Venture
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Rebright backs Indian logistics firm LetsTransport
Indian last-mile logistics marketplace LetsTransport has raised $1.3 million from Rebright Partners, along with several angel investors.
Sequoia, Accel commit $8m to India's WizRocket
Sequoia Capital India and Accel Partners have invested $8 million to Indian analytics and mobile engagement platform WizRocket.
Deal focus: Cloud Farm brings China agribusiness online
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's "internet plus” policy is an attempt to rejuvenate traditional industries by grafting modern technology onto their tired business models. Agriculture is thought to hold enormous potential for cloud computing and big data,...
SoftBank: Venture legacy
SoftBank’s direct investment activity has shifted towards later-stage deals and it is expected to remain there. But the Japanese technology giant has not given up on its VC affiliates and subsidiaries in Asia
China robotics: Rise of the machines
China’s robotics start-ups are riding a wave of innovation and exploring many previously unexpected paths. As the scope of applications broadens, they need to keep up the pace
China second-hand car trading platform Renrenche raises $85m
Tencent Holdings has led a $85 million Series C round of funding for Renrenche.com, a Chinese peer-to-peer second-hand car trading platform.
All-Stars Investment leads $300m round for China’s Tujia
All-Stars Investment has led a $300 million new funding round for Tujia.com, valuing the Chinese vacation-rental website at more than $1 billion.
Ajisen, Hina back Baidu’s online food-ordering platform
Ajisen Holdings, a Chinese fast casual restaurant chain operator, has teamed up with The Hina Group and its affiliate Hanking Group to invest up to $70 million in Baidu Takeout Delivery, an online food delivery ordering platform run by the Chinese search...
Australia's Autopilot raises $7m round
US cloud computing firm Salesforce has a led $7 million round for Australian marketing platform Autopilot, alongside Stage1 Capital. Existing investors include Rembrandt Venture Partners, Blackbird Ventures, Southern Cross Venture Partners, Garnett Ventures...
Australia's NAB to invest $36m in fintech start-ups
National Australia Bank (NAB) will set up a A$50 million ($36 million) fund to invest in start-ups that help enhance its financial services product offerings.
SAIF, Tiger in $50m round for online discount start-up
Paytm has joined SAIF Partners and Tiger Global to lead a $50 million round of funding for Little, an Indian online discount start-up launched by the founders of fashion e-commerce platform Zovi.
PE-backed online liquor retailer Jiuxian gets another $81m
Jiuxian.com, a Chinese e-commerce site that sells wines and spirits, has raised RMB500 million ($81 million) in a new round of funding.
Golden Gate reaches first close on SE Asia VC fund
Singapore-based Golden Gate Ventures has reached a first close of $35 million on its second Southeast Asia-focused fund, Golden Gate Ventures Fund II.
Chunxiao invests $16m in China agri e-commerce player
Chunxiao Capital has provided RMB100 million ($16 million) in Series A plus funding for Cloud Farm, a China-based e-commerce platform dedicated to the agricultural sector.
New Horizon backs China B2B plastics trading platform
New Horizon Capital has led a $36 million Series B round of funding for Zhaosuliao.com, a Chinese B2B plastics trading platform.
Sequoia leads $12.5m round for China app tech developer
Sequoia Capital has led a $12.5 million Series B round for Easemob.com, a Chinese provider of mobile communication services, with participation from SIG China and Matrix Partners China.
Chinese celebrities in VC: Profile booster
Chinese celebrities are entering the venture capital space, offering start-ups endorsement as well as financial support. But can a pop star’s cachet translate into long-term sustainable growth?
Deal focus: MedGenome aims to fill the sequencing gap
India's vast assortment of ethnic groups represents a golden opportunity for MedGenome. The 2,000 groups that inhabit the subcontinent are a treasure trove of information waiting to be harvested and put to work.
Deal focus: NSI Ventures in robot kitchen play
The old proverb is that necessity is the mother of invention, but in an age of robotics it seems that simple inconvenience is enough to give birth to the next great innovation. Such is the case with the Rotimatic, a “robot” invented specifically to...
New Zealand’s Booktrack receives $5m Series B round
Booktrack, a New Zealand-based company that provides movie-style soundtracks and ambient audio for eBooks, has raised $5 million in Series B funding led by Coent Venture Partners and Sparkbox Ventures.
VCs invest $4.4m in Japanese filter technology start-up
The state-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), shipping conglomerate investment arm Tsuneishi Partners and Future Venture Capital (FVC) have together invested JPY550 million ($4.4 million) in NanoMist Technologies, creator of a filtering...
Japan's VC-backed Metaps files for IPO
Metaps, a Japanese mobile software developer and IT services start-up backed by a slew of VC investors, has filed for its Tokyo IPO and is expected to raise as much as JPY3.8 billion ($30.6 million).
China P2P lending site Firstp2p raises $41m
Firstp2p, a Chinese online peer-to-peer (P2P) financing site, has raised a $41 million Series B round of funding from San Shan Capital, CITIC Capital and China Equity.
Orios launches $150m India early-stage fund
Indian VC firm Orios Venture Partners has launched a new $150 million fund to support start-ups in various branches of the technology sector.