Venture
Tencent, Yunfeng back China social-networking site for doctors
Tencent Holdings and Yunfeng Capital have committed $40 million in a Series B round of funding to Medlinker, a Chinese social-networking platform for doctors.
Founder of Japan's Beenos launches $60m Asia VC fund
The founder of Japanese e-commerce company Beenos, Teruhide Sato, has a launched a $60 million venture capital fund that will support internet and mobile start-ups in India, Southeast Asia, Japan and the US.
Sequoia, Legend back Baidu's education spin-out
Sequoia Capital and Legend Capital have invested an undisclosed sum in a Series A round of funding for Zuoyebang, a K-12 learning and teaching mobile app that spun-out from Chinese online search giant Baidu.
Warburg Pincus leads round for India's Capillary Technologies
Warburg Pincus has led a $45 million Series C round of funding for Capillary Technologies, an Indian cloud-based software provider that focuses on customer relationship management (CRM) solutions.
Zodius, Khazanah back India online lingerie retailer
Zodius Capital and Malaysian state-controlled investor Khazanah Nasional have committed $40 million in Series C funding to Zivame, an India-focused online lingerie retailer.
Wanda Cinemas buys stake in VC-backed online ticketing site
China’s largest cinema operator Wanda Cinemas has acquired a 20% stake in Mtime Holdings, a Chinese online movie ticketing platform backed by several VC investors.
Korean start-ups: Pursuing critical mass
A handful of Korean start-ups have achieved valuations in excess of $1 billion as investors look to leverage a mobile-centric consumer base. But how many unicorns can this market accommodate?
Aspada, Qualcomm back India's Reverie with $4m
Aspada Investment Company and Qualcomm Ventures have committed $4 million in Series A funding to India-based local language software platform Reverie Language Technologies.
Q&A: Formation 8's Brian Koo
As Formation 8 prepares to launch an Asia fund, Brian Koo, co-founder of the venture capital firm, explains why the strategy has evolved from rolling out US technologies in Asia to backing local start-ups
Qiming leads Series B for China goods delivery app
Qiming Venture Partners has led a Series B round of funding for Linjia.me, a Chinese mobile app that offers last mile delivery services.
Tsinghua Holdings, Shengjing launch overseas VC fund-of-funds
Shengjing Group, a Chinese investment advisor, has partnered with Tsinghua Holdings to launch a $300 million fund-of-funds to invest in venture capital overseas.
VC-backed Komli to sell India business to SVG
VC-backed digital media firm Komli Media has agreed to merge its India business with that of industry peer SVG Media. This follows the sale of Komli’s Southeast Asia unit to Malaysia-based Axiata Group.
Gobi leads $5.7m Series A for Thailand's Eko
Gobi Partners has led a $5.7 million Series A round of funding for Bangkok-based Eko Communications, developer of workplace messaging app Eko.
India's StartupXSeed launches $4.5m venture fund
Indian seed-stage venture investment firm StartupXSeed has launched a VC fund, with an initial corpus of INR300 million ($4.5 million), to invest in Indian technology start-ups.
Global Brain backs Japan 3D printing start-up
Global Brain has committed JPY400 million ($3.3 million) to Japan-based Kabuku, which runs the 3D printing service Rinkak.
Chinese food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $630m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has raised $630 million from a combination of new and existing investors. The investment reportedly values the business at more than $3 billion.
Deal focus: RedMart channels the Amazon spirit
Amazon.com is the world’s largest online retailer, but it retains fleetness of foot that defies its size. This is based on the ability to embrace not only new technology but also innovative approaches to management. The “two-pizza rule” devised by founder...
Loan or own? Chinese strategics offer debt to start-ups
As Chinese start-ups raise larger, later-stage rounds, strategic investors are looking to participate through structured debt products rather than through equity. This approach presents its own risks
China drone start-up EHang gets $42m Series B round
GP Capital, a China-focused PE fund backed by Shanghai International Group, has led a $42 million Series B round of funding for EHang, a Chinese commercial drone manufacturer.
Japan's Freee raises $30m Series C round
DCM, Recruit Holdings and Japan Co-Invest have committed $30 million in Series C funding to Freee, a Japan-based provider of automated online accounting software.
Philippines targets 500 domestic tech start-ups by 2020
The Philippines government has outlined plans to achieve 500 domestic technology start-ups with a combined valuation of $2 billion by 2020.
China online campus convenience store secures $31m
Shenzhen Capital Group has led a RMB200 million ($31 million) pre-Series B round of funding for 59store.com, a Chinese online convenience store focused on serving students.
Standard Chartered, CFF lead $207m round for China's Dianrong
A consortium co-led by Standard Chartered Bank and China Fintech Fund (CFF) has invested $207 million in a Series C round of funding for Dianrong.com, a Chinese VC-backed peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending service platform.
NEA, Orios commit $4m to India's IntelligenceNODE
IntelligenceNODE, a retail-oriented big data analytics start-up based in India, has raised a $4 million Series A round led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Orios Venture Partners.