Venture
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Unitus raises $8m for India seed fund
Unitus Seed Fund (USF) has raised more than $8 million for its seed-stage venture capital fund focused on start-ups serving India's low-income consumers.
China's Mailman to set up early-stage Asia fund
Mailman, a social media and digital marketing company based in China, is a forming a start-up fund that will provide Series A funding rounds.
Indonesia’s Berrybenka gets funding from Gree Ventures
Gree Ventures, the VC arm of social Japanese social networking giant Gree, has completed its third investment in Indonesia, providing a Series A round of funding to fashion-focused e-commerce start-up Berrybenka. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
SVB provides loan to VC-backed Zoomin
SVB India Finance, a subsidiary of Silicon Valley Bank, has provided INR80 million ($1.5 million) in venture debt funding to Zoomin.com, an online digital photo printing and merchandise company backed by early-stage investors Sherpalo Ventures and First...
VCs and mobile internet: The race to stay relevant
Venture capital investors targeting the mobile and social media space are only as good as their understanding of the consumer habits and technologies that underpin industry trends
Wilson Sonsini opens Beijing office
Venture capital-focused law firm Wilson Sonsini has opened an office in Beijing, enlarging a Greater China footprint that already takes in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The office is led by Kefei Li, a partner with the firm. He reports to Weiheng Chen, the...
Japan’s Fuller gets $1.2m seed round
Japanese internet service provider ASAHI Net and m8 Capital, a London-based VC firm, are leading a JPY100 million ($1.2 million) round of seed funding for Japan-based start-up Fuller Inc.
Ticketgoose plans second round funding from VCs
One of India's leading online bus tickets firms, Ticketgoose.com, is looking to raise INR250 million ($4.6 million) in a second round of VC funding, CEO Arun Athiappan said.
Predictions for 2013
Growth capital, buyouts, public and private exits, secondaries and new frontiers – private equity professionals from Asia and beyond predict the future
PE-backed Xiaomi gets 10% of Kingsoft’s cloud computing unit
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi has agreed to purchase a 10% stake in Kingsoft Cloud Group, a unit of Chinese software maker Kingsoft, for $1.82 million in total.
Singapore travel website gets seed funding from TNF, SingTel Innov8
Singapore-based online travel booking site Flocations has raised $570,000 seed funding round led by TNF Ventures and including SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of SingTel – and angel investor Ben Ball.
US, India-focused Naya reaches first close on VC fund
Naya Ventures, a US-based VC firm that also invests in India, has reached a first close of $50 million on a fund targeting the mobile and cloud markets. Its approach involves providing capital and industry expertise to early-stage companies with a view...
Blume, First Light invest $500k in India's MadRat Games
Blume Ventures and First Light Ventures have invested $500,000 in Bangalore-based gaming start-up MadRat Games.
Fenox VC invests in Japan's Dream Link Entertainment
Silicon Valley-based Fenox VC has invested in Japanese flash animation studio Dream Link Entertainment (DLE).
Asia Awards: VC Deal of the Year – Xiaomi
The hugely successful launch of Xiaomi’s smart phone, and the subsequent $216 million Series C round, justified Morningside Technologies and Qiming Venture Partners’ early faith in the Chinese company
Asia Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Sanjeev Aggarwal
SanjeevAggarwal, managing partner at Helion Venture Partners, reflects on a successful fundraise, the popularity of Indian venture capital, and a portfolio that is becoming increasingly international
Golden Gate, JFDI form Asian start-up alliance
Golden Gate Ventures and JFDI.Asia will form a strategic alliance to support early-stage digital start-ups in Asia as they move from concept to pre-Series A funding.
VCs back $8m Series B round for Shubham HDFC
Accion and Saama Capital have jointly invested $4 million in India's Shubham Housing Development Finance Company. The venture capital firms join existing investors Elevar Equity and Helion Venture Capital in a second round of funding worth $8 million...
Iris Capital opens offices in Tokyo and Beijing
Iris Capital has opened offices in Tokyo and Beijing as part of an international expansion which also sees the French venture capital firm open three offices in North America.
Sequoia backs Chinese online lender Ppdai
Sequoia Capital has invested in a Series A financing round of Ppdai, a Chinese peer-to-peer online lending firm. The capital is expected to expand the company’s capacity on technology infrastructure and marketing campaigns.
Korean start-up accelerator appoints new GPs
Korean start-up accelerator SparkLabs has appointed Jay McCarthy and Awy Julianto as general partners. They are managing partner and general partner, respectively, at Singapore-based boutique M&A and financial advisory firm Pacific Advisors.
Patni brothers buy stake in Grameen Capital India
Amit and Arihant Patni, the brothers who set up internet-focused VC firm Nirvana Venture Advisors, have acquired a stake in Grameen Capital India (GCI) from its original investor IFMR Trust. The transaction is said to represent a first-of-its-kind exit...
IncuCapital backs genetic diagnostic start-up
IncuCapital, an incubation and early-stage investment firm, has invested an undisclosed amount in Mumbai-based genetic diagnostics and research start-up Navigene Genetic Science. IncuCapital’s Surojit Nandy will join the Navigene board.
CyberAgent Ventures backs Vietnam food review site
CyberAgent Ventures has made an undisclosed commitment to Vietnamese food review site, Foody. The venture capital arm of Tokyo-based internet firm CyberAgent made the investment through its CA Asia Internet Fund I, a Southeast Asia-focused VC vehicle.