Venture
Tamarisc leads Series A round for Australia's Serraview
Australian software-as-a-service (SaaS) start-up Serraview has raised a Series A round of funding from US-based venture capital firm Tamarisc as it looks to expand into US markets.
Vertex leads investment in China household services app
Vertex Venture, an investment unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a Series B round for Ayibang, a Chinese housekeeping service booking app, with participation from Shunwei Capital Partners and Ceyuan Ventures.
Tencent, Tiger Global lead $350m round for China mobile shopping app
Koudai Gouwu, a Chinese mobile shopping portal, has raised a $350 million Series C round of funding led by Tencent Holdings and Tiger Global. H Capital, VY Capital and DST Advisors also participated.
Sequoia leads $55m Series C for Chinese English-study site
Sequoia Capital has led a $55 million Series C round of funding for 51Talk, a Chinese online English-teaching platform, with participation from Shunwei Capital Partners and DCM.
Singapore's Infocomm Investments extends reach to Europe
Infocomm Investments, a VC arm of the Singapore government-backed Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), has opened an office in London, its second overseas base after Silicon Valley.
Korea's KnowRe raises $6.8m Series A from VC backers
SoftBank Venture Korea (SBVK) has a led a $6.8 million Series A investment in Seoul-based education technology start-up KnowRe.
SoftBank leads $100m round for Indonesia e-commerce player
SoftBank will lead a $100 million round of funding for Tokopedia, an Indonesian online marketplace. Sequoia Capital will also participate alongside existing investor SB Pan Asia Fund.
China's Baidu, Ping An, Qihoo360 invest in Israeli VC fund
Israeli VC firm Carmel Ventures has reached a $194 million final close on its latest VC fund with participation Chinese tech giants Baidu and Qihoo360 as well as insurer Ping An Group.
Lightbox II builds on Indian legacy
Earlier this year Kleiner Perkins Caufeild & Byers (KPCB) and Sherpalo Ventures - the investment firm founded by Ram Shriram - decided to bring their nine-year Indian adventure to a close and refocus on the US.
Profile: JFDI.Asia's Hugh Mason
As co-founder of Singapore-based JFDI.Asia, Hugh Mason has been at the vanguard of the Asia tech accelerator movement since 2010. But his record as an entrepreneur and innovator goes back further
Australia's OneVentures hits $53m first close on second VC fund
Australian venture capital firm OneVentures has reached a A$60 million ($53 million) first close second fund, which is looking to raise $100 million for Series B and C stage investments.
Intel Capital invests $28m from China smart device fund
Intel Capital, the US chip maker's corporate venture capital arm, has invested $28 million from its China Smart Device Innovation Fund (CSDIF) into a batch of technology start-ups.
VC-backed eHi Car Rental invests in China's Kuaidi Dache
Chinese car rental firm eHi Car Services, which has several VC backers and is targeting a US IPO, has invested $25 million in Kuaidi Dache, one of the country’s two dominant taxi-booking apps.
Japanese mobile app Quan gets VC backing
Japanese mobile game developer Quan has received an undisclosed sum from a group of domestic VC investors.
Tiger Global leads Series C round for GrabTaxi
Tiger Global Management has led a Series C round of funding for GrabTaxi, a Southeast Asian-focused taxi-booking mobile phone app.
Japan online home-hunter service bags $2m from VCs
Japan's YJ Capital and Incubate Fund have invested JPY200 million ($1.9 million) in Ietty, a Tokyo-based start-up that runs an online platform for home-hunters.
Tembusu provides seed round for Singapore's GNum
Tembusu Partners has committed S$7 million ($5.5 million) in seed funding to GNum, developer of a patent-pending technology that allows calls from PCs and handheld devices to be routed to a user’s mobile phone without the need to first download an app....
Telstra, Global Brain lead $19m round for India's Adnear
India location-based mobile advertising platform Adnear has raised a $19 million Series B round of funding from Telstra Ventures, the Australian telecom giant's corporate venture capital arm, and Japanese VC Global Brain.
Qiming-backed life science firm BBI files for Hong Kong IPO
BBI Life Sciences Corporation, a Chinese genetic engineering specialist backed by Qiming Venture Partners, has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong. The company has yet to disclose the size and pricing of the offering.
India's Snapdeal set for $650m funding round – report
Indian e-commerce business Snapdeal is expected to raise up to $650 million in a new round of funding lead by Japan's SoftBank Corporation with existing investors also participating.
Chinese consortium, Benchmark in $70m US education play
Chinese after-school tutoring provider TAL Education Group has teamed up ZhenFund, Yongjin Group and Silicon Valley VC firm Benchmark Capital to invest in an undergraduate education business in the US.
Q&A: SOS Ventures' William Bao Bean
William Bao Bean has left Singtel Innov8 for a new role as investment partner of SOS Ventures in China and managing director of the firm's accelerator program. He shares his thoughts on the China start-up scene
India's Lightbox reaches $100m close on Fund II
Indian venture capital firm Lightbox Management has reached a INR6.1 billion ($100 million) close on its second fund.
DCM raises $170m China top-up fund, wins SFERS backing
The San Francisco Employees' Retirement System (SFERS) has committed $25 million to a China-focused venture capital fund being raised by DCM that will make follow-on investments in later-stage portfolio companies.