Venture
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YuanMing, Matrix lead $50m round for China's Adlai Nortye
YuanMing Capital and Matrix Partners China have led a Series B round of more than $50 million – denominated in US dollars and renminbi – for Adlai Nortye, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company.
VCs back $40m round for Korea's Fantom Foundation
Fantom Foundation, a Korean blockchain technology company, has received a $40 million funding round from a number of specialist investors, including US-based 8 Decimal Capital and Singapore’s Link VC.
China Growth Capital leads round for Cheduoduo
China Growth Capital has led a $17.7 million Series A round of funding for Cheduoduo, a newly launched Chinese used car trading platform, with participation from Source Code Capital.
Q&A: Intel Capital's Takayuki Sasaki
Takayuki Sasaki, investment director for Japan at Intel Capital, discusses how the country fits into Intel’s overall strategy along with Japan’s burgeoning entrepreneurial culture and corporate VC investment
Japan's Mercari set for $1.2b IPO
Japanese consumer-to-consumer marketplace Mercari – which has several VC backers – is set to raise JPY130.5 billion ($1.18 billion) in its domestic IPO after pricing the offering at the top end of the indicative range.
Drug developer Just China raises $35m
Hangzhou Just Biotherapeutics (Just China), the Chinese joint venture of US drug developer Just Biotherapeutics, has received $35 million in Series B-plus funding led by Hillhouse Capital.
Fund focus: Pivotal’s urge to incubate
Nan Fung Group has established Pivotal Bioventure Partners China to build a concentrated portfolio of high-quality life science assets and nurture them from inception to exit
ICOs: Normalizing the future
The application of virtual tokens as investment instruments is modernizing the venture capital industry. Stakeholders are discovering a range of pitfalls and possibilities during the transition
VIDEO: China Creation Ventures' Wei Zhou
Wei Zhou, founder and managing partner of China Creation Ventures, discusses VC and technology trends
SoftBank's Japanese AI incubator targets $55m fund
Deepcore, a Japanese incubator focused on artificial intelligence (AI) that was set up last year by Softbank Corp, has launched a fund targeting JPY6 billion ($55 million) for seed to early-stage companies.
Singapore biotech player gets $20m Series A
A group of VCs including Yashang Capital and Westlake Ventures have backed a $20 million Series A funding round for Singaporean biotech developer Lion TCR.
Amazon leads $12m round for India's VC-backed Acko
Amazon has led a $12 million funding round for Acko, an Indian online insurance broker that is backed by the likes of SAIF Partners and Accel Partners.
China VC player Banyan changes name to Gaorong
Chinese venture capital firm Banyan Capital has changed its English name to Gaorong Capital. The aim is to achieve more consistent brand recognition because Gaorong is how the group’s Chinese name is pronounced.
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving FoxConn, China Minsheng Investment Group, Qiming Venture Partners, GGV Capital, Matrix Partners China, Hongxiu VC, Geekbeans Capital, Albatross Venture, Node Capital, and Insight Capital
Next 10 secures $50m for user-generated content fund
Next 10 Ventures, a US and Singapore-based GP headed by former YouTube and Warner Bros executives, has raised $50 million for a fund focused on user-generated media content businesses.
Vietnam start-ups: A tale of two cities
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City provide Vietnam’s nascent start-up scene with a unique double-hub structure. Ecosystem gestation remains slow but it is supported by a nuanced diversity
China early-stage investment round-up
Venture capital deals involving Fortune Capital, Sina Weibo, Sequoia Capital China, ChinaEquity Group, Cornerstone Capital, Geekbeans Capital, Atlas Capital, and Heyi Capital
Indian incubator raises $12.5m for seed fund
Indian educational institution IIM Ahmedabad has raised $12.5 million for its on-campus start-up incubator and seed fund from investors including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Q&A: IDG Ventures Vietnam's Henry Nguyen
Start-ups are attracting more attention in Vietnam as technology-oriented business models take root and local success stories emerge. Henry Nguyen of IDG Ventures Vietnam maps out the landscape
Beyond, Linear invest Hong Kong’s Insight Robotics
Beyond Ventures and Linear Capital have co-led a $9 million investment in Insight Robotics, a Hong Kong-based company that specializes in advanced forest fire detection systems.
South Asia: Indian satellites
India’s economic dominance of South Asia has not translated into a firm leadership role for the region. Private equity strategies therefore vary widely across the country’s immediate geographic orbit
Fund focus: Sky9 seeks early-stage differentiation
Having raised two VC funds with Lightspeed China Partners, Ron Cao has closed his first at Sky9 Capital with $200 million in commitments. The industry dynamics have changed, but Cao is sticking to his early-stage roots
GGV leads $15.7m Series B for China's Synyi
Synyi, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up that helps hospitals and medical research institutes process and manage data, has received RMB100 million ($15.7 million) in Series B funding led by GGV Capital.
Corporates embrace VC to understand disruption - AVCJ Forum
Southeast Asian corporates are becoming increasingly involved in technology investment as they seek to understand how their traditional businesses might be disrupted, executives told the AVCJ Indonesia Forum.