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PE-backed Bigo raises $272m Series D
Chinese media platform operator YY has led a Series D round for Bigo Live, a Singapore-based video streaming company backed by Ping An Insurance, with a $272 million commitment.
Portfolio: Cathay Capital and Shopal
Shopal’s cross-border marketing ambitions and Cathay Capital’s Sino-French investment history have proven to be a strong match for tackling the expanding Chinese high-end consumer market
Mekong invests in Vietnamese mattress seller
Mekong Capital has invested an undisclosed amount in Vietnamese mattress and bedding retailer Vua Nem to support its expansion.
Apis targets $400m for emerging markets growth fund
Apis Partners is targeting $400 million for its second middle-market growth fund focused on financial services and technology investments in emerging markets, with a $500 million hard cap.
SoftBank co-leads $20m round for Indonesia's EV Hive
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK) has co-led a $20 million Series A round for EV Hive, an Indonesian co-working space operator that spun out from East Ventures last year, alongside H&CK Partners and Tigris Investment, both of which are also based in South...
Ant Financial leads $321m round for China's Hellobike
Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s financial services affiliate, has led a RMB2.1 billion ($321 million) investment in Youon Bike, the listed parent of China-based bike-sharing operator Hellobike.
VIDEO: China Creation Ventures' Wei Zhou
Wei Zhou, founder and managing partner of China Creation Ventures, discusses VC and technology trends
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving N5 Capital, Matrix Partners China, JD.com, Fortune Capital, Juxiu Capital, Oriza Holdings, Ameba Capital, ZhenFund, Yunqi Partners, SIG, and Crystal Stream Capital
Warburg Pincus launches India BPM platform
Warburg Pincus has established an India-based platform for investment globally in business process management (BPM), an area of enterprise services focused on systems modelling and technical consulting.
China social e-commerce player Red raises $300m
Alibaba Group has led a $300 million Series D round of funding for Red, a social e-commerce site that enables Chinese consumers to buy products from overseas.
Temasek, PayPal invest $125m in India’s Pine Labs
Temasek Holdings and PayPal have invested $125 million in Pine Labs, an Indian financial technology company backed by Actis Capital, Sequoia Capital India and Madison India Capital.
Fund focus: AlphaX tracks evolving China VC story
Having raised $270 million for his debut fund at AlphaX Partners, former Highland Capital Partners executive Chuan Thor is keen to tap emerging trends in consumer internet and enterprise services
China's Genesis targets $600m for second fund
Genesis Capital, a Chinese venture capital firm established by Richard Peng, formerly head of M&A at Tencent Holdings, is targeting $600 million for its second fund.
China used car trading business Uxin files for US IPO
Uxin Group, a Chinese e-commerce platform that specializes in used-car trading and related services, has filed for a US IPO. Jeneration Capital, Warburg Pincus, and Tiger Global Management are among the company’s PE backers.
Deal focus: VCs back Ezbuy’s cross-border e-commerce
A group of VCs including China’s Sky9 Capital are backing a global push by Southeast Asian e-commerce operator Ezbuy. The plan will require combining international vision with local knowhow
Q&A: Ofo's Alan Jiang
Alan Jiang helped launch Uber in China, Malaysia and Vietnam before serving as Indonesia country head. Now he is leading Chinese bike-sharing start-up Ofo’s expansion in Southeast Asia
India e-commerce: Turning a page
The acquisition of Flipkart by Walmart signals the beginning of a new chapter in India’s e-commerce story. Venture capital investors also hope it represents a model for more exits from technology start-ups
East Ventures joins $32m ICO for Swiss bitcoin app
East Ventures, a VC firm focused on Japan and Southeast Asia, has joined a $32 million initial coin offering (ICO) for Switzerland-based bitcoin wallet operator BRD.
Amazon leads $12m round for India's VC-backed Acko
Amazon has led a $12 million funding round for Acko, an Indian online insurance broker that is backed by the likes of SAIF Partners and Accel Partners.
China's Sinovation launches AI-focused fund
Sinovation Ventures has formed a RMB2.5 billion ($395 million) venture capital fund that will focus on artificial intelligence (AI). It is a cooperative effort with the Guangzhou government to drive technology development.
VCs invest $17.6m in Singapore's Ezbuy
A group of VCs including IDG Ventures has provided $17.6 million in pre-Series C funding to Singaporean shopping platform operator Ezbuy.
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving FoxConn, China Minsheng Investment Group, Qiming Venture Partners, GGV Capital, Matrix Partners China, Hongxiu VC, Geekbeans Capital, Albatross Venture, Node Capital, and Insight Capital
Fund focus: Tapping the Alibaba talent seam
Vision Plus Capital looks to tap the entrepreneurial talent developing in Alibaba Group's ecosystem for its second US dollar and renminbi-denominated funds
Profile: SparkLabs Group's Bernard Moon
Bernard Moon, co-founder of SparkLabs Group, has helped bring a global approach to seed investment. Early work bridging US and Korean start-up cultures clarified the value in going cross-border early