Venture
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Scentan Ventures takes part in $2m round for Japanese curation app Antenna
Singapore's Scentan Ventures has joined Tokyo-based strategic investor Macromill in investing JPY1.5 billion ($15.5 million) in Glider Associates, the Japanese startup behind smartphone curation app Antenna, for a 25.6% stake.
Q&A: Rocket Internet's Tito Costa
Rocket Internet, which has raised more than $1 billion in funding in the last year, is known for launching copycats of successful sites. Tito Costa, managing director for Southeast Asia, outlines a different strategy for the region
Car Clubs enters the fast lane
Bicycles are thje kings of the road in Hangzhou. Following a program that was successfully introduced in Paris, the city in China's Zhejiang province has made a stock of about 66,500 bicycles available for hire. Journeys begin at one of 2,700 stations...
Japan's secondaries surge
Secondary deals in Japan spiked in 2011 as buyouts from before the global financial crisis found an exit. With the country's economic prospects improving, industry participants expect the flow to continue
Jafco invests $10m in lunch box delivery start-up
Japanese VC firm Jafco Ventures has invested JPY1 billion ($10 million) in Star Festival, the start-up behind lunchbox delivery and catering site Gochikuru.com.
Chinese VCs join funding round for gesture-based technology developer
Shunwei Capital Partners and CTQuan joined Chinese mobile handset maker Xiaomi in a Series B funding round for Israel’s Pebbles Interfaces worth $11 million.
SingTel Innov8 invests $10m in Fab.com
SingTel Innov8 has invested $10 million in online lifestyle store Fab.com as part of an ongoing Series D round of financing. It joins a list of strategic Asian backers as the company plans expansion in the region.
China’s Zhonglu VC invests in five start-ups
A venture capital arm of Shanghai Zhonglu Group, a Chinese bicycle manufacturer, has invested a total of RMB36.4 million ($5.9 million) in five online technology start-ups. Zhonglu VC will take a 20% stake in each company.
Daiwa, Intec invest $2m in Japan's Repica
Japan's Daiwa PI Partners and Intec IT Capital have invested JPY200 million ($2 million) in Repica, a company that develops CRM solutions for Japanese businesses.
Founder of VC-backed ShopClues faces US charges
Sandeep Aggarwal, founder of VC-backed Indian e-commerce site ShopClues, has been arrested in the US in connection with the SAC Capital Advisors insider trading investigation. He is charged with passing confidential information to a trader concerning...
Indian Angel Network invests in IndiaCollegeSearch
Indian Angel Network (IAN) investor members Vikram Kant Upadhyaya, Anupam Mittal and Varun Khurana have committed an undisclosed amount to IndiaCollegeSearch (ICS), a website that provides information on over 7,000 professional educational institutes.
Microsoft consolidates India start-up programs
Microsoft India has brought its start-up offerings under a single platform – known as Microsoft Ventures – following a similar restructuring at group level. Existing VC investment programs including BizSpark, Bing Fund and Accelerator will now operate...
INCJ invests $27m in Japan patent fund
Government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY2.75 billion ($27.8 million) in a fund that will buy unused patents and license them to domestic start-ups.
VCs back India SME group-buying service
Despite there being around 47 million small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India, the segment has not yet participated in the country's e-commerce boom. While 51% of online SMEs use the internet to advertise, a mere 27% use it for trade, according...
Nissay Capital backs Japanese online ad platform Dennoo
Nissay Capital has invested $1.1 million in Japanese online ad platform, Dennoo. The investment brings the start-up's total amount of venture capital funding to $3.1 million.
Asia Pacific Capital completes $25m Series C round for Ciris Energy
Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Capital (APC) has invested $15 million in Ciris Energy, a US company that converts coal to natural gas, concluding a $25 million Series C round of investment.
Femto invests $1m in Japanese restaurant app startup
Japanese venture capital firm Femto has committed JPY100 million ($1 million) of seed funding in Toreta, a start-up developing apps for the food service industry.
Revolution Growth invests $40m in Australia's Bigcommerce
US venture capital firm Revolution Growth has invested $40 million in Australian tech start-up Bigcommerce. The company sells e-commerce software for online retailers covering website design, store management, marketing and electronic payments.
DCM, Infinity invest $2.7m in Japanese accounting software firm
DCM and Infinity Capital Partners have invested $2.7 million in Japanese online accounting software company, Freee, as part of a Series A round of funding.
Legend Capital joins funding round for heart valve implant maker
Legend Capital has participated in a $62.5 million Series C round of funding for Munich-based JenaValve Technology, a manufacturer of valve systems used to treat heart conditions. The company intends to apply to market products in China.
East Ventures backs Japanese flea market app Mercari
East Ventures has invested JPY50 million ($500,000) in Mercari, a Japanese flea market app launched by former Zynga Japan General Manager Shintaro Yamada.
Strategics buy Singapore start-ups Techsailor, YFind
Two Singapore-based start-ups – Techsailor and YFind – have been snapped up by strategic investors. This follows last week’s acquisition of VC-backed travel website TravelMob by NASDAQ-listed vacation rental portal HomeAway.
A new alternative: SME liquidity in India
India has opened up a channel for domestic start-ups to sell shares without going through a full IPO. The platform offers new fundraising and exit options, but regulators could help by removing more red tape
The problem with Southeast Asian VC
Ahead of last week's AVCJ Singapore Forum, this column was dedicated to the less-loved investment stories in Southeast Asia. VC made the list because, despite offering a similar fundamentals to China and India – rising disposable incomes and mobile...