Venture
Nissay Capital invests $1.9m in Japan home renovation site
Nissay Capital has invested JPY200 million ($1.9 million) in Sekaie, the Japanese e-commerce start-up behind home renovation services website Rinoko.
Qiming leads $15m round for Chinese personal finance app developer
Qiming Venture Partners has led a $15 million round of funding for Hangzhou Wacai Science, a Chinese personal finance management mobile app developer, with participation from IDG Venture Partners and CDH Investments.
EBay leads $134m round for Indian online marketplace Snapdeal
Indian online marketplace Snapdeal has raised a new round of funding worth $133.8 million led by eBay. It comes less than a year after the US e-commerce giant led a $50 million Series C round for the company.
SIG leads $10m round for China mobile voice search app
SIG has led a Series B round of funding worth nearly $10 million for Mobvoi, a voice-activated mobile search services provider. Sequoia Capital and ZhenFund, which provided the Series A round in 2012, also participated.
Scentan invests $75m in SaaS start-up Tradeshift
Tradeshift, a start-up which provides businesses with free payment management tools, has raised $75 million from Singapore-based Scentan Ventures.
The IT crowd: Australia embraces crowdfunding
Australia has embraced crowdfunding as a supplement to an early-stage traditional VC market that has yet to regain its former strength. Industry participants are seeking differentiation and deregulation
Ventech invests in China P2P lending platform Jimubox
Ventech Capital, a France-based VC firm, has provided a Series A round of funding for Beijing-based peer-to-peer (P2P) online lending platform Jimubox.com. Transaction details were not disclosed but the investment is worth about $10 million.
VC-backed robot suit maker files for Tokyo IPO
Cyberdyne, a Japanese robotics company that counts Jafco Ventures, Nissay Capital and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) among its investors - has received approval for its Tokyo IPO.
GGV targets $500m for new Sino-US fund
GGV Capital, the US- and China-focused venture capital investor, is seeking $500 million for its fifth fund.
Artesian launches Australian crowdfunding platform
Early-stage venture capital firm Artesian Venture Partners has launched its equity-based crowdfunding platform – VentureCrowd – in Australia with over 200 registered investors and 36 start-ups.
Tencent buys 20% stake in VC-backed Dianping
Tencent Holdings has paid an undisclosed sum for a 20% stake in Dianping, a VC-backed online listings provider best known as one of China’s most popular sites for restaurant reviews. The deal comes as China’s internet giants continue to broaden their...
Bamboo Finance, Saama Capital invest in India's Modern Family Doctor
Bamboo Finance, a European private equity firm that focuses on investments benefiting low-income communities in emerging markets, and early stage investor Saama Capital have together taken part in a Series B round of funding for Indian healthcare provider...
Jungle Ventures, Spring Seeds back big data start-up
Jungle Ventures has led a S$1.5 million ($1.2 million) round of funding for Crayong Data, a Singapore-based big data start-up, with participation from Spring Seeds Capital.
Fosun Venture leads Series B round for Kmsocial
Fosun Venture Capital Investment has led a Series B round of funding for Kongming, a Beijing-based social media marketing solutions provider, with participation from previous investor Fidelity Growth Partners Asia. The investment size is about $10 million....
Japan's education app Smart Education raises $5.4m
CyberAgent Ventures and Infinity Venture Partners have invested JPY550 million ($5.4 million) in Smart Education, a Tokyo-based developer of educational mobile apps for kids.
Mayfield closes second India fund at $108m
Early-stage investor Mayfield has reached a final close of $108 million its second India-focused venture fund.
Intel invests in three China cloud, big data firms
Intel Capital, the corporate investment arm of the US chipmaker Intel Corp, has invested in three Chinese tech start-ups: big data firm Shanghai Yeapoo Information Technology; cloud storage provider Tianjin Zhongke BlueWhale Information Technology; and...
Horizon Ventures leads $23m round for Hampton Creek Food
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s Horizon Ventures has led a $23 million Series B financing round for Hampton Creek, a US-based food technology firm.
Spain's Telefonica signs up Chinese incubator
Wayra, Spanish telecom giant Telefonica’s accelerator initiative, has signed an agreement with Virtue Inno Valley (VIV), an incubator program backed by China’s Tsinghua University.
Superangel swoops in to support Vancl
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi is a smash hit, valued at $10 billion in its most recent round of funding. Lei Jun, the company’s founder, is riding high. In contrast, Chen Nian (pictured), who set up online clothing retailer Vancl six years ago, is...
Jack Ma returns to school
Jack Ma was an English teacher at Hangzhou Dianzi University before he went on to found Alibaba Group. Now he has returned to the education sector to support the next generation.
Of the same mind
So now we know, or at least we are in a position to make an informed guess: Alibaba Group is worth $127.6 billion. Others would puts its value at north of $150 billion, but that’s not the point. More interesting is the process that led to this estimate...
Israeli crowdfunding platform launches in Australia
OurCrowd, an Israeli equity crowd-funding platform set up by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, has established operations in Australia.
Sequoia leads Series B for China home renovation site to8to
Sequoia Capital has led a Series B round of funding for to8to, a Chinese online renovation site, with participation from existing investor Matrix Partners.