ($40.8 million).
Matrix, Valara invest $150m in New Zealand's Xero
New Zealand-based online accounting software company Xero has raised a NZ$180 million ($150 million) round from existing backers Matrix Capital Management and Valara Ventures. The transaction was priced at $15.10 per share for 9.92 million shares - representing...
Sequoia commits $4m to India’s Idea Device
Data center automation company Idea Device has raised $4 million in Series A funding from Sequoia Capital.
IDG, Inventus lead $2m Series A for India's Unbxd
IDG Venture India and Inventus Capital Partners have led a $2 million Series A round of investment in Unbxd, a product recommendation platform for e-commerce companies.
India's Flipkart raises additional $160m
Online retailer Flipkart has raised an additional $160 million in Series E funding from new investors Sofina, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Dragoneer Investment Group and Vulcan Capital, along with participation from existing investor Tiger Global.It...
Sierra Ventures leads Series C round for China's Social Touch
Chinese social marketing services provider Social Touch has raised $10 million in Series C funding from a group of investors led by Sierra Ventures. Legend Capital and GGV Capital, which backed the company in its previous two rounds, also participated.
Creador makes SE Asia e-payment breakthrough
Creador spent a couple of years looking for ways to enter Southeast Asia’s electronic payments space without much success. “We are a firm believer that there is a shift from cash to credit and debit solutions and e-commerce will push this to the next...
China retail: Asset-heavy to asset-light
Facing competition from e-commerce platforms, China’s traditional offline retailers are moving online – and the ideal combination is a combination of the two. PE investors are seeking opportunity in the disruption
Online tourism: Ticket to ride
Online tourism is on the rise in emerging Asia and numerous venture-backed businesses are looking to hitch a ride on the consumer growth trend. The key is finding the right niche
J-Star buys ‘fourth hand’ Primagest
Primagest, a firm whose primary business is using optical character recognition (OCR) to turn documents in data, appears every bit the tech-savvy up and comer. However, it has been doing the same thing – in one form or another – for 45 years.
Jungle Ventures backs mobile monetization platform Pokkt
Singapore-based Jungle Ventures has invested an undisclosed amount in Pokkt, a mobile platform that helps digital content developers and publishers monetize their user base through an advertiser-funded model. Angel investor Samir Bangara also participated...
IDG, Temasek-backed mobile game operator eyes $123m HK IPO
Singapore-based mobile game developer I Got Games (IGG), which is backed by IDG Technology Venture Investment and Temasek Holdings, intends to raise as much as HK$950 million ($123 million) through an IPO in Hong Kong.