Venture
Investec Bank leads $84m round for China P2P lending site
South African-based Investec Bank has led an $84 million Series C round of funding for Jimubox, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform, with participation from Haitong Kaiyuan, a PE arm of Haitong Securities.
Singapore's TradeGecko receives NSI, Jungle backing
Singapore-based inventory management platform TradeGecko has raised a $6.5 million Series A round of funding led by NSI Ventures and existing investor Jungle Ventures.
Keytone leads $20m round for China auto service site
Keytone Ventures has led a $20 million Series A round of funding for Chemayi, a Chinese auto after-sales service platform.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
Brandon raises $154m for Australia life sciences fund
Australian life sciences-focused VC firm Brandon Capital has reached a A$200 million ($154 million) final close on its latest vehicle - the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund 3 (MRCF 3).
India classifieds platform raises $28m from GIC, Norwest
Singapore’s GIC Private has led a Series C round of funding worth INR1.75 billion ($28 million) for Sulekha.com, an India-based classifieds platform based in India. Existing investor Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) also participated.
China's 58.com buys stake in VC-backed rival Ganji
US-listed Chinese classifieds site 58.com has agreed to buy a 43.2% stake in its domestic rival Ganji.com in a deal worth around $1.61 billion. It is part of a broader consolidation in China’s internet industry.
BlueRun commits $10m to China securities trading site
BlueRun Ventures has committed $10 million in a Series A round of funding to Mazhan.com, a Chinese online margin trading platform.
VC-backed Chinese credit card management app raises $50m
U51.com, a VC-backed credit card management mobile app, has raised $50 million from Shanghai-listed property developer Xinhu Zhongbao.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
India taxi-booking service Ola closes Series E round at $400m
Indian taxi-booking service Ola - operated by ANI Technologies - has closed its latest Series E round of funding at $400 million, valuing the company at $2.4 billion. The round was led by DST Global.
DCM invests $3m in China's Udesk
DCM has committed $3 million in a Series A round of funding to Udesk, a China-based customer service outsourcing business.
Asian LPs back Israel-based Viola's $250m fund
At least six Asian investors are LPs in the latest fund being raised by Israel-based technology growth capital and buyout firm Viola Private Equity, which reached its targeted amount of $250 million.
Japan's Dentsu launches $42m corporate venture fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu has established a new corporate venture capital arm, Dentsu Ventures, and launched a new fund with a corpus of JPY5 billion ($42 million).
NEA closes giant $2.8b global VC fund
New Enterprise Associates (NEA) has reached a final close on its 15th global flagship fund at $2.8 billion, and raised an additional $350 for a new co-investment vehicle - NEA 15 Opportunity Fund.
China's Ninebot raises $80m, acquires Segway
Ninebot, a China-based electric scooter manufacturer, has bought its US-based rival Segway for an undisclosed sum and raised $80 million in Series A funding.
China virtual reality headset maker raises $10m
Baofeng Mojing, a Chinese virtual reality headset manufacturer, has raised $10 million in a Series A round of funding led by film producer Huayi Brothers Media.
Tiger Global leads $5m round for Indian services marketplace
Indian local services marketplace LocalOye has raised a $5 million Series A round of funding from Tiger Global Management and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Q&A: Hera Capital's Thierry Panafieu
In six years of operation, Singapore’s Hera Capital has pursued a strategy focusing on small funds and quick deployment. Managing Partner Thierry Panafieu explains the virtues of staying small
Dianping secures $850m pre-IPO round
Having raised $850 million - the largest disclosed round for a Chinese tech start-up so far this year – in a matter of months, Dianping is now thought to be nearing an IPO. The investment values the 12-year-old company, described as a Chinese version...
Templeton leads $15m Series C for Vietnam restaurant operator
Vietnamese restaurant operator Huy Vietnam has raised a $15 million Series C round of funding led by Templeton Asset Management. Hong Kong-based firms Welkin Capital and Prosperous Alliance also took part in the round.
Baidu invests in another China ride-sharing app
Baidu has made its second investment in the Chinese ride-sharing app space in a matter of days, leading a Series C round for Tiantian Yongche, with participation from Sequoia Capital.
SoftBank joins $13.3m Series B for Japan e-commerce app
Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group, credit card firm Credit Saison, and Makoto Takaono - editor-in-chief of Forbes Japan - have invested JPY 1.6 billion ($13.3 million) in Origami, a Tokyo-based mobile commerce platform.