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Baidu Ventures makes $318m first close on AI fund
Baidu Ventures, an independent VC firm set up by Chinese internet player Baidu, has achieved a first close of more than RMB2 billion ($318 million) on its second renminbi-denominated fund that focuses on artificial intelligence (AI).
Alibaba leads $300m round for India's Bigbasket
Chinese online retailer Alibaba Group has led a $300 million funding round for Indian online grocer Bigbasket.
China's Legend Star closes $127m VC fund
Legend Star, the early-stage investment arm of China’s Legend Holdings, has closed its third VC fund at RMB800 million ($127 million).
NSI in $13m round for Singapore's Love Bonito
NSI Ventures has taken part in a $13 million Series B round of funding for Singapore-based lifestyle brand Love Bonito.
Chinese auto financing site raises $92m Series B round
Meliche Jinrong, the online auto finance subsidiary of Chinese consumer loans site Meili Jinrong, has raised a $92 million Series B round led by local agribusiness player New Hope Group.
Accel invests $50m in India's BrowserStack
Accel Partners has invested $50 million in BrowserStack, an Indian IT company that supplies enterprise clients with internet and mobile software testing infrastructure.
Deal focus: LeapFrog adds to financial inclusion portfolio
LeapFrog Investments backs NeoGrowth Credit to provide financial backing for digital payments among Indian retailers
Spiral raises $64m for debut Japan VC fund
Japan-focused Spiral Ventures – known as IMJ Investment Partners until spinning out from its corporate parent last year – has closed its debut fund at JPY7 billion ($64 million).
China electric car maker Xpeng raises $348m
Xpeng Motors, a Chinese electric car manufacturer, has completed a RMB2.2 billion ($348 million) Series B round of funding led by Alibaba Group, Foxconn Technology Group, and IDG Capital.
Affinity, BRV support Shinsegae e-commerce spin-out
Affinity Equity Partners and BRV Capital Management are supporting a spin-out of assets owned by South Korean retail conglomerate Shinsegae Group, which will see more than KRW1 trillion ($940 million) invested in a new e-commerce unit.
Chinese financial services platform concludes $63m Series B
Huisuanzhang, a Chinese finance and tax management software developer, has completed a RMB400 million ($63 million) Series B round of funding across two tranches.
Unilever invests in online India grocery market
Unilever Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Unilever, has committed $3 million in pre-Series A funding to Indian grocery delivery start-up Milkbasket.
Deal focus: Rokid attracts interest as household AI heats up
The Series C round for smart household device manufacturer Rokid underlines investor interest in China-based artificial intelligence plays
India's 3one4 closes second fund at $39m
Indian VC firm 3one4 Capital has closed its second early stage fund at INR2.5 billion ($39 million), exceeding its target of INR1.5 billion.
Atinum leads $9m round for Korean fintech player
Korean venture capital firm Atinum Investment has led a KRW10 billion ($9.4 million) funding round for domestic financial technology company Tera Funding.
Japan's UTEC raises fourth early-stage fund
University of Tokyo Edge Capital (UTEC) has raised JPY15.5 billion ($142 million) for its fourth fund intended to support the development of research conducted at the university into start-ups.
China's Dianrong raises additional $70m for Series D
Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform Dianrong has raised an additional $70 million in Series D funding, taking the total round to $290 million.
Southeast Asia logistics firm Ninja Van secures Series C
Ninja Van, a Singapore-headquartered last-mile logistics services provider with regional presence, has completed a Series C round of funding.
Profile: IvyCap Ventures' Vikram Gupta
Vikram Gupta, founder of IvyCap Ventures, helped shape India’s scholarly start-up ecosystem by interweaving a passion for entrepreneurialism with his roots in scientific academia
GLP leads $36m round for China's Songxiaocai
Warehouse operator Global Logistic Properties (GLP) has led a RMB230 million ($36 million) investment in Songxiaocai, a business-to-business (B2B) platform that provides agricultural wholesale services to Chinese retailers.
China's Shunwei Capital appoints new partner
Chris Lai, formerly a venture partner at China-focused Sinovation Ventures, has joined Shunwei Capital Partners, a VC firm set up by Xiaomi founder Lei Jun, as a partner.
Joy leads $20m round for Chinese e-commerce site
Joy Capital has led a $20 million round of funding for The Good Stuff, an e-commerce start-up that uses online influencers to sell products.
VCs commit $30m to Japanese recipe-sharing start-up
SoftBank and YJ Capital have taken part in a JPY3.4 billion ($30.2 million) funding round for Japanese online food media start-up Dely.
Japan's Folio gets $63m in extended Series A
A group of investors including Goldman Sachs have invested JPY7 billion ($63 million) in Japanese stock trading app operator Folio.