SeedPlus, the early stage investment firm launched by Singapore-based VC firm Jungle Ventures last year, has snagged a strategic investment from IFC, the investment and asset management firm within the World Bank Group. IFC confirmed today that it has invested $2 million in the SeedPlus fund, the size of which has not been disclosed. The firm is also an LP with Jungle Ventures, which… Read More
from TechCrunch
A startup called LimeBike has raised $12 million in venture funding to make Chinese-style bike sharing mainstream in the US. Andreessen Horowitz led the round joined by IDG Ventures, DCM Ventures and other investors who declined to be named. In China, companies like MoBike and Ofo have raised massive amounts of venture capital and distributed tens of thousands of their GPS-enabled bikes in… Read More
from TechCrunch
500 Startups is increasing its commitment to global investing with a new Latin America fund, targeting $10 million, going by the name of Luchadores II, the Spanish word for wrestlers. The fund is 500’s second aimed at the region and one of a growing number of its seed investment vehicles targeted at underserved markets across Europe, Asia and The Americas.
The accelerator has been… Read More
from TechCrunch
German media giant Hubert Burda is diving into Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem after its investment arm opened an office in Singapore. Burda, founded in 1898, is anchored in print media. Despite publishing more than 250 titles across the world, it has forayed into digital with some success through acquisitions and new business units. Unlike other print giants, its digital… Read More
from TechCrunch
Goodlord, a U.K. startup that has built a platform to handle transactions and the ‘paperwork’ normally associated with renting a home, has raised £7.2 million in Series A funding. Rocket Internet’s GFC led the round, with participation from existing backer LocalGlobe and new investor Ribbit Capital. Read More
from TechCrunch
It was happening, then it wasn’t — but now it seems Bill Maris’s venture fund might actually be more than vaporware. Maris, founder of Google Ventures, now called GV, is raising money again for a new health-care, biotech, and tech-focused venture capital fund, according to sources familiar with the matter. What was initially thought to be a $230 million fund has… Read More
from TechCrunch
Roblox has spent the greater part of the millennium creating a cool place for kids to play a diverse collection of games inside a single cross-platform world for its huge audience of tens of millions of monthly active youngsters. The company announced Tuesday that it has closed a massive $92 million funding round led by Meritech Capital Partners and Index Ventures. Read More
from TechCrunch
When Carlo Borquez Schwarzbeck was growing up he always loved the work he saw going on around his family’s farm. But without the aptitude for it, Schwarzbeck chose to go the business school route. Now, with his Los Angeles-based startup ProducePay, Schwarzbeck says he’s giving back to the communities that nurtured him. His company has just raised $77 million in equity and debt… Read More
from TechCrunch
Bringg, a startup taking advantage of the shift toward faster, more transparent on-demand delivery, has raised an additional $10 million in Series B funding, the company announced this morning. The funding was led by Aleph VC, and includes participation from Coca-Cola and prior investor Pereg Ventures. Founded in 2013, Chicago-headquartered Bringg was started by Raanan Cohen, the former… Read More
from TechCrunch
Alibaba’s conquest to own a piece of the global money transfer industry just suffered a huge blow after Euronet outbid its fintech affiliate business for the proposed acquisition of MoneyGram, a population option for cross-border money transfers. Ant Financial, the Alibaba-controlled unit that runs its Alipay mobile wallet among other services, bid $880 million for Moneygram back… Read More
from TechCrunch