Venture
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500 Startups to raise Japan seed fund
US-based accelerator 500 Startups has extended its Asia footprint with the launch of a $30 million fund dedicated to early-stage Japanese technology companies.
Alibaba, Yunfeng, Sina launch sports business
Alibaba Group has set up sports unit alongside Chinese internet company Sina Corporation and Yunfeng Capital, a PE firm backed by Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
Q&A: Warburg Pincus' Charles R. Kaye
Charles R. Kaye, co-CEO at Warburg Pincus, discusses the growing importance of Asia to his firm, valuation bubbles in the technology space, and changes in the GP-LP relationship
Deal focus: Qiming targets last-mile delivery
As e-commerce continues to grow in China, demand for last-mile delivery services that get the goods to the consumer on time and in good shape has yet to be fully addressed. While leading online food-ordering platforms, such as Ele.me and Baidu’s Waimai,...
Uber CEO confirms China fundraising plans
Travis Kalanick, founder and CEO of ride-hailing app Uber, has confirmed that the company has raised $1.2 billion for Uber China, a dedicated unit set up to address the local market.
H Capital leads $30m round for China education site
China-focused venture capital firm H Capital has led a $30 million Series A round of funding for Lexue Education, an online education platform.
Temasek, Vy Capital lead $60m round for India's Zomato
Temasek Holdings and existing investor Vy Capital have committed $60 million in funding to Indian online restaurant and event guide Zomato.
China Post Capital invests in Alibaba's Ant Financial
China Post Capital, an investment arm of postal service operator China Post Group, has purchased a minority stake in Ant Financial, Alibaba Group’s online financial services affiliate.
GGV leads $19m round for China AR toy maker
GGV Capital has led a RMB120 million ($19 million) round of funding for Neobear, a China-based company that develops interactive learning tools for children.
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.