As Alibaba ventures into the social media and social commerce segments of its investment portfolio, a $586m investment into Weibo, China’s equivalent to Twitter seems bang on target to its corporate strategy, which is to have greater access to user data and buying trends across Alibaba e-commerce platforms and other future e-marketplaces.
Author: Katherine Steiner-Dicks
YJ Capital drops Y30m into Fastmedia
YJ Capital, the corporate venturing unit of Yahoo Japan, sees increasing value in the Japanese web and mobile application market with a recent investment into Fastmedia’s Yappli product, which hopes to make App Store applications seemless and more user-friendly.
Nissei Capital, GMO in $5m Sansan deal
Nissei Capital, the corporate venturing unit of Japan’s Nippon Life Insurance Company, will be putting its networking skills to the test with its news investment in Sansan, a digital business card content management application designer. GMO Partners returned for the series B round, which was valued at $5m.
KDDI, DAC back new retail app
Japanese corporate fund, KDDI Open Innovation Fund, has linked up in a reported $5m co-investment deal with advertising agency Digital Advertising Consortium, to take advantage of one of the latest retail and social media apps to be launched on the Japanese market, Origami.
Shinsei Bank launches Femto fund
Japan’s Shinsei Bank has established a corporate venturing fund for internet companies called Femto Growth Capital Investment Fund. The limited partners in the fund include Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation, Japan; Shinsei Bank; Création Capital; and Interlink. The management of Japan-based bank Shinsei’s Y1.6bn ($10.6m) fund will be managed jointly with internet… Continue reading Shinsei Bank launches Femto fund
GS Power puts wind in NSL sails
South Korea-based power company GS Power has made a direct investment into India-based renewable energy company NSL Renewable Power.
Alibaba makes play in DDMap
Alibaba, a China-based online trading and commerce group, has invested an undisclosed amount of series F funding in DDMap, a Chinese lifestyle e-commerce service website. The investment follows an undisclosed series E round in October 2012 from a syndicate that also included Citi Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of the eponymous US-listed bank. News reports… Continue reading Alibaba makes play in DDMap
Tencent driven to Didi Taxi
Tencent Holdings, the investment unit of the eponymous Chinese web browser and media giant, is joining other corporate venture units and private equity players, with its latest investment in Beijing-based app service company Didi Taxi.
Corporations rev up China’s used cars
A line of corporate venturing units have backed second-hand car online auction site Youxinpai.
Yebhi re-fits with $12m
The $12m investment was part of a bridge round that reportedly included existing backers investors, Fidelity Growth Partners India, Qualcomm Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Catamaran Ventures.
IDG Accel bids for Memsic
IDG Capital has had a relationship with Memsic going back to its December 2007 when the US-based electromechanical system (MEMS) solutions provider raised $60m in its IPO in a transaction that at the time valued the business at $226m.
Intel Capital Zinitix deal ‘user friendly’
Intel Capital, the US chipmaker’s corporate VC arm, has invested an undisclosed amount of expansion capital in Zinitix, a South Korean developer of touchscreen controller technology for mobile devices. Zinitix will allocate the funds towards product development, market expansion, and to help further boost the company’s expertise and resources in support of rapid business growth… Continue reading Intel Capital Zinitix deal ‘user friendly’
Siemens sets up Renminbi fund
SFS will now be able to make both US dollar offshore and RMB onshore corporate venturing deals having first set up an office in China’s capital, Beijing, in 2006.
Zee places MirriAd deal
MirriAd, which describes itself as a digital brand integration specialist, raised the capital to expand its infrastructure including broadcast, cable and satellite facilities in India and other Asian markets.