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India's Paytm raises $1b
Indian mobile payment and e-commerce platform Paytm has raised a $1 billion Series G round led by T Rowe Price.
Chinese gas station platform raises $110m Series C
Newlinks Group, operator of the Chezhubang platform that helps drivers in China locate the best value gas stations, has raised a $110 million Series C round led by Joy Capital.
Taiwan's Appier gets $80m Series D
Appier, a Taiwan-headquartered start-up that develops artificial intelligence-enabled platforms intended to help corporates optimize advertising campaigns, has raised $80 million in Series D funding.
Singapore's Carousell merges with Asia assets of Telenor
Singapore-based online consumer-to-consumer marketplace Carousell has merged with the Southeast Asia subsidiary of Norwegian telecommunications giant Telenor Group.
China targets $7b security industry fund
China Reform Holdings, a state-owned fund manager with RMB700 billion ($100 billion) in assets under management, has launched a RMB50 billion fund that will make investments in the security industry, with a particular focus on technology-enabled services.
Chinese bitcoin player completes $90m IPO, endures bumpy debut
Chinese bitcoin mining equipment manufacturer Canaan experienced a volatile first day of trading on NASDAQ after raising $90 million in a smaller-than-expected IPO.
Chinese hotel digital services provider secures $14m Serie A
Htrip, a China-based hotel digital services platform, has raised RMB100 million ($14 million) in an extended Series A funding round, led by Shenzhen Venture Capital.
Chinese cloud-based photo agency raises $14m
Fortune Capital and GF Xinde Investment have led an RMB100 million ($14 million) Series B round for VPhoto, a Chinese cloud-based photo service provider. Tzitzit Asset also participated.
Vietnam's Sendo raises $61m Series C
Vietnamese e-commerce company Sendo has received $61 million in Series C funding from a group of investors including SBI Group and SoftBank Ventures Asia.
Profile: Jungle Ventures' Amit Anand
Across the checkered early stages of his career, Amit Anand intuitively gravitated toward the technological engine of developing Asia. This underpinned the creation of Jungle Ventures
China SaaS: Dark side of the moon
Venture capital investors in China are turning their minds and manpower to the country’s nascent enterprise software opportunity, but the evolution curve is unlikely to be an exact match of the US
Japanese space rental platform files for IPO
SpaceMarket, a Japanese start-up that lists vacant spaces available for rent for corporate events, is looking to raise up to JPY933.2 million ($8.5 million) through a domestic IPO.
Xiaomi-backed smart home player raises $100 million
Lumi United, a Chinese smart home appliances and internet-of-things (IoT) solutions provider backed by smart phone maker Xiaomi, has raised $100 million in the third tranche of a Series B funding round.
PE-backed Chinese SaaS player pursues US IPO
CDP, a Chinese human resources software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that counts NASDAQ-listed 51job and China Broadband Capital (CBC) as its largest external investors, has filed for an IPO in the US.
Pavilion, Gobi lead $18m round for Indonesia's Travelio
Pavilion Capital and Gobi Partners had co-led an $18 million Series B round for Indonesia’s Travelio, an Airbnb-style home rentals start-up.
China VCs get more selective - AVCJ Forum
Chinese venture capital firms are doubling down on areas in which they have domain expertise as the spectrum of opportunities widens, industry participants told the AVCJ Forum.
China's Qingke trades up on debut after smaller than expected IPO
Q&K International Group, operator of China-based long-term apartment rentals platform Qingke, posted a marginal gain on its US trading debut after raising $45.9 million in an IPO priced at the bottom end of the indicative range.
Hillhouse, Crystal Stream invest African logistics start-up
Lori Systems, one of Africa’s largest logistics coordination platforms, has raised almost $30 million in a Series A round led by Hillhouse Capital and Crystal Stream Capital.
Vietnam media platform Pops gets $30m
Korean investors Mirae Asset Capital, EastBridge Partners, and Naver have provided $30 million in growth capital to Vietnamese online entertainment broadcaster Pops.
SoftBank founder admits to lapses on WeWork
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son admitted to a lapse in judgment on WeWork while disclosing that SoftBank Vision Fund and SoftBank Group have written down their positions in the beleaguered co-working space provider by a combined $7.7 billion.
Pakistan’s Airlift raises $12m Series A
Pakistan’s Airlift, a bus-hailing app, has raised a $12 million Series A round led by US-based First Round Capital. It is being called the largest ever Series A in Pakistan.
VCs set for exit as Alibaba buys IDsManager
Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing unit of Alibaba Group, has agreed to acquire IDsManager, a Chinese cloud-based ID management platform backed by Qiming Venture Partners and Fortune Capital.
German VC firm DTCP opens Korea office
DTCP, a Germany-based VC firm controlled by Deutsche Telekom and Korea’s SK Telecom, has opened its first Asian office in Seoul.
Australia: VC in vogue
A handful of Australian superannuation funds have started investing directly in local start-ups as well as backing VC funds. Is buying a strip off one of these portfolios the next step?