Corporate venturing firms Siemer Ventures, Recruit Strategic Partners and GMO Venture Partners have co-invested in start-up e-commerce and digital media venture firm and incubator, Ardent Capital, in what is being called a strategic move to get access to South East Asia entrepreneurs and technologies.
Author: Katherine Steiner-Dicks
Lancers lures $2.9m from Globis, GMO
Globis Capital Partners, the corporate venturing unit of Japan-based global corporate management education business, and GMO Venture Partners, the corporate venturing unit of Japan GMO Internet Group, both see a growth trend in crowdsourcing or outsourcing of designers, engineers and IT specialists in their local market of Japan. Their latest $2.9m seed investment in Japan-based Lancers illustrates that trend.
Mixi to form venturing unit
Mixi, the Japan-based social networking site and Facebook rival, is following other Japanese media and telecommunications companies into the corporate venturing market. Following two start-up investments in recent weeks, Mixi now plans to set up its own venturing unit later this year.
Capital 18 triples investment with Webchutney exit
Capital18, the corporate venturing unit of India-based Media & Investments (Network18) has been on a very active exit path over the past 12 months, namely with its latest divestment in India-based digital media agency, Webchutney. Capital 18 has sold its 70% stake to the India unit of Japan-based advertising agency, Dentsu, for an undisclosed sum, which has reportedly made investors three times their investment.
Rocket goes vintage with $2.5m Airu deal
Rocket Internet, the German e-commerce incubator, is heating things up again in Brazil with its latest $2.5m series B investment in Airu, an internet site that hosts independent retailers selling homemade and vintage goods. The latest deal reportedly almost doubles Rocket’s investment in the Brazilian company.
GP mixes it up with Apen take-over
Latin America private equity player GP Investments has joined forces with US secondaries specialist Newbury Partners and US multi-asset manager Fortress Investment Group to acquire and fund a new investment strategy through Switzerland-based private equity firm Apen. A total of $280m was provided in a mix of equity and debt finance, which will ultimately enable GP Investments to widen its remit into the secondaries segment.
Wanxiang, VL Automotive rev up for Fisker
US car developer and manufacturer, Fisker Automotive has reportedly received a recent undisclosed joint offer by strategic car parts company Wanxiang Group of China and US car developer VL Automotive.
Zalora rockets in Asia with $100m series C round
German start-up incubator Rocket Internet was joined by European corporate venturing firms Verlinvest and Tengelmann Group in a series C round worth $100m for Zalora.
Callidus lures two strategic investors
Walter Greenblatt & Associates (member FINRA, SIPC), a life-science focused investment bank, served as the financial adviser to Callidus Biopharma in both transactions.
Google, IDG gain currency with OpenCoin deal
The amount of the investment was undisclosed.
Devonshire rises up with Cloudant
The series B round has also seen Cloudant’s existing investors In-Q-Tel, Avalon Ventures and Samsung Venture Investment Corporation increase their shares in the company.
RelayRides takes Wheelz for a spin
Prior to the deal, Wheelz had raised nearly $16m from VC firms Felicis Ventures, Social + Capital Partnership and Fontinalis Partners and Zipcar, a car rental service acquired by peer Avis.
Foley raises $2.6m for fund II
US legal firm Foley & Lardner said its Foley Ventures Fund II, a corporate venturing fund for investing in or with Foley clients, has raised $2.6m from its partners. Combined with the firm’s initial venture capital fund, Foley Ventures Fund I, the firm’s partners have raised a total of $6.6m and invested in 32 clients.… Continue reading Foley raises $2.6m for fund II
CyberAgent teaches Mana.bo to grow
Japan-based online learning service startup Mana.bo has raised Y38m ($374,000) in seed funding from several investors including CyberAgent Ventures, according to a Ventures News report.