Venture
Taiwan's MasterLink Securities launches VC units in Tianjin
MasterLink Securities, the fourth-largest brokerage firm in Taiwan, has won regulatory approval to launch two venture capital investment units in mainland China.
Indian optician raises $6.4m from AHF, Ventureast
Asia Healthcare Fund (AHF) and early-stage player Ventureast have together invested INR400 million in Eye Gear Optics India, the start-up behind optical retail chain Ben Franklin.
Shunwei commits $9.6m to China interior decorating platform
Shunwei Capital Partners has led a RMB60 million ($9.6 million) Series A round of funding for Ikongjian.com, a Chinese interior finishings site, with participation from H Capital and DST Advisors.
India venture debt: Innovation capital
Led by SVB India, venture debt providers are beginning to take root in India. Can this nascent asset class replicated its success in developed markets and become a viable option for domestic start-ups?
Alibaba sets up non-profit VC unit to boost HK entrepreneurs
China’s Alibaba Group has created a HK$1 billion ($129 million) non-for-profit foundation to support Hong Kong start-ups.
Valiant leads $26m Series D for India's FirstCry
Valiant Capital Partners has led a $26 million Series D round for Brainbees Solutions, the Indian start-up behind babies and children-focused retailer FirstCry.com.
Sequoia leads Series B round for China P2P car-sharing app
Sequoia Capital has led a Series B round of funding for Tiantian Yongche, a Chinese peer-to-peer (P2P) car-sharing platform.
Qiming, IDG back China B2B plastics trading platform
Qiming Venture Partners and IDG Capital Partners have led a $20 million Series A round of funding for Zhaosuliao.com, a Chinese B2B plastics trading platform.
Gobi, ABC lead $6m Series A for China's AutoBot
Gobi Partners and ABC Capital have led a $6 million Series A round for Chinese start-up AutoBot, which makes diagnostic tools for cars.
Facebook co-founder leads round for Singapore property site
Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook and Singapore resident, has led a S$2 million ($1.5 million) round of seed funding for 99.co, a local property listings site. Sequoia Capital also participated alongside several entrepreneurs-turned-investors.
Japan's Gumi Ventures reaches a $16.9m close on Fund II
Gumi Ventures - the corporate venture arm of the Japanese mobile gaming company of the same name - has reached a JPY2 billion ($16.9 million) final close on its second fund.
First Eastern's Chu launches Nova Scotia fund
Victor Chu, chairman of Hong Kong-based First Eastern Investment Group, is leading a group of private investors that will create a C$50 million ($40 million) venture capital fund in Nova Scotia, Canada.
YJ Capital launches Fund II, backs Indonesia fashion site
YJ Capital - the corporate VC arm of Yahoo! Japan - has announced the launch of its second fund, which has made its first investment in Indonesia fashion flash sale site VIP Plaza.
Japan's Wizpra raises $2m from VCs
A consortium of Japanese investors including Gree Ventures, Mobile Internet Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, and Mizuho Capital has invested JPY230 million ($1.9 million) in internet-based market research platform Wizpra.
China food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $350m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has received $350 million in a Series E round of funding from CITIC Private Equity and Sequoia Capital as well as strategic investors Tencent Holdings, JD.com and Dianping.
Chinese local supermarket O2O player gets $100m
CITIC Private Equity, Fortune Capital, GP Capital and Zhejiang Zheshang Investment Management have invested $100 million in Huimin, a Chinese B2B and B2C e-commerce platform that focuses on small-scale supermarkets.
China's Banyan fast-tracks Fund II
The launch of Banyan Capital's second US dollar-denominated fund came sooner than expected. The China-focused VC firm, which spun out from IDG Capital Partners and closed its debut vehicle at $206 million just over 12 months ago, had the Fund II launch...
China's Meituan enters the big league
Asked whether, two years ago, he could have envisaged Chinese group-buying site Meituan achieving a $7 billion valuation Feng Deng, founding managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital, gives a swift no.
Goldman backs Antuit's big data ambitions
Various factors influence the amount of milk a cow produces – breed, diet, weather, living conditions and the calving cycle among them. Working with one of its clients, dairy giant Fonterra, Singapore-headquartered big data analytics firm Antuit now collects...
China VIEs: An end to uncertainty?
China has proposed a new set of rules that would regulate the use of variable interest entity (VIE) structures that underpin VC investment in restricted industries. It is a positive sign but questions remain
Asia start-ups: The SoftBank effect
SoftBank has laid down a marker in Asia’s technology space over the past six months, investing nearly $2 billion and promising much more. What does this say about the Japanese giant’s broader ambitions?
Singapore: Start-up central
When looking for an example of how Singapore start-ups previously struggled to get funding, one of the founders of tenCube was happy to oblige. Bootstrapped into existence in 2005, the mobile security solutions provider spent a frustrating 18 months trying...
Taiwan's NDF commits $84m to VC funds
Taiwan’s National Development Fund (NDF) will invest up to $84 million into four venture capital funds as part of efforts to support local start-ups.
Singapore Exchange, Clearbridge form SME capital-raising platform
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has partnered with Clearbridge Accelerator to set up a capital-raising platform for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia.