A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Spiqi (2015, Jaipur), wearable device for posture management. Founder is Director & Founder – Startup Labs Infotech and is an alumnus of Vellore Institute of Technology. Local comparable is Nucarbn (2015, Bangalore, $33K). Global comparables are Lumo (2011, Palo Alto, $16M) and Mevics (2015, Odessa, $500K).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

FlexiLoans (2016, Mumbai), SMB lending marketplace, raises $6.8M in Debt round of funding from financial institutions. Link

LocoNav (2015, Delhi), vehicle tracking solution provider, raises $3.42M in Series A round of funding from Sequoia Capital India and angel investor Prateek Sharma. Link

Vahdam Teas (2015, Delhi), online retailer of tea sourced directly from plantations, raises $1.9M in funding from Fireside Ventures, with participation from Singapore Angel Network, Mumbai Angels and some HNI investors. Link

MakeMyTrip (2000, Delhi), online travel agency for booking travel and holiday packages, partners with Mypoolin (2014, Delhi), online platform for money pooling, to enable group-payments for travel gift cards. Link

Razorpay (2014, Bangalore), payment gateway solutions provider, partners with Visa (1958, Foster City), card network provider, to offer certified QR solutions. Link

True Balance (2015, Gurgaon), mobile app for checking mobile prepaid balance, launches mobile wallet service. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

GetSwift (2013, Melbourne), last-mile logistics management platform, raises $75M in funding from Fidelity International. Link

Beyond Meat (2009, Manhattan Beach), developer of substitute for animal based food products, raises $55M in Series F round of funding from Jack and Suzy Welch, Thomas Middleditch, Honest Tea founder Seth Goldman and Candice Bergen. Link

Asilomar Bio (2013, SF), developer of biological products for crop protection and enhancement, raises $12M in Series B round of funding led by Syngenta Ventures and Cavallo Ventures, the venture capital arm of Wilbur-Ellis, with participation from Fall Line Capital and Cultivian Sandbox. Link

ForePaaS (2014, Courbevoie), provider of PaaS solution for business analytics, raises $10M in Series A round of funding from Elaia Partners, Hi Inov and Calao Finance. Link

Procare Software (1992, Medford), childcare management software provider, acquires KidReports (2011, Colorado Spring), provider of classroom management and parent engagement software, for an undisclosed amount. Link

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity and interesting startups in South East Asia.

INTERESTING COMPANIES FOUND

FPT (2017, Hanoi) – Provider of a platform to create conversational interfaces. Global Comparables include MindMeld (2011, San Francisco, $15.4M) and RecastAI (2015, Paris, $1.14M).

InteDashboard (2016, Singapore) – Online collaborative learning platform. Global Comparables include CourseNetworking (2011, Carmel, $1.68M) and YellowDig (2013, Philadelphia, $1.5M).

SEA – FUNDING UPDATES

Health2Sync raises funding
Health2Sync (2013, Taipei), a digital conversion cable provider for glucometers, raises $6M in Series B from Sompo Holdings, Alibaba Group, and WI Harper Group.

Biofourmis raises funding
Biofourmis (2015, Singapore), a health analytics platform, raises $5M in Series A from NSI Ventures, and Aviva Ventures.

WorkVenture raises funding 
WorkVenture (2014, Bangkok), an online job matching platform, raises $3.6M in Series A from undisclosed investors.

Cirtek Holdings raises funding
Cirtek Holdings (1984, Binan), provider of solutions for subcontract manufacturing of semiconductor devices, raises $67M in funding from undisclosed investors.

WeFit raises funding
WeFit (2016, Hanoi), an app to discover and book fitness classes, raises $155K in undisclosed Series from ESP Capital.

SEA – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

ComfortDelGro acquires Lion City Holdings
ComfortDelGro, a Singapore based listed land transportation company, acquires Lion City Holdings, Uber- Singapore’s wholly-owned car rental subsidiary, for an undisclosed amount.

Fullerton Healthcare acquires Intellicare
Fullerton Healthcare, a corporate healthcare provider, acquires Intellicare, Philippine-based health maintenance organization, for an undisclosed amount.

GTT acquires Ascenz
GTT, a shipping firm, acquires Ascenz, a Singapore based marine tech firm, for an undisclosed amount.

Cialfo sells consulting business to ChangedEDU
Cialfo, a university guidance platform for education institutions, sells consulting business to ChangedEDU, a Singapore based education company.

Dentsu Aegis buys Valuklik
Dentsu Aegis, a multinational media and digital marketing communications company, acquires Valuklik, a Jakarta based search engine optimization via data analytics solution provider, for an undisclosed amount.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Bemo (2017, Bangalore), remote consultation and analytics-driven self-therapy for mental health. Founder is ex- Bridgei2i analytics, Tech Mahindra, and IBM. Local comparables areYourDost (2014, Bangalore, $1.6M) and JunoClinic (2016, Mumbai, $1.2M). Global comparables are Talkspace (2011, NYC, $59M) and Ieso Digital Health (2011, Swavesey, $24M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Furlenco (2010, Bangalore), online furniture rental platform, raises $300k in Debt round of funding from actor Aamir Khan. Link

Logic Roots (2011, Jaipur), activity based learning provider for primary students, and Project Mudra (2014, Vasco), mobile application and hardware for braille learning, raise $50k each in Seed round of funding from Village Capital. Link

Chai Break (2010, Kolkata), casual dining restaurant chain, raises $758k in funding from Venture Catalysts. Link

Fracktal Works (2013, Udupi), manufacturer of desktop 3D printers, raises an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A round of funding from Hyderabad Angels. Link

Cash Suvidha (2016, Delhi), micro business loans to families and SMEs, partners with HomeCapital (2017, Mumbai), provider of credit products, to bring credit to home buyers. Link

DHL Express (1969, Bonn), global logistics service provider, partners with BlueDart (1991, Mumbai), integrated express package distribution company, to start direct logistics operation. Link

Obopay (2005, bangalore), mobile payment solution provider, gets a wallet licence from the Reserve Bank of India. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Creditas (2012, Sao Paulo), online lending platform, raises $50M in Series C round of funding led by Vostok Emerging Finance, with participation from Kaszek Ventures, Quona Capital, QED Investors, International Finance Corporation and Naspers. Link

Menlo Security (2013, Berkeley), isolation platform for malware protection on endpoints, raises $40M in Series C round of funding from American Express Ventures, Ericsson Ventures and HSBC, along with JPMorgan Chase, General Catalyst, Sutter Hill Ventures, Osage University Partners and Engineering Capital. Link

Ouster (2016, SF), hardware & software provider for robotics and computer vision, raises $27M in Series A round of funding led by Cox Enterprises with participation from Fontinalis Partners, Amity Ventures, Constellation Technology Ventures, Tao Capital Partners, and Carthona Capital. Link

Avoka (2005, Sydney), digital sales enablement solution provider, raises $12M in funding from existing institutional and professional investors. Link

Billie (2016, Berlin), online invoice discounting services provider, raises $11.5M in Series A round of funding led by Creandum with participation from Rocket Internet, Speedinvest, Avala Capital and Picus Capital. Link

Analyst Picks

• AbiliTrek (2017, Bellingham) – Online platform for booking hotels
  Market: Online Travel > Accommodation > Hotels > Booking
• FINEWAY (2015, Munich, $10.8M) – AI-powered personal travel assistant for holiday bookings
  Market: Online Travel > Holiday Packages > Concierge

Funding Rounds

Series C, $105.5M
51tour (1996, Shanghai, $105.5M) – Travel agency for outbound tourism
Investors: CITIC Capital, Haier Capital, Poly Yuan Investment, Legend Holdings, Legend Capital, Yonghua Capital

Series B, $10M
Vntrip.vn (2014, Hanoi, $13M) – Online travel and hotel booking site
Investors: Hendale Capital

Series A, $8.3M
FINEWAY (2015, Munich, $10.8M) – AI-powered personal travel assistant for holiday bookings
Investors: Bayern Kapital, Mairdumont Ventures, Axel Springer SE

Series A, $6.1M
MyVR (2012, San Francisco, $7.5M) – Online vacation rental marketing software
Investors: True Ventures, Y Combinator, SV Angel, Paul Buchheit, Clem Bason, Chris Dixon, Don Hutchinson, Ben Boyer, Alex Rampell, Tod Sacerdoti

Seed, $4.0M
TravelNest (2014, Edinburgh, $4.0M) – Channel manager for vacation rentals
Investors: Pentech, Mangrove Capital Partners, Frontline Ventures

Seed, $1.6M
Zeelo (2016, London, $2.0M) – Coach ride sharing
Investors: InMotion, Kane Pirie

Seed
Itilite (2017, Bangalore) – Rewards based discovery platform for business travel bookings
Investors: Matrix Partners India

Seed
Mistay (2016, Gurgaon) – Online hotel booking platform that allows users to book hotel rooms based on time slots
Investors: Axilor Ventures

Series A
One night (2015, New York City) – Mobile app to book same night stays
Investors: Sansiri

Series B
Muniao Duanzu (2012, Beijing, $9.7M) – P2P Vacation Rental Platform
Investors: Plum Ventures, Inno Angel Fund

M&A

• Airbnb acquires Accomable to offer home rentals for disabled travelers Reuters
• Skyscanner acquires social content platform Twizoo Angel News Newsletter
• Airbnb acquires ad tech startup AdBasis TechCrunch
• Sojern Acquires Adphorus to Accelerate Facebook Adoption for the Travel Industry PR Newswire
• Blibli makes another online travel agent play with Indonesia Flight acquisition Starter Incubator
• Travelstart starts to take ownership of its hotel inventory Tnooz
• ATCORE acquired by Inflexion Private Equity Travel Weekly
• Ctrip relaunches Trip.com as its English-language travel agency brand ChinaTravelNews
• Thales buys Cambridge radar tech pioneer to boost drone surveillance Business Weekly
• lastminute com : announces the acquisition of hotelscan to expand its metasearch business into other verticals 4-Traders

IPO

• British car insurer Sabre seeks 213 million pounds listing in London Reuters
• Expect Airbnb to go public within the next couple of years, investor says CNBC
• Sabre Insurance Prices IPO For GBP575 Million Market Capitalisation (ALLIPO) LSE Spreads
• Hudson files for initial public offering Frontier Magazine

New Fund Launch

• Rented.com Announces $125 Million Rented Capital Fund Providing Guaranteed Income to Rental Property Owners Business Wire

New Product Announcement

• OYO launches Home Management Service to tap second homes, Indiatimes
• Cathay Pacific to introduce Wi-Fi on A330s, 777s ATWOnline
• ixigo unveils voice-based travel assistant at world’s largest travel conference Travel And Tour World
• Hotels.ng launches mobile app to ease the process of finding and booking hotelsInnovation-village
• RateGain brings real-time, big data intelligence to airline pricing Financial News
• JRRNY Launches RangeInfluence.com, Bridging the Gap Between Travel Influencers and Brands PR Newswire
• Kontron meets new challenges in Embedded Computing with NXP Layerscape Arm-based Processors PressReleasePoint
• Kontron presents scalable IoT solutions powered by Microsoft Azure PressReleasePoint
• Kontron presents FusionView Industrial Monitor PressReleasePoint
• Kontron Integrates Pica8 Nos on New 100G Symkloud Platform for Multiple Nfv Core, Edge and Access Solutions Business Wire
• Travelport Worldwide : launches PCI DSS Certification Wizard Tool 4-Traders
• Game On. Crave Games Platform to Entertain Hotel Guests and Create New Revenue Streams Hospitality Net
• Mystifly Releases Next-gen Airfare Consolidation Platform for a Hassle Free Experience for Travel Partners PR Newswire
• KEYPR Now Live at Fairmont Miramar Hospitality Net
• Mobile app startups %2D Hoof, Lookaround, Skyhour Tnooz
• Routier Launches Innovative Guest and Staff Engagement Platform in the U.S. Hospitality Net
• Byond Launching End-to-end 360/AR/VR Publishing Platform Virtual Reality Reporter
• Panasonic Introduces Giant Leap In Inflight Connectivity As EUTELSAT 172B Enters Service PR Newswire

New Geo Entry

• OpenJaw Technologies opens its first office in China ChinaTravelNews
• HRS Plans to Open Two More U.S. Offices in 2018 Business Travel News

Business Partnership

• Ctrip com International : and Big Bus Tours Signs Strategic Agreement 4-Traders
• Expedia and G6 Hospitality Form Strategic Technology and Marketing PartnershipBusiness Wire
• Idea Money partners with redBus to enable bus ticket bookings for users newKerala.com

Company Announcement

• RealPage Receives Antitrust Clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice for the Acquisition of Lease Rent Options, LRO® Business Wire
• Airbnb launches ‘Experiences’ service in Melbourne, Bali and Hong Kong Business Standard

Earnings Release

• Yatra Online, Inc. Announces Results for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2017 R Newswire Association LLC
• Hertz Global Holdings Reports Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results PR Newswire

New Feature Release

• Airbnb launches payment splitting for group trips TechCrunch

Key People Movement

• Treebo appoints Sonali Ramaiah as Head- People Function People Matters

Lawsuit

• Rosen Law Firm Announces Filing of Securities Class Action Lawsuit Against Skechers U.S.A., Inc. GlobeNewswire

Analyst Picks

• Decta (2015, London) – Merchant acquiring and payment processing solutions
  Market: Payments > Enablers > Modular Platform > For Payment Institutions

Funding Rounds

Series B, $30M
Bitpay (2011, Atlanta, $62.5M) – Bitcoin payment Gateway
Investors: Aquiline Capital Partners

Post IPO, $19.8M
USA Technologies (1992, Malvern) – Cashless payment technology

Series A, $7.2M
HealthiPASS (2013, Lombard, $7.2M) – Healthcare billing management
Investors: FCA Venture Partners, OCA Ventures, Healthy Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Waterline Ventures

Series A, $6M
PayStand (2013, Scotts Valley, $7M) – Payment processing services for bitcoin, e-checks and credit cards
Investors: BlueRun Ventures, Cervin Ventures, Serra Ventures, Capital for Founders, The Indus Entrepreneurs

Seed, $1.1M
ProcessOut (2014, Paris, $1.1M) – Multiple payment gateway provider.

Series A, $714K
i-Pay (2014, Johannesburg, $1.7M) – EFT payment service provider
Investors: Kalon Venture Partners

M&A

• Chase closes WePay acquisition, a deal valued up to $400M TechCrunch
• First Data Completes Acquisition of BluePay Business Wire
• Ingenico Group Expands Its Footprint In Asia With The Acquisition Of AirlinkGlobeNewswire
• INGENICO GROUP announces the closing of Bambora’s acquisition GlobeNewswire
• Direct Pay Online Group Acquires South Africa’s Top Online EFT Solution Provider, Setcom Techweez
• Banks launch €2.36bn sell down of Nets buyout loan PE Hub
• JP Morgan Chase Provides $37.5MM to Fintech USA Technologies Asset based lending
• KESM Transaction Solutions Inc. Files Early Warning Report CNW
• Go-Jek said to have acquired majority stake in payments firm Kartuku Deal Street Asia
• Mobile Game Publisher, GameMine, Acquires Anti-Mobile Billing Fraud Technology Company, BlockFraud PR Newswire

IPO

• Adyen executive says currently no plans for 2018 IPO Reuters

New Product Announcement

• Amex launches blockchain-based business payments using Ripple Reuters
• Mastercard Launches Kionect for Nairobi’s Smallest Shopkeepers Business Wire
• eftpos launches new service for faster disputed transaction resolution iTWire
• UnionPay QR code payments will be available to Singapore customers this year PR Newswire
• Vend introduces artificial intelligence partner to help smaller retailers Bdaily
• BillDesk-backed Coinome launches first cryptocurrency exchange platform in IndiaEntrackr
• Nets Group launches JCB’s J/Speedy NFC mobile technology first in Europe ACN Newswire
• PayPal takes on crowdfunding with Money Pools, where groups chip in to lift income and buy things ukstar.org
• Adyen Launches WeChat Pay On Point-Of-Sale Terminals To Process Payments For 400M Chinese Consumers Medianet
• Payza Members Can Now Buy Altcoins Within Their Accounts PR Newswire
• Launch of FIS Code Connect Puts FIS Clients at Forefront of Open API InnovationPressReleasePoint
• Visa Launches First Phase of Blockchain B2B Payments CoinDesk
• PayPal launches Money Pools service Tamebay
• American Express unveils Amex Advance platform Verdict
• Coinbase launches deposit service for institutional investors CoinFox
• Vocalink Powers Real-Time Payments Service in the U.S. Business Wire
• Wirecard : With the digital boon credit card by Wirecard, all iOS users can now shop online 4-Traders
• Mogo Launches MogoProtect to Help Protect Canadians Against Identity Fraud CNW
• Rego Payment Architectures, Inc. Announces New And Improved Website PR Newswire

New Geo Entry

• UnionPay launches offline card acceptance business in New Zealand Verdict

Business Partnership

• Acorns Integrated into the PayPal Experience To Help Anyone Grow Wealth PR Newswire
• Marriott signs co-brand credit card deal with JPMorgan, AmEx Reuters
• Wirecard, Capital Float join hands to offer small retailers quick customised loans Indiatimes
• Veridium Brings Biometric Security to Unbanked Populations Through Zero-Fee Financial Services from Wala Business Wire
• Token and Envestnet | Yodlee Announce Strategic Open Banking Partnership PR Newswire
• First Data and AccorHotels Form Strategic Relationship Business Wire
• PayPal and Synchrony Financial Announce Expanded Strategic Credit RelationshipCitybizlist

Company Announcement

• PayPal Says Personal Data May Be Compromised for 1.6 Million TIO Users The Wall Street Journal

New Feature Release

• iOS update introduces Apple Pay Cash, texting turns 25 CNET
• Sellers can now invoice buyers through PayPal’s new chat extension for MessengerTechCrunch

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Hate2wait (2015, Gurgaon), cloud-based queue management platform. Founders are ex- Jabong, Futures First, Deloitte and are alumni of IIT Roorkee. Local comparables are QMagik(2012, Chennai) and WhyToQ (2015, Bangalore). Global comparables are QLess (2007, Pasadena, $9M) and Genbook (2006, SF, $6.3M). 

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Nazara (2000, Mumbai), mobile games developer, raises $28M in funding from Ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Link

MindTickle (2011, Pune), gamified employee training platform, raises Rs $27M in Series B round of funding led by Canaan Partners, with participation from Accel Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Qualcomm Ventures. Link

Veritas (2015, Chennai), NBFC focused on MSME financing, raises $18.2M in funding led by CDC Group. Link

DocsApp (2013, Bangalore), private chat based smartphone app for tele-consultation with doctors, raises $7.2M in Series A round of funding from Bessemer Venture Partners, Techmatrix Corp. and DeNa Networks. Link

Icanstay (2015, Gurgaon), online platform to book premium hotels at fixed prices, raises $1.8M in funding from HT Media. Link

Shopholix (2015, Gurgaon), mobile app to explore products in local stores, raises $233k in pre-Series A round of funding led by veteran investor Munesh Khanna. Link

Asian Paints (1945, Mumbai), manufacturer of industrial and decorative paints, acquires Reno Chemicals (1972, Mumbai), for $24.7M. Link

Shemaroo (1962, Mumbai), publisher and distributor of home video and digital content, partners with Spuul (2010, Mumbai), online subscription based streaming service for Indian entertainment shows, to add more movie titles. Link

Stripe (2010, San Francisco), web & mobile payments processor for developers, set to launch beta services in India. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Affirm (2012, SF), online lending platform for purchase financing, raises $200M in Series E round of funding led by GIC, along with Khosla Ventures and Spark Capital. Link

Nextdoor (2010, SF), private social network for neighborhoods, raises about $75M in Series E round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Aspiration (2013, Los Angeles), money management platform, raises $47M in Series B round of funding led by Social Impact Finance, along with Allen and Company, Omidyar Network, Alpha Edison, AGO Partners, Reyl & Cie, Capricorn Investments and individuals including actor Orlando Bloom and former Citigroup chief operations and technology officer Deborah Hopkins. Link

ShieldX Networks (2015, San Jose), provider of innovative cloud security solutions, raises $25M in Series B round of funding from Ashar Aziz, Dimension Data, Symantec Ventures, along with Bain Capital Ventures, Aspect Ventures and FireEye. Link

Apple (1976, Cupertino), consumer electronics manufacturer, acquires Shazam (1999, London), music identification platform, for $400M. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Floatbot (2017, Bhavnagar), AI chatbot for omni-channel customer engagement. Founders are ex- GE and JPC Technologies. Local comparables are Vernacular.ai (2016, Bangalore) and Odyns (2014, Hyderabad). Global comparables are Interactions (2004, Franklin, $167M) and Zhuiyi (2015, Shenzhen, $20.6M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Massive Restaurants (2012, Gurgaon), chain of fine-dining restaurants, raises $24.2M in funding from Gaja Capital. Link

Teabox (2012, Bangalore), online retailer of tea, raises $7M in Series B round of funding from new and current investors. Link

Clip (2016, Bangalore), mobile-based social platform in regional languages, raises an undisclosed amount in Series A round of funding led by Matrix Partners India, with participation from Shunwei Capital and India Quotient. Link

BuildSupply (2016, Gurgaon), cost management solution provider for real estate and construction industry, raises an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A round of funding led by GREE Ventures, with participation from Venture Highway, Sonny Kalsi and Sameer Brij Verma of Nexus Partners and among others. Link

CapitaWorld (2015, Ahmedabad), horizontal lending marketplace, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from high-net-worth individuals, corporate honchos and investors from Hong Kong and the Middle East. Link

Koinex (2017, Mumbai), cryptocurrency trading platform, raises an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A round of funding led by Beenext and Pantera Capital. Link

Swiggy (2014, Bangalore), online platform that delivers food from restaurants, acqui-hires 48East team (2016, Bangalore), internet-first restaurant offering Asian cuisine, to broaden its senior leadership. Link

PhonePe (2015, Bangalore), UPI based payment app, partners with SafeGold (2012, Mumbai), online digital gold wallet, to launch a digital gold product. Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator, partners with Hyderabad Metro Rail’s TSavaari app, to recharge their metro smart cards directly from the Ola Money app. Link

G2A (2015, Hong Kong), developer of virtual reality game based on amusement park theme, enables bitcoin payment in India. Link

SignEasy (2010, Bangalore), digital signing app for businesses, launches an Aadhaar-based e-signature compliant solution – Aadhaar eSign. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Ispace (2013, Tokyo), developer of micro-robots to locate resources necessary in outer space, raises $90M in Series A round of funding from Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, Development Bank of Japan, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Konika Minolta and others. Link

INSIKT (2012, SF), white label platform for online lending, raises $50M in Series D round of funding led by Grupo Coppel. Link

iZettle (2010, Stockholm), mobile point of sale solution provider, raises $46M in funding led by Dawn Capital and The Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund with participation from existing investors . Link

Vayyar Imaging (2011, Yehud), developer of mobile, low-cost 3D imaging sensors, raises $45M in Series C round of funding from co-led by Walden Riverwood, ITI, with participation from Claltech, Battery Ventures, Bessemer Ventures, Israel Cleantech Ventures and Amiti. Link

eBay (1995, San Jose), connected commercial marketplace, acquires Terapeak (2002, Victoria), provider of analytics solution for sellers on e-commerce platforms, for an undisclosed amount. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Delium (2016, Chennai), AI based application for assistance in retail business. Founders are ex- Thoughtworks and Accenture. Local comparable is Instore.AI (2017, Bangalore). Global comparables are Blue Yonder (2008, Karlsruhe, $75M) and Celect (2013, Boston, $15M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

HomeLane (2014, Bangalore), furniture maker and interior design solutions provider, raises $10M in Series B round of  funding led by Accel Partners along with participation from Sequoia Capital and RB Investments. Link

Curofy (2014, Delhi), professional network of doctors for communication and patient referrals, raises $250k in funding from RoundGlass Partners LLC. Link

WeDoSky (2014, Delhi), drone based aerial data analytics provider, raises an undisclosed amount in Seed round of funding from Mumbai Angels. Link

Botworx (2016, Los Altos), platform to create customized chatbot for customer support, partners with Zee Media (2004, Noida), production and broadcast of news content, to launch news chatbots for Facebook. Link

Magicpin (2015, Delhi), platform for cash back and deals at local restaurants, brings in AR layer to increase consumer engagement. Link

Moglix (2015, Noida), online marketplace for industrial goods, expands to Ahmedabad, Mumbai. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Squarespace (2004, NYC), fully-hosted website creator platform, raises $200M in funding from General Atlantic. Link

Instana (2015, San Mateo), provider of APM solution for web-scale applications, raises $20M in Series B round of funding led by Accel,  with participation from existing investor Target Partners. Link

Colu (2014, Tel Aviv), bitcoin based asset issuance and management platform, raises $14.5M in funding from IDB Development Corporation. Link

Paddle (1998, Corby), payment and billing API provider, raises $12.5M in Series B round of funding led by Notion Capital, with participation from previous investors BGF Ventures and Kindred Capital and MacPaw, an independent Mac software developer. Link

FollowAnalytics (2013, Paris), mobile marketing automation and engagement platform, raises $11m in Series B round of  funding from Aspect Ventures, Zetta Venture Partners, Sapphire Ventures, Cathay Innovation, La Maison and Salesforce Ventures. Link

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity in the Chinese startup ecosystem.

DEALS OF THE WEEK

China’s Kingsoft Cloud Raises $300M Series D Round
Kingsoft Cloud (2012, Beijing), a cloud storage and distribution firm, raised $300M in Series D round led by Liyue Investment, China Minsheng Investment and Kingsoft.

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

China Online Travel Service Platform Mafengwo Raises $133M From General Atlantic, Temasek
Mafengwo (2010, Beijing), a travel service platform, raised $133M in Series D round involving General Atlantic, Temasek, Ocean Link, Yuantai Changqing fund, and Houpu Investment Management. Existing investors Capital Today, Hillhouse Capital and Qiming Ventures Partners have also participated in the round.

IDG Joins $50M Round In Cashier-Free Convenience Store Guoxiaomei
Guoxiaomei (2015, Chengdu), a cashier-free convenience store operator that places snack bars in corporate offices, raised $50M in Series C round involving Vertex Ventures, IDG Capital, BlueRun Ventures, Dongfang Hongdao Capital, and Desun Investment.

Gobi Partners Co-Leads $45M Series A Round In Chinese Tech News Spinoff 36Kr Media
36Kr Media (2011, Beijing), a Chinese technology news media unit spun off from parent group 36Kr, raised $45M in Series A round led by Gobi Partners and China Prosperity Capital. Focus Media Information Technology, Hangzhou Finance Investment Group Co., Ltd. and Baidu Video also participated in the round.

Yao Capital Leads $45M Round In Chinese Sports Marketing Company Shankai Sports
Shankai Sports (2010, Beijing), a sports marketing service company, raised $45M in Series B round led by Yao Capital.

Matrix Joins $33M Round In Chinese Industrial Products Trading Platform ZhenkunhangZhenkunhang (1996, Shanghai), an industrial products distribution platform, providing maintenance, repair and operation tools and consumables, raised $33M in Series B+ round led by Genesis Capital, Eastern Bell Venture Capital, and Matrix Partners China.

Chinese Checkout-Free Snack Bar Xiaoe Weidian Raises $30M As Sector Attracts More PlayersXiaoe Weidian (2015, Beijing), a snack-bar focused checkout-free convenience store operator, raised $30M in Series B round from Zijue Capital, Haikong Capital, Hainan province government and Zhongguancun Science Park.

China’s Vision Plus Capital Leads $30M Series B Round In Etong Healthcare
Etong Healthcare (2007, Shanghai), a third-party health examination service provider, raised $30M in Series B round led by Vision Plus Capital.

Samsung, ABB Join $20M Round In Chinese Machine Vision Firm Vion Technology
Vion Technology Inc., (2005, Beijing), an artificial intelligence firm specializing in machine vision, raised $20M in Series B round from Samsung Electronics, ABB, Tsing Capital and Waterwood.

Fosun RZ Leads $16M Round In Chinese Cloud Solutions Provider T2 Cloud
T2 Cloud (2011, Beijing), a cloud solutions provider which provides private cloud, mixed cloud and industrial cloud solutions for enterprises, raised $16M in Series B+ round led by Fosun RZ Capital and Qianhai Fund of Funds.

Marathon Venture leads $6.4m round in HK fintech firm Lion Rock
Lion Rock Fintech Ltd (Hong Kong), a comprehensive financial services company, raised $6.4M in an undisclosed Series round from Marathon Venture Partners.

SIG Leads New Funding Round In Chinese Online Internship Recruiting Portal Shixiseng
Shixiseng (2014, Chengdu), a Chinese online internship recruiting portal, providing recruiting services, as well as rookie training, education & consulting for students and enterprises, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A+ round led by SIG.

Sequoia Capital-backed Sports Fund Leads New Round In Shared Gym Operator Supermonkey
Supermonkey (2014, Shenzhen), a shared gym operator, raised an undisclosed amount in Series C round led by Jiansheng Sports Fund, a fund co-established by Sequoia Capital China and China Media Capital. Existing investors Ventech China, Fosun RZ Capital and Areana Capital also participated in the round.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

CPPIB Invests $248M In Goodman’s Logistics Property Portfolio In Hong Kong
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, a global investment management organisation, announced an investment of $248M to acquire an interest in Goodman Hong Kong Logistics Partnership, a Hong Kong-based logistics properties provider.

Tencent Acquires 5% Of Yonghui Superstore To Rival Alibaba In New Retail
Tencent Holdings, a Chinese investment holding company, is in plans to acquire 5% stake in Yonghui Superstores, a Shanghai-based Stock Exchange-listed company, for an undisclosed amount.

Honeywell to buy 25% in Chinese supply chain software firm Flux
Honeywell, a multinational conglomerate company, acquired 25% stake in Flux Information Technology, a China-based warehouse management and related supply chain software provider, for an undisclosed amount.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Primeauth (2016, Hyderabad), security application for user authentication. Local comparable is  Innefu (2010, Delhi, $2M). Global comparables are Centrify (2004, Sunnyvale, $94M) andSynoIQ (2015, Offenburg).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

B9 Beverages (2008, Delhi), producer of Indian craft beer Bira, raises $3.8M in Debt round of funding from Anicut Capital. Link

Cash Suvidha (2016, Delhi), micro business loans provider to families and SMEs, raises $2.7M in Debt round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Finbucket (2014, Delhi), online microlending platform, raises $1.87M in Series A round of funding from Impanix Capital. Link

Purplle (2012, Mumbai), online platform for buying beauty products and booking salon and spa, raises $537K in Series A round of funding led by Mountain Pine Capital and Suncoast Investments with participation from individual investors. Link

The Bohri Kitchen (2014, Mumbai), online food delivery and home-dining experience provider for Bohri food, raises $233K in Angel round of funding from Anuj Puri, Abhishek Agarwal, Anirudh Damani, Riyaaz Amlani and Rahul Akerkar. Link

Dish TV (2003, Noida), direct-to-home television network service provider, completes its merger with Videocon d2h (2003, Mumbai), satellite based direct-to-home television operator, after approval from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Link

Swiggy (2014, Bangalore), online platform for food delivery from restaurants, partners with Sodexo (1966, Issy-les-Moulineaux), quality of life services provider, to accept meal cards and coupons as payment option. Link

Axis Bank (1994, Mumbai), financial services provider, to launch ‘Axis Start-up Social’. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Jnana Therapeutics (2017, Boston), developer of drug discovery platform for targeting the solute carrier family of transporters, raises $50M in Series A round of funding from Polaris Partners, Avalon Ventures, Versant Ventures, AbbVie Ventures, and Pfizer R&D Innovate. Link

Splice (2013, NYC), music creation and collaboration platform, raises $35M in Series B round of funding led by DFJ Growth, with participation from True Ventures, Union Square Ventures and Flybridge. Link

Leadspace (2007, Hod Hasharon), B2B lead scoring platform, raises $21M in Series C round of funding led by Arrowroot Capital and Jerusalem Venture Partners with participation from Battery Ventures and Vertex Ventures. Link

nWay (2011, SF), video games developer targeting mobile and web platforms, raises $11M in funding from March Capital Partners, Ridge Ventures, Baseline Ventures, TransLink Capital and WI Harper Group. Link

Huddly (2013, Oslo), provider of intelligent collaboration video cameras, raises $10M in Series C round of funding led by Graham Williams. Link

Baker (2015, Denver), app platform to enable customers to order cannabis from dispensaries, raises $8M in Series A round of funding led by Poseidon Asset Management, with participation from Panther Opportunity Fund, Phyto Partners and other existing investors. Link

Reniac (2012, SF), distributed data engine provider, raises an undisclosed amount in funding led by Intel Capital with participation from Menlo Ventures, Divergent Ventures, Bullpen Capital, First Star Ventures and Phison Electronics Corp. Link

Andreessen Horowitz, CA-based venture capital firm, launches $450M in Second Bio venture capital fund. Link

Funding Rounds

Series B, $21.1M
DriveWealth (2012, Chatham, $30.8M) – Investment app and Brokerage API provider

Series A, $20M
Behavox (2014, London, $21.6M) – Employee surveillance system
Investors: Citigroup, Index Ventures

Series A, $15.1M
Newbanker (2016, Beijing, $18.8M) – Customer Management platform for wealth management firms
Investors: Atlas Capital, Matrix Partners China, Yuan Sheng Capital

Post IPO, $9.4M
EQS Group (2000, Munich) – International technology provider for Digital Investor Relations

Post IPO, $7.8M
The Street (1996, New York City, $15M) – Online portal for business news, market data and stock analysis
Investors: 180 Degree Capital

Series B, $2.7M
Heckyl Technologies (2010, Mumbai, $7.5M) – Real time financial information & news analytics for markets & businesses
Investors: Notion Capital, IDG Ventures India

Series A, $2.6M
Quantamize (2016, New York City) – Research and trading strategy provider

Seed, $2.4M
Elsen (2014, Boston, $2.9M) – High performance platform for financial institutions.
Investors: Hyperplane, Accomplice, LaunchCapital

Series A, $2.2M
Xenodata Lab (2015, Shibuya, $2.8M) – Automated financial analysis tool
Investors: The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Teikoku Databank, Ltd., Tokai Tokyo Financial Holdings, kabu.com Securities, DBJ Capital, Mizuho Capital, SMBC Venture Capital

Seed, $2.1M
Accern (2013, New York City, $3.4M) – Intelligence detection platform for institutional investors
Investors: Cane Investment Partners, Moshe Neuman, Affinity Investment Group, 26 Venture, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank

Seed, $2M
Matador (2015, New York City, $2M) – Free social trading app

Series A, $2M
Zirra (2014, Tel Aviv, $4.5M) – Rating platform for private investments.
Investors: Seedinvest

Series C, $1.7M
Bux (2013, Amsterdam, $23M) – Trading game and real time trading platform
Investors: Seedrs

Series A, $1.6M
Crowdfunder (2012, Los Angeles, $6.5M) – Business crowdfunding platform
Investors: Crowdcube

Seed, $1.4M
Asoko Insight (2014, London, $2.7M) – Database for African private companies.
Investors: North Base Media, CRE Venture Capital

M&A

• Itiviti to combine with ULLINK Automated Trader
• Visible Alpha acquires Alpha Exchange ahead of MiFID II The TRADE
• First Derivatives Buys Spanish Firm Telconomics In Cash And Share Deal LSE Spreads
• LGIM acquires $2.7bn European ETF platform fnlondon.com
• Hockeystick announces acquisition of LaunchSpot at SaaS North conference StartUp Beat
• Solovis Extends Multi-Asset Portfolio Analytics Capabilities with Acquisition of Madrone Software PR Newswire

IPO

• SelfWealth begins trading on ASX Fintech Business
• Scots fintech firm Beeks Financial in £24.5m IPO Daily Business

New Fund Launch

• SyndicateRoom provides investors access to fast-growing UK scale-ups with new EIS fund Proactive Investors

New Product Announcement

• Linedata Accelerates Its Transformation And Unveils A New Brand Identity GlobeNewswire
• Barracuda FX launches OMS Cloud Automated Trader
• SIA Launches a New Digital Platform for Instant Payments Business Wire
• GoldenSource launches new solution to release IT and Regulatory Reporting shackles for Asset Managers PressReleasePoint
• Thomson Reuters Drives Greater Backtesting and Historical Analysis with Launch of I/B/E/S Point in Time PressReleasePoint
• InvestCloud Launches Solutions to Democratize Digital and Deliver Mass Automation PR Newswire
• TORA Launches AI-Driven Pre-Trade Analytics Tool to Help Firms Meet Stricter MiFID II Best Execution Requirements GlobeNewswire
• Launch of FIS Code Connect Puts FIS Clients at Forefront of Open API InnovationPressReleasePoint
• Bloomberg Unveils Trading Platform for Repurchase Agreements in Philippines Finance Magnates
• Bloomberg to launch 24-hour social news network on Twitter TechSpot
• SS&C Launches “Comprehensive”, a Complete Portfolio Monitoring Service for Credit Managers Bobsguide
• Singapore startup unveils Asia’s first robot trader for retail investors sgsme.sg
• To track stocks, Moneycontrol launches voice-enabled app for smart watch MyBigPlunge
• Envestnet | Tamarac Launches a New Version of Its Comprehensive RIA Platform PR Newswire
• Leverate Launches Expansion Package ‘Go East’ Finance Magnates
• Transparitrade Launches Structured Investments Multi-issuer Platform Initiative in the US to Capitalize on Recent Market Growth PR Newswire
• HFR launches ‘Portfolioscope’ – SaaS platform for hedge funds International Business Times
• M Science Launches Alibaba Advertising Spending Data Product Business Wire

New Geo Entry

• FinTech Marketplace Wealth Migrate Continues Expansion with New UK OfficeGlobeNewswire
• SmartStream opens managed service office in Jaipur to serve a tier 1 bank Bobsguide

Secondary

• Ion Investment to buy controlling stake in Dealogic from Carlyle, Euromoney Reuters

Business Partnership

• Fintech startup Flux partners with Barclays for itemised receipts Tech Empire
• Token and Envestnet | Yodlee Announce Strategic Open Banking Partnership PR Newswire
• Uniper and Openlink lead the way in tier-one Cloud ETRM adoption PennWell Corporation
• Fenergo signs Client Lifecycle Management deal with BNP Paribas Automated Trader
• Charles River and Trumid Partnership Brings Greater Efficiency to Corporate Bond Trading Citybizlist
• AxiomSL partners with GridCon for German regulatory reporting Automated Trader

Key People Movement

• OurCrowd Appoints Roland Wee as Managing Director to Lead Asia Expansion Business Wire
• Electronic Trading Pioneer Lupowitz Joins trueEX as CTO PR Newswire

Lawsuit

• HC junks FTIL’s petition against govt order to merge with NSEL Indiatimes

Analyst Picks

• Yojee (2015, Singapore) – Cloud based fleet management system utilizing AI and Blockchain
  Market: Logistics Tech > Freight > Software Solutions > Fleet Management

Funding Rounds

Conventional Debt, $1B
Element Fleet (2009, Sparks) – Fleet management and maintenance services

Series D, $120M
Yunmanman (2013, Shanghai, $235M) – Freight logistics marketplace

Series F, $98M
Deliveroo (2013, London, $957.6M) – Online platform to order food for delivery from partnered restaurants
Investors: T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Investments, DST Global, General Catalyst Partners, Index Ventures, Accel Partners

Series B, $65M
aCommerce (2013, Bangkok, $95M) – Ecommerce enabling suite provider
Investors: Blue Sky Alternative Investments, MDI Ventures, DKSH, Emerald

Series B, $25M
Fetch Robotics (2014, San Jose, $48M) – Robots for logistics and light industrial markets
Investors: Sway Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Shasta Ventures, SoftBank Group

Series B, $25M
Locus Robotics (2014, Massachusetts, $39M) – Warehouse fulfillment & automation through robots
Investors: Scale Venture Partners

Series A, $20M
FreightHub (2016, Berlin, $23.4M) – Online freight forwarder services
Investors: Northzone, Global Founders Capital, Cherry Ventures, Cavalry Ventures, A FAMIGLIA GMBH

Series B, $17.5M
Bossa Nova Robotics (2005, Pittsburgh, $41.7M) – Develops robots for retail stores
Investors: Intel Capital, Cota Capital, Paxion Capital Partners, Walden Riverwood Ventures, Lucas Venture Group

Series A, $11.8M
Shippeo (2013, Paris, $14.0M) – Road freight booking and management platform
Investors: Partech Ventures, Otium

Series A, $8.8M
Foxtrot Systems (2014, San Francisco, $8.8M) – Delivery route optimization and fleet planning software

Series A, $5.0M
Fleet (2014, California, $9.0M) – Online marketplace for international shipping

Seed, $4.5M
Overhaul (2016, Austin, $4.5M) – Mobile-based freight marketplace for the trucking industry
Investors: Abbey International Finance

Series A, $3.9M
Pegasus TransTech (1991, Tampa, $3.9M) – SaaS solutions for transportation industry

Series A, $3.6M
Fr8star (2015, Oakland, $13.6M) – Online freight transport marketplace focused on open deck loads
Investors: Sandhills

Series A, $3.4M
LocoNav (2015, Delhi, $3.4M) – Vehicle tracking solution
Investors: Sequoia Capital, Prateek Sharma

M&A

• CVS agrees to buy Aetna in $69 billion deal that could shake up health care industry The Baltimore Sun
• Swiggy acqui-hires start-up 48East to strengthen its new supply business Livemint
• Makro acquires WumDrop in e-commerce push Moneyweb
• Rico-owned Henchman acquires Jinn’s app, will rebrand to ‘new on-demand concierge’ early next year TechCrunch
• After Amazon-Whole Foods deal, grocery delivery companies adapt My Statesman
• China’s top Uber-for-trucks apps Huochebang, Yunmanman agree to merge Deal Street Asia
• Food Delivery App Otlob to be acquired by German Delivery Hero Egypt Today
• WiseTech Global Ltd Acquires Warehouse Management Solutions Provider, MicrolisticsABN Newswire
• Addnode acquires InPort to provide logistics solutions ITS International
• AirIQ Announces Acquisition of Connected Telematics FSCWire

New Product Announcement

• Netradyne launches ADAS solution in India Indiatimes
• SUPERVALU And Instacart To Launch New E-Commerce Sites As Part Of Multiyear Agreement PR Newswire
• World’s Top Performing Robots For Order Preparation Unveiled by French AI Robotics Startup RoboticsTomorrow
• Postmates launches ‘anything’ delivery service in Hawaii The Business Journals
• GreyOrange launches next-gen AI, GreyMatter, for robotics warehouse automation in Nitori’s new logistics centre in Osaka Medianet
• STRATIM Unveils Fleet Management Platform for Urban Fleets and Autonomous Vehicles Fleet News Daily
• TradeGecko Payments helps SME wholesalers get paid 3x faster R Newswire Association LLC
• BigRoad Launches BigRoad Freight – A Load Matching Platform Within the BigRoad Mobile App Electronic Logbook Business Wire
• Kuebix Launches Innovative Carrier Relationship Manager Providing Shippers the Tools to Build Stronger Partnerships GlobeNewswire
• OnTerra Systems Introduces New Version of MapSavvy Web Map Service GlobeNewswire
• SafetyChain Software Launches Supplier Analytics for Easier Management of Vendor Approval Programs 4-Traders
• ParcelPal Announces Additon of Alcohol Delivery to App The Newswire
• INTTRA Unveils a New Suite of Applications Boosting Operational Effectiveness C Velocity
• Banyan Technology building nationwide truck platform supporting heavy-goods e-commerce C Velocity
• project44 Launches Enhanced Truckload Visibility Solution EBN Online
• Exotec Solutions launches top-performing robots BusinessCloud
• Faster, taller, denser, more profitable warehouse robots and Interview with the CEO New Big Future

New Geo Entry

• Postmates’ first food deliveries outside the US start in Mexico City Engadget
• Southeast Asia’s e-commerce champ gears for Philippine expansion Inquirer
• Pathao expands its service to Sylhet city TheFinanceToday

Business Partnership

• Albertsons Companies Inks Agreement with Instacart to Enhance Home Delivery Choices PR Newswire
• Tata Communications partners with DRVR NewsBarons
• Deliv to power same-day grocery delivery for Walmart in San Jose TechCrunch
• Loblaw ties up with Instacart to launch home deliveries Reuters
• Xero and Microsoft Deepen Collaboration with MileIQ Integration GlobeNewswire

Earning Release

• Descartes Reports Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Financial Results GlobeNewswire

Key People Movement

• Swiggy hires new CEO for its Access Service, gets new CFO Indiatimes
• B2B logistics startup BlackBuck names former Souq exec Dinesh Ajmera as CTOVCCircle
• Instacart promotes Sarah Mastrorocco to new position of VP of Business DevelopmentTechCrunch
• Optoro : Welcomes Jim Kelly as New EVP, Business Development and Client Success 4-Traders

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Kubric (2017, Bangalore), AI enabled assistant for video creation. Founder is Ex-Myntra, Paytm, NCR Corporation and alumni of  ISB. Local comparable is StoryXpress (2013, Hyderabad). Global comparables are Ripl (2012, Bellevue, $4.55M) and Raw Shorts (2013, Miami Beach, $2.27M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Springboard (2013, Bangalore), online platform for professional courses, raises $9.5M in Series-A round of funding led by Costanoa Ventures, with participation from Learn Capital and Jyoti Bansal, founder of Appdynamics, as well as existing investors Blue Fog Capital, Rocketship.vc, and Moneta Ventures. Link

Baby Destination (2015, Delhi), online content platform for pregnant women and new moms, raises $312k in funding from GEMs Partners. Link

Skymet (2003, Noida), crop insurance and weather forecasting data services provider, raises an undisclosed amount in Series C round of funding from Germany’s InsuResilience Investment Fund. Link

Peel-Works (2010, Mumbai), real time order management & sales force management solutions provider, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from Unilever Ventures. Link

Brewhouse (2012, Delhi), private label for premium lemonade iced tea, gets acquired by Food Empire Group (2002, Vietnam), Singapore based FMCG company, for $611k. Link

Times Internet (1999, Gurgaon), digital media conglomerate, acquires House Of God(2015, Delhi), mobile app for religious content, for an undisclosed amount. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Fyusion (2013, SF), developer of 3D image processing technology for consumer applications, raises $22M Series B round of funding from New Enterprise Associates, Presence Capital and 2020, NTT Group’s corporate venture capital firm NTT DOCOMO Ventures, publicly-traded Japanese gaming company Colopl, Gionee and others. Link

Finiata (2016, Berlin), invoice factoring services provider for freelancers, startups and SMEs, raises $20M in funding from Redalpine, DN Capital, Point Nine, Fly Ventures, new shareholders ENERN and Kulczyk Investments. Link

Quinyx (2005, Stockholm), provider of workforce management software, raises $12M in funding from Battery Ventures. Link

TPG Growth, SF-based venture capital firm, raises fourth fund, at $3.7B. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Chaintrail (2017, Hyderabad), blockchain platform for business transactions. Founders are Ex-Sutherland Global Services, ICICI Bank, GE Capital, HSBC Bank and alumni of London Business School and Delhi University. Local comparable is Records Keeper (2016, Gurgaon). Global comparable is Stampery (2014, Madrid, $500k).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Faircent (2013, Delhi), P2P lending marketplace, raises $3.8M in Series B round of funding led by Incofin Investment Management, with participation from JM Financial, 3one4 Capital, M&S Partners Pte Ltd, Aarin Capital and others. Link

Livspace (2012, Bangalore), provider of online retail for in-home designs and furniture, raises $1.6M in Series B round of funding from Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd. Link

9stacks (2017, Delhi), online platform to play poker, raises $1.5M in pre-Series A round of funding from undisclosed investors. Link

Axiscades (1990, Bangalore), engineering services company, acquires Mistral (1997, Bangalore), product engineering services & homeland security solutions provider, for $26.7M. Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator, acquires FoodPanda India(2012, Delhi), online food ordering and delivery from restaurants, for an undisclosed amount. Link

Univariety (2011, Hyderabad), web platform to get recognized by international universities and get scholarships, raises $1.9M in funding from Info Edge. Link

Imarticus Learning (2012, Mumbai), provider of professional courses focused on financial services, partners with Rise Mumbai (2008, Mumbai), finTech accelerator, to launch FinTech Prodegree. Link

Wheelstreet (2014, Bangalore), online motorbike rental aggregator, launches “Go”- providing dockless commute in the motorbike rental segment. Link

Kaaryah (2012, Gurgaon), online store for women’s formal wear, closes shop after being operational for over three years. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Lemonade (2015, NYC), online home and renters insurance provider, raises $120M in Series C round of funding from SoftBank Group Corp. Link

Hyperloop One (2014, Los Angeles), full scale hyperloop system provider, raises $50M in Series C round of funding from Caspian Venture Capital and DP World. Link

Daily Harvest (2012, NYC), ready-to-blend smoothie delivery service provider, raises $43M in Series B round of funding led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with participation from VMG Partners, M13, chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay, Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, and actress Haylie Duff. Link

Maana (2012, palo Alto), search engine for big data based applications, raises $28m in Series C round of funding from led by China International Capital Corporation, Eight Square Capital, with participation from  Intel Capital; GE Ventures; Chevron Technology Ventures; Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures; and Shell Technology Ventures. Link

Anodot (2014, Raanana), provider of real time operational business insights using machine learning algorithms, Raises $23M in Series B round of funding led by Redline Capital Managementת with participation from existing investors Aleph Venture Capital and Disruptive Technologies Venture Capital. Link

Soonicorn Club

• Soonicorn

  Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals (2016, Mumbai, $24M) – Company selling over 300+ generic products and medical devices for both chronic and acute therapies
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Traditional Pharma > Generics

• Minicorn

  Relay Therapeutics (2016, Cambridge, $120M) – Drug discovery platform centered on protein motion
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Oncology

• Minicorn

  Allakos (2012, San Mateo, $142M) – Develop therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory, and proliferative diseases
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Immune Disease

Analyst Picks

• Jnana Therapeutics (2017, Boston, $50M) – Company developing a drug discovery platform for targeting the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Suite
• Istesso (2017, London) – Immunometabolism based drugs for autoimmune diseases
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Immune Disease
• Inozyme Pharma (2016, Cambridge, $49M) – Company developing novel treatments for rare calcification disorders
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Metabolic Disease
• Vaccitech (2016, Oxford, $14.4M) – Vaccines and immunotherapies for infectious diseases and cancer
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Suite
• Refuge Biotech (2016, Menlo Park) – Company using CRISPR activation and CRISPR interference to develop novel cancer treatments
  Market: Biopharma (by Disease) > Oncology > Pan-Cancer

Funding Rounds

Post IPO, $125M
ERYtech Pharma (2004, Lyon, $15.8M) – cancer therapies using proprietary technology based on encapsulation of therapeutic molecules into red blood cells.

Series B, $114M
Semma Therapeutics (2014, Boston, $158M) – Bio-Artificial Pancreas for Type 1 Diabetes treatment
Investors: Eight Roads Ventures, Cowen, MPM Capital, FPrime Capital Partners, ARCH Venture Partners, Medtronic, Novartis, JDRF, Shuanghu capital investment, Sinopharm Capital, WuXi Healthcare Ventures

Post IPO, $110.7M
ALK-Abello (1923, Hoersholm) – Danish, Public Biopharma company developing allergy immunotherapies including injections (emergency) and sublingual tablets.

Series B, $100M
Allakos (2012, San Mateo, $142M) – Develop therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of allergic, inflammatory, and proliferative diseases
Investors: New Enterprise Associates, Redmile Group, Partner Fund Management, Roche, RiverVest Venture Partners, Alta Partners, Rock Springs Capital, LifeSci Venture, Samsara, undefined

Conventional Debt, $100M
Recro Pharma (2007, Malvern, $16M) – Non-opioid therapeutics for the treatment of pain and CDMO services for oral dosage forms
Investors: Athyrium Capital Management

Series C, $76.5M
Codiak BioSciences (2015, Woburn, $170M) – Developing exosomes (natural vesicles) based drugs and diagnostics for cancer.
Investors: ARCH Venture Partners, Flagship Pioneering, Fidelity Investments, Alaska Permanent Fund, Qatar Investment Authority, SIRONA CAPITAL, EcoR1 Capital, Casdin Capital, Alexandria Venture Investments, Tavistock Group

Post IPO, $76M
Zensun (2000, Shanghai) – Chinese Biopharma company developing Protein and Gene Therapies
Investors: SDIC, Tianfeng Tianrui Investment, Orient Securities, China Venture Capital

Series B, $62M
Pionyr Immuntherapeutics (2015, San Francisco, $72M) – Cancer immunotherapies that target the tumour microenvironment to enhance the body’s antitumour immunity
Investors: Sofinnova Ventures, Orbimed, SV Health Investors, Osage Partners, Mission Bay Capital, New Enterprise Associates

Series C, $59.6M
Hookipa Biotech (2011, Vienna, $103.4M) – Genetic vaccines for the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of viral diseases
Investors: HBM Partners, Hillhouse Capital Group, SIRONA CAPITAL, Gilead Sciences, Hookipa Biotech, Sofinnova Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, Takeda Ventures, BioMedPartners

Series B, $57M
Medeor Therapeutics (2014, San Mateo, $57M) – Developing personalised cellular therapeutics to improve kidney transplant organ and kidney transplant recipient outcomes.
Investors: RA Capital Management, Sofinnova Ventures, WuXi Healthcare Ventures, Vivo Capital

Post IPO, $50.1M
Advanced Oncotherapy (2013, London) – Particle therapy systems that makes radiation less toxic for patients

Series A, $50M
Jnana Therapeutics (2017, Boston, $50M) – Company developing a drug discovery platform for targeting the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters

Series A, $49.5M
Obsidian Therapeutics (2015, Cambridge, $49.5M) – Company developing destabilizing domain based technologies to regulate CAR-T and gene-based therapies
Investors: GV, Atlas Venture, Takeda Ventures, Vertex Ventures HC, Amgen Business Development, Alexandria Venture Investments, ShangPharma

Series A, $49M
Inozyme Pharma (2016, Cambridge, $49M) – Company developing novel treatments for rare calcification disorders
Investors: Longitude Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Novo Holdings, Sanofi Ventures

Series B, $40M
Restorbio (2016, Boston, $65M) – Therapeutics for preventing immunosenscence
Investors: Orbimed, Rock Springs Capital, Quan Capital, Fidelity Investments, Nest Bio Ventures

M&A

• Gilead Sciences and Kite to Acquire Cell Design Labs Business Wire
• SK Capital Closes Acquisition of Perrigo’s API Business, Changes Name to Wavelength Pharmaceuticals pharmoutsourcing.com
• Roche to acquire Viewics, Inc. to provide data-driven lab business analytics and add further digital capabilities along the laboratory value chain PressReleasePoint
• bluebird bio Acquires Manufacturing Facility in North Carolina and Executes Multiple Global Supply Agreements to Enhance Ability to Deliver Gene Therapies to PatientsBusiness Wire
• NuVasive To Acquire SafePassage OrthoSpineNews
• ImmunoPrecise to Acquire ModiQuest Research BV PR Newswire
• CanniMed to Acquire Up Cannabis Inc to Create a Premier Global Cannabis CompanyBusiness Wire
• Torrent Pharma completes acquisition of Unichem Laboratories Ltd Indiatimes
• Wize Announces Closing of Merger 4-Traders
• Monster Digital, Inc. Provides Update Regarding Anticipated Closing Date for Merger with Innovate Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. NewMediaWire

IPO

• Denali Therapeutics Announces Pricing of Initial Public Offering GlobeNewswire
• Odonate Therapeutics Seeks $182.5M In IPO TexasTechPulse
• Arsanis Announces Closing of Initial Public Offering BioSpace
• Odonate down after $150M IPO BioCentury
• resTORbio Files Confidential Submission of Draft Registration Statement for Proposed Initial Public Offering BioSpace
• Advicenne launches €30M IPO to be First to treat Rare Disease in Children Labiotech
• SCPharmaceuticals gets cash injection from IPO Global Corporate Venturing
• Heat Biologics Announces Proposed Public Offering of Common Stock PressReleasePoint
• Intellia Therapeutics Closes $150 Million Public Offering of Common Stock Life-Sciences-Germany
• argenx announces launch of proposed public offering in the United States GlobeNewswire

FDA Approval

• USFDA gives final approval to Cipla’s anti-asthma product Indiatimes
• FDA approves first two-drug regimen for certain patients with HIV PR Newswire
• FDA Approves Foundation Medicine’s FoundationOne CDx™, the First and Only Comprehensive Genomic Profiling Test for All Solid Tumors Incorporating Multiple Companion Diagnostics Business Wire
• Zydus gets USFDA nod for seizure, migraine drug Indiatimes
• FDA Approves Sanofi’s Admelog® (insulin lispro injection) GlobeNewswire
• Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod for swelling reducing drug Indiatimes
• GSK achieves approval for Nucala (mepolizumab) for the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis PR Newswire
• FDA Approves SUBLOCADE™ (Buprenorphine Extended-Release), the First and Only Once-Monthly Injectable Buprenorphine Formulation to Treat Moderate to Severe Opioid Use Disorder PR Newswire

New Product Announcement

• Teva Announces Exclusive Launch of Generic Viagra® Tablets in the United StatesBusiness Wire
• Biocon Launches Colon Cancer Drug In India, Priced Rs 24,000 Ultra
• Viagra goes generic: Pfizer to launch own little white pill FOX Business
• Mylan and Aspen Announce Launch of Generic Busulfex® Injection PR Newswire
• Amgen Launches The ENBREL Mini™ Single-Dose Prefilled Cartridge With AutoTouch™ Reusable Autoinjector That Is Ergonomically Designed For Patients PR Newswire
• IQVIA Launches Orchestrated Customer Engagement Business Wire
• Serum Institute to launch 4 vaccines, enter US, Europe markets Indiatimes

New Market Entry

• Sohm, Inc., To Enter Ico Bitcoin Market GlobeNewswire

New Geo Entry

• Biocad Launches The New Manufacturing Site In North Africa Business Wire
• Aurobindo looks for inorganic growth prospects in East Europe Indiatimes
• ReNeuron Opens US Office As It Presses On With Clinical Trials LSE Spreads
• Seqirus readies for $9M expansion project in Holly Springs The Business Journals

Business Partnership

• AstraZeneca Partners Up With Chinese Fund to Launch New Biopharma CompanyBioSpace

Company Announcement

• European Medicines Agency Accepts Marketing Authorization Applications for Mylan and Biocon’s Proposed Biosimilars Trastuzumab and Pegfilgrastim PR Newswire
• U.S. Food And Drug Administration Extends Action Date For XELJANZ® (Tofacitinib) Supplemental New Drug Application In Ulcerative Colitis By Three Months Business Wire
• Glenmark Pharma Announces Top-Line Results From a Phase III Safety Study Evaluating Ryaltris in Patients with Perennial Allergic Rhinitis BioSpace
• Regeneron and Sanofi Announce Positive Topline Pivotal Results for PD-1 Antibody Cemiplimab in Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma PR Newswire
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals Licenses IONIS-HTT Rx to Partner Following Successful Phase 1/2a Study in Patients with Huntington’s Disease pipelinereview.com

Earning Release

• Auris Medical Reports Third Quarter 2017 Financial Results and Provides Business Update 4-Traders

Research Partnership

• Biogen and Alkermes Announce License and Collaboration Agreement to Develop and Commercialize ALKS 8700 for the Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis Business Wire
• Bayer, PeptiDream partner to identify new active substance candidates through novel peptide-based screening technology Pharma Biz

Layoffs

• Teva Pharmaceutical set for major layoffs in Israel, U.S. Reuters

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity and interesting startups in South East Asia.

INTERESTING COMPANIES FOUND

VRcollab (2016, Singapore) – Multi-user virtual reality tool for BIM. Global Comparables include Visual Vocal (2015, Seattle, $4.1M) and InsiteVR (2014, New York City, $1.5M).

Valeri (2017, Jakarta) – Digital marketing and analytics solutions provider. Global Comparables include DataSift (2010, Reading, $70M) and Zignal Labs (2011, San Francisco, $28M).

SEA – FUNDING UPDATES

Qwikwire raises funding
Qwikwire (2013, Manila), overseas payment solutions provider, raises $9M in ICO.

BeautyMNL raises funding
BeautyMNL (2014, Philippines), an online store for beauty products, raises an undisclosed amount of funding from Robinsons Retail.

Oxfordcaps raises funding
Oxfordcaps (2017, Singapore), an online platform for students to book residential accommodation, raises an undisclosed amount of funding from 500 Startups, ReadyVentures and a group of undisclosed angel investors.

Advent Access raises funding
Advent Access (2015, Singapore), renal disease management solutions provider, raises $1.9M in Pre-Series A round from Accuron MedTech.

VENTENY raises funding
VENTENY (2015, Makati), employee benefits and perks provider, raises $2.3M in Series A from SBI Investment.

EcoWorth Tech raises funding
EcoWorth Tech (2016, Singapore), an industrial wastewater treatment startup, raises $740K in Seed funding from Budding Innovations and FundedHere.

ZAPtag raises funding
ZAPtag (2012, Manila), cashback based coalition loyalty programme provider, raises $550K in Seed funding from Venture Capital Holdings and Kickstart ventures.

MailTarget raises funding
MailTarget (2016, Jakarta),cloud-based email marketing solution provider, raises an undisclosed amount in Seed round of funding from Azure Ventures.

Helpster raises funding
Helpster (2015, Bangkok), a mobile-based platform for staffing solutions, raises $42.5M in Pre-Series A round from Mojo Partners, and Wavemaker Partners.

SEA – RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Go-Jek acquires Kartuku, Midtrans, Mapan
Go-Jek acquires Jakarta based Fintech startups, Kartuku, a payment service provider, Midtrans, a payment and risk management solution provider, and Mapan, a local community-based saving and lending network, for an undisclosed amount.

FlyMya acquires Go-Myanmar.com
FlyMya, an online portal for domestic travel bookings, acquires Go-Myanmar.com, a Myanmar based travel destination platform, for an undisclosed amount.

Starhub acquires D’Crypt for $90M
Starhub, integrated telecom services provider, acquires D’Crypt, a Singapore based security system supplier, for $90M.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Oncocur (2017, Hyderabad), developer of nanoparticle based precision therapeutics for oncology. Founder is  ex-Techno Color and alumni of Cambridge University. Global comparables are  Intezyne (2004, Tampa, $19.3M) and Ensysce (2008, Houston, $2.5M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Spandana Sphoorty Financial Ltd (1997, Hyderabad), microfinance services provider to low income households, raises $19.5M in PE round of funding from Kedaara Capital and Canadian pension fund Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Link

Waaree (1990, Mumbai), solar power solutions provider, raises $15.3M in PE round of funding from Centrum Financial Services Limited. Link

YourQuote (2016, Bangalore), image based micro-blogging platform, raises $1M in Seed round of funding from IDG Ventures, with participation from Atul Goel of the Essel City Group and Axilor Ventures. Link

Boheco (2013, Mumbai), hemp production, research and processing solutions provider, raises $957k in Seed round of funding from Ratan Tata, Rajan Anandan, along with CSIR. Link

EasyBuyHealth (2015, Mumbai), marketplace for preventive healthcare management services, raises $350k in Seed round of funding from a clutch of individual investors. Link

N.O.W (2015, Noida), mobile app to book bike taxi, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from the promoters of Hero Electric and Vinay Goyal. Link

Smartron (2014, Hyderabad), smartphones & tablet manufacturer, acquires MiQasa (2015, Hyderabad), developer of home automation devices, for $1M. Link

Edelweiss Group (1995, Mumbai), credit financing & stock brokerage firm, acquires securities business of Religare (1984, Delhi), financial services group, for an undisclosed amount. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Bima (2010, Stockholm), provider of mobile-delivered insurance in emerging markets, raises $96.6M in funding from Allianz X. Link

Simba (2015, London), direct-to-consumer mattress brand, raises $52M in Series B round of funding led by Atami Capital, with participation from Lombard Odier, Wharton Asset Management and Nigel Wray. Link

Passport (2010, Wilmington), cloud-based mobile payment platforms for parking and transit, raises additional $43M in Series C round of funding led by Bain Capital Ventures. Link

Convercent (2013, Denver), enterprise GRC SaaS solutions provider to various industries, raises $25M in funding led by Rho Ventures, along with Sapphire Ventures and Tola Capital. Link

Ooma (2004, Palo Alto), VOIP service provider for home telephones, acquires Butterfleye(2013, SF), connected camera for home surveillance, for an undisclosed amount. Link

Analyst Picks

• Amionx (2016, Carlsbad, $5M) – Developer of safety technology for lithium-based batteries
  Market: Energy Storage > Component Developer > Battery > Others
• Blue Planet Energy (2015, Honolulu, $2.4M) – Developer of off-grid lithium polymer based energy storage system
  Market: Energy Storage > Energy Storage Systems > Behind-the-Meter Storage > Power Storage

Funding Rounds

Series C, $35.4M
Power-Sonic (1970, San Diego, $35.4M) – Developers of rechargeable batteries of various chemistries

Series C, $34.4M
SolidEnergy Systems (2012, Waltham, $55.9M) – Anode free Lithium Ion battery developer

Series B, $30.2M
Monster Charging (2017, Hangzhou, $30.2M) – Charging stations based on smart shared charging
Investors: GF Securities, Sky9 Capital, Hillhouse Capital Group, BlueRun Ventures

Series B, $13M
Energy Storage Systems (2011, Portland, $15.2M) – Iron Flow battery based energy storage system developers
Investors: BASF, Cycle Capital Management, Presidio Partners, Infrapartners Management, Pangaea Ventures

Series A, $11.4M
Pi Charging (2015, San Bruno, $14.4M) – Wireless charging solution for mobile devices
Investors: Foundry Group, Silicon Valley Bank, Uncork Capital, NextView Ventures, Eniac Ventures, E14 Fund

Series A, $3M
TransPower (2010, Poway, $3M) – Electric drive systems for commercial vehicles and battery energy storage systems
Investors: Meritor

Conventional Debt, $960K
K2 Energy Solutions (2006, Henderson, $100K) – Develops, manufactures, and commercializes rechargeable battery systems

Series A
Corvus Energy (2009, Richmond) – LMNC based energy storage system for marine applications
Investors: Norsk Hydro

M&A

• MGX Acquires Mass Storage Battery Technology from Teck Stockhouse
• Delphi Closes Acquisition of nuTonomy PR Newswire
• Powin Energy Sells 110MWh of Operating Projects and Pipeline to esVolta GlobeNewswire
• Canadian Solar Subsidiary Recurrent Energy Closes North Carolina Project Sale to Falck Renewables PR Newswire
• OIO decision reveals Apple paid more than $100m for NZ’s PowerbyProxi The National Business Review Online
• Fintech startup Villy acquired by solar power company SFC at USD 10M AllTechAsia
• MGX Minerals to Acquire Zinc Air Battery Developer ZincNyx Energy Solutions 4-Traders
• Apollo Global Management LLC : Parent company exploring sale of EaglePicher 4-Traders
• Delphi purchased self driving startup NuTonomy New Big Future

IPO

• CATL Announces $2 Billion IPO To Fund New Battery Manufacturing Plants Inside EVs

New Product Announcement

• Solect Energy Launches Energy Storage Division – Signs Agreement with NEC Energy Solutions to Sell NEC’s DSS® Products PRWeb
• Motion Control Systems Can Be Smaller, Smooth, and Silent PowerPulse
• Flux Power Delivers Initial Lithium-Ion Battery Pack For Class 1 Forklifts To Fortune 100 Heavy Machinery Conglomerate GlobeNewswire
• Singapore launches first large-scale EV car-sharing service Electric Cars Report
• ST launches minature MEMS gyro for OIS Electronics Weekly
• Enevate Claims Its Battery Can Recharge At 10 C, 5 Minute Recharge Nets 240 MilesInside EVs
• Convion Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Generates Zero Emission Electricity and Heat from Biogas in Italy FuelCellsWorks
• Four New Models of Yinlong Energy Pure Electric Buses Debut in Tianjin Yicai Global

New Geo Entry

• Stem Announces the First Energy Storage Virtual Power Plants in Japan Business Wire
• Tech Data expands CyberPower Systems partnership to Australia ARN
• Chinese electric carmaker BYD to open Morocco plant Indiatimes
• Sunverge installs energy storage systems in Japan Energy Business review

Secondary

• Canadian Solar Raises JPY7.4 Billion with Second Dual-Tenor Green Project Bond in Japan PR Newswire
• Canadian Solar Inc. (CSIQ) Stake Decreased by BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA The Cerbat Gem

Business Partnership

• PPG Forms Partnership With SiNode Systems for Vehicle Battery Technology Business Wire
• Cummins and NRG Launch Major Technology Platform to Reduce Energy Costs for Large Businesses Business Wire
• STMicroelectronics Collaborates with Amazon Web Services on Complete STM32-Based IoT Node-to-Cloud Solution for Amazon FreeRTOS GlobeNewswire
• IL&FS joins hands with Ecamion to explore energy storage business Livemint
• Ultrathin Batteries for LoRa-based devices to Enhance IoT Sensors and DevicesEverythingRF

Company Announcement

• Toyota To Build The World’s First Megawatt-Scale 100% Renewable Power And Hydrogen Generation Station Global Renewable News
• Canadian Solar Secures 17.87MWp in Japan’s Inaugural Solar Auction PR Newswire
• Electrovaya Provides Update on Corporate Developments Marketwired
• Canadian Solar Selected for 367 MW Solar Projects in the Energy Auction in Mexico PR Newswire
• Electrovaya Provides Update on Purchase Orders, Announces Board Change Marketwired
• Broad-Ocean subsidiary commissions facility for Chinese produced Ballard fuel cell modules Green Car Congress
• Akasol opens €10M, 600 MWh production facility for commercial electric vehicle batteriesGreen Car Congress

Earning Release

• BOLLORE: Third-quarter 2017 financial information GlobeNewswire

New Feature Release

• Powermat to upgrade to 15W wireless charging, support Apple’s new iPhones ARN

Key People Movement

• Corvus Energy Announces a New CEO Scandinavian Oil-Gas Magazine
• Pu Neng appoints technology and management consulting veteran John Wang as Chief Executive Officer GlobeNewswire

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Ammras Software Solutions (2017, Bangalore), AI enabled cloud-based software solution for pharmaceutical sales representatives. Founder is alumni of University of Calicut. Local comparable is Swaas (2016, Chennai, $1M). Global comparables are Aktana (2008, SF, $25M) and Lathian Systems (2000, Plymouth Meeting, $14M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Smaaash Entertainment (2009, Mumbai), virtual reality sports, leisure and entertainment solution provider, raises $13.7M in funding from HNIs clients of Avendus Wealth Management Pvt. Ltd. Link

Indus OS (2008, Mumbai), android-based Mobile OS in Indian languages, raises $4M from Omidyar Network, Ventureast, and JSW Ventures. Link

EasyEcom (2014, Bangalore), provider of end-to-end solutions for offline merchants to sell online, raises $150k in Seed round of  funding from Ambarish Gupta, founder and CEO of Knowlarity Communications; Aneesh Reddy, CEO of Capillary Technologies; Bold Ventures and Vona Investments. Link

IGP.com (2001, Noida), online retail gifting platform, raises an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A round of funding from Venture Catalysts. Link

Wellthy (2015, Mumbai), diabetes management platform, raises an undisclosed amount in funding from GrowX Ventures. Link

Quikr (2008, Bangalore), online classifieds portal to search, buy/sell/rent items and services, acquires HDFC Realty (2014, Mumbai), realty brokerage business arm of HDFC and HDFC RED (2010, Mumbai), residential property listing platform focused on property buying, for $54.6M. Link

Carlyle Group, US based venture capital firm, acquires majority stake in Visionary RCM(2006, Chennai), revenue cycle management services to the provider segment in the US, for an undisclosed amount. Link

Jugnoo’s (2014, Chandigarh), mobile-based auto rickshaw hailing and hyperlocal delivery service, click labs creates all-in-one operating system, Jungleworks. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Carbon (2013, Redwood City), CLIP technology based 3D Printer, raises $200M in Series D round of funding from Sequoia Capital, Silver Lake Kraftwerk, and Reinet Investments, the funding is supported by global financial institutions Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, and ARCHINA Capital; strategic industry partners Hydra Ventures, GE Ventures, JSR Corporation and Emerson Elemental. Link

Common (2015, Brooklyn), online community living space provider, raises $40M in Series C round of funding led by Norwest Venture Partners. Link

Ripcord (2015, Hayward), provider of an all-inclusive records digitization and management service, raises $25M in Series B round of funding led by GV, with participation from Telstra Ventures and Icon Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Lux Capital, and Silicon Valley Bank. Link

Daimler (1886, Berlin), conglomerate automotive service provider, acquires majority stake in Chauffeur Privé (2011, Paris), cab aggregator service provider, for an undisclosed amount. Link

A weekly newsletter summarizing recent activity in the Chinese startup ecosystem.

DEALS OF THE WEEK

Chinese ride-sharing firm Didi Chuxing raises $4B 
Didi Chuxing (2012, Beijing), a ride-hailing service company, raised $4B in an undisclosed round led by Softbank Group Corp. Mubadala Capital also participated in the round.

INTERESTING FUNDRAISING ACTIVITY IN CHINA

Tencent, JD.Com To Inject $863M In E-Commerce Player Vipshop, Intensifying Battle With Rival Alibaba
Vipshop Holdings Ltd. (2008, Guangzhou), an online discount retailer, raised $863M in Post IPO round led by Tencent Holdings Ltd. and JD.com, Inc.

China’s Commercial Space Launch Company ExPace Raises $180M Round
ExPace Technology Co., (2016, Wuhan), a commercial space launch company, raised $180M in Series A round from undisclosed investors.

GLP, Bank Of China Invest $70M In G7 Networks To Develop Internet Of Things
G7 Networks (2006, Beijing), an Internet of Things company, providing IoT and big data solutions for fleet management, raised $70M in a strategic investment round led by Global Logistic Properties and Bank of China Group Investment Ltd.

Sequoia, Hillhouse, Yitu Technology Join $68M Series A Round In Chinese AI Chip Maker ThinkForce
ThinkForce (2017, Shanghai), an artificial intelligence chip maker, raised $68M in Series A round led by Sequoia Capital China, Hillhouse Capital, Yunfeng Capital and Yitu Technology.

SDIC Fund Leads $30M Round In Chinese Pharmaceutical Company LP Pharma
LP Pharma (2012, Xiamen), a pharmaceutical company focusing on the research and development of pharmaceuticals applicable to mucous membrane in the oral cavity, raised $30M in Series B round led by SDIC Fund Management Company Ltd., CMB International Capital Co Ltd, and Zhangzhou Pien Tze Huang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Fidelity’s Investment Arms, Northern Light Venture Lead $25M Round In Orient Speech Therapy Center
Orient Speech Therapy Center (China) Ltd. (2007, Hong Kong), a Chinese speech and language therapy operator, raised $25M in Series B round led by Eight Roads Ventures and F-Prime Capital.

New Oriental Joins $21M Round In Chinese Parenting Content Platform Xiaoxiaobaomama
Xiaoxiaobaomama, a Chinese new media platform focusing on the evaluation of maternal and infant products, providing parenting knowledge targeting infants, raised $21M in Series A round led by New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc., and Lafang China Co., Ltd.

Chinese Blockchain Technology Firm Coldlar Raises $10M Series A Round
Coldlar (2017, Beijing), a blockchain technology company, raised $10M in Series A round led by China Capital Financial Service Chamber of Commerce.

Tianhe Life Sciences leads $9.5M Series A in Clover Biopharma
Clover Biopharmaceuticals (2007, Chengdu), a biotechnology company focused on developing novel and transformative biological therapies, raised $9.5M in Series A round led by Tianhe Life Sciences Venture Fund.

Hong Kong-based fintech startup EMQ raises $6.5M Series A
EMQ (2014, Hong Kong), a Fintech startup, raised $6.5M in Series A round from undisclosed investors.

National SMEs Development Fund Leads New Funding Round In English Language Learning Platform Langying
Langying Education (Shangai), an online English language education system developer, providing learners with a comprehensive online education evaluation and service platform, as well as personalized education solutions, raised an undisclosed amount in Series A round led by National Small and Medium-size Enterprises Development Fund.

Baidu Leads New Funding Round In Chinese Quantitative Trading Platform JoinQuant
JoinQuant (2015, Beijing), a quantitative investment trading service platform, raised an undisclosed amount in Series B round led by Baidu.

Alibaba Joins Funding Round In Chinese EV Firm Xiaopeng Motors
Xiaopeng Motors (2015, Guangzhou), a Chinese electric vehicle maker, raised an undisclosed amount in undisclosed Series led by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., GGV Capital and Matrix Partners China.

INVESTMENTS BY CHINESE INVESTORS AND COMPANIES

Baidu, China Life To Jointly Launch $2.12 Billion Fund To Back Internet And AI Companies
Baidu Inc, a Chinese web services company, and China Life Insurance Co., Ltd.,  a Beijing based incorporated company that provides life insurance and annuity products, jointly launched a $2.12B fund to back companies in the mobile internet, artificial intelligence, Fintech and other advanced technology sectors.

Sunac China raises $1B in upsized share placement
Sunac China Holdings Ltd., a China-based property developer, raised $1B in a share placement.

Tencent to pick up stake in supermart chain for $638M in rare retail foray
Tencent Holdings Ltd., a Chinese investment holding conglomerate company, is in plans to acquire 5% stake in Yonghui Superstores Co., a Chinese supermarket chain, for $638M.

China’s Didi Chuxing To Acquire Payment Firm 19Pay In Bid To Rival Tech Giants BAT
Didi Chuxing, China’s largest ride-hailing firm, agreed to acquire 19Pay, a Beijing based third-party payment firm, for $45M.