Deals People have been waiting for SoftBank’s proposed investment in Uber to be confirmed, and it now appears as though it’s happening, after Uber revealed it has come to an agreement with a consortium featuring SoftBank and Dragoneer over a deal. Consumer and information robotics developer UBTech is in the process of raising $400m in … Continue reading "20 November 2017 – SoftBank Uber Investment Finally Happening"

Deals Nio, the autonomous electric vehicle developer formerly known as NextEV, has raised in excess of $1bn in a Tencent-led round that valued it at about $5bn. Chinese peer-to-peer lender WeLab has accumulated 25 million registered users and claims to have processed some $28bn of loans. It’s also raised $220m in debt and equity financing … Continue reading "13 November 2017 – TransferWise in $280m Big Deal"

Funds Deep learning technology provider SenseTime is joining one of its investors, asset management firm CDH Investments, to raise a fund that will target investments in artificial intelligence technology developers. Biotech venture firm BioGeneration Ventures has reached an oversubscribed final close of its third fund, having raised $95.5m from limited partners including Bristol-Myers Squibb and … Continue reading "06 November 2017 – SenseTime Sets Up AI Fund"

Deals Oncology drug developer ADCT has secured $200m in a private placement featuring return investor AstraZeneca, taking its overall funding to $455m. Cybersecurity management software provider Skybox Security has agreed to a $150m investment by CVC Capital Partners and Pantheon. Ninebot raised its first external funding in a Xiaomi-backed round in 2015 and has since pulled in additional capital … Continue reading "30 October 2017 – ADCT Secures $200m Private Placement"

Deals Online services provider Meituan-Dianping has raised an astonishing $4bn in a funding round led by Tencent at a reported $30bn valuation, putting it just outside the world’s five most valuable VC-backed private companies. Uber and Didi Chuxing may be the fundraising kings in the on-demand ride sector, but Lyft is no slouch. It’s closed … Continue reading "23 October 2017 – $4bn for Online Services Provider Meituan-Dianping"

Deals Ola confirmed today it has raised $1.1bn in a round led by Tencent, which invested $400m according to recent reports. Tujia, the online accommodation marketplace often referred to as China’s Airbnb, has secured $300m in a round co-led by Ctrip that valued it at more than $1.5bn. SoftBank Vision Fund has done more than … Continue reading "16 October 2017 – Ola Raises $1.1bn in Tencent-led Round"

Deals Uber’s board of directors has approved an investment by SoftBank of up to $1.25bn, in a deal that will also give the corporate two board seats, and has resolved to launch an IPO by 2019. Indian ride hailing platform Ola has raised $400m from Tencent, reportedly as part of a round also backed by … Continue reading "09 October 2017 – Uber’s Board Approves SoftBank Investment"

Deals Chinese online services portal Meituan Dianping is reportedly nearing the close of a $3bn round featuring long-term investor Tencent that will value it at up to $30bn. Alibaba has paid approximately $800m to hike its 47% stake in logistics affiliate Cainiao to 51%, as part of a $5bn investment drive to strengthen its logistics … Continue reading "02 October 2017 – Roscosmos Establishes Space Ecosystem Fund"

Deals Gogoro has developed an electric scooter that it sells alongside access to a network of stations where riders can swap batteries, and it’s raised $300m in a series C round featuring Sumitomo, Engie and Panasonic at a reported valuation of more than $800m. Slack has officially closed a $250m funding round led by SoftBank … Continue reading "25 September 2017 – Gogoro Raises $300m for Electric Scooter with Swappable Batteries"

Exits All eyes will be on Chinese online property and casualty insurance platform ZhongAn next week as it is lining up a Hong Kong IPO that could net it as much as $1.5bn. Advanced data centre developer and builder Switch is looking at its fifth straight profitable year, and has filed to raise up to $100m on … Continue reading "18 September 2017 – ZhongAn Lines up $1.5bn IPO"