TOPIC

Venture capital market

Venture capital market
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Venture capital market. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
A humanoid robot at a tech conference in Beijing last week. Photo: Xinhua
Robotics

Venture capital veteran Allen Zhu questions humanoid robots’ value

Zhu, who famously backed Didi Chuxing and RedNote, says early-stage venture capitalists should steer away from the embodied-AI sector.

videocam
Banking & finance

Venture-capital club expands to Hong Kong, plans US$250m fund

China manufacturing

‘Dominant’: US and Chinese robotics start-ups attract 75% of global funding

videocam
12
Robotics

China reveals economic data on service robots for the first time

Service robots outperformed industrial robots in both growth and output in January and February, according to the statistics bureau.

A senior resident at a nursing home in Shenzhen interacts with Xia Lan, a humanoid robot. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

Venture capital funds flock to China’s Zhejiang province amid hi-tech push

Provincial capital Hangzhou is home to Alibaba and start-ups DeepSeek, Unitree, Deep Robotics, Game Science, BrainCo and Manycore.

Robotics

China’s robotics start-ups emerge as new venture-capital darlings

In the first two months of the year, US$276 million in new funding was raised by China’s humanoid robot developers across 20 deals.

videocam
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
DeepSeek

China’s AI start-ups scramble to respond to DeepSeek amid shift to open source

Hangzhou-based DeepSeek has dominated the spotlight in China’s AI arena at the expense of local peers such as Moonshot and MiniMax.

DeepSeek’s presence looms large in China’s nascent artificial intelligence industry. Photo: Reuters
Banking & finance

Chinese venture capitalist Nisa Leung leaves Qiming after 19-year stint

Renowned investor steps down after driving the Shanghai firm’s healthcare and biotech investments.

Artificial intelligence

China’s DeepSeek gives Europe’s tech firms a way to catch up in global AI race

DeepSeek represents ‘a significant step forward in democratising AI’ for Europe’s tech start-ups, according to executives.

videocam
Indonesia

Indonesia’s US$1.4 billion fish start-up accused of faking most of its sales

EFishery was a darling of the nation’s start-up scene. Then a whistle-blower alleged that the company’s accounts weren’t accurate.

A bucket of fish is seen as fishermen unload their catch at a beach on Indonesia’s Bali island. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

AI start-up Anthropic to raise US$2 billion at US$60 billion valuation

The new funding will mark a jump in valuation for Anthropic, a major competitor of OpenAI in the foundation model space.

The Anthropic logo is seen in this illustration picture taken March 31, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Chinese start-up 01.AI founder Lee Kai-fu denies asset sale to Alibaba Cloud

01.AI denounced as ‘vicious slander’ talks that it was looking to sell its pre-training team and other assets owing to business difficulty.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba ties up with Lee Kai-fu’s unicorn as AI sector consolidates

Alibaba Cloud signs a deal with start-up 01.AI to develop AI model solutions for business clients.

Artificial intelligence

Shanghai firm helps AI start-up Stepfun raise ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’

Fortera Capital, a private-equity firm under the Shanghai State-owned Capital Investment Co, led Stepfun’s recent series B funding round.

Artificial intelligence start-up Stepfun raised a hefty, undisclosed amount in its latest funding round. Photo: Handout
ByteDance

Fund of ByteDance’s billionaire founder gets Hong Kong asset management licence

The investment fund started by the founder of the Chinese owner of TikTok now has regulatory approval to provide services to professional investors.

videocam
ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming attends the opening ceremony of the 5th World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, on November 7, 2018. Photo: AP
Artificial intelligence

Chinese start-up Zhipu AI adds US$412 million to war chest in crowded market

Zhipu said it doubled its revenue year on year in the 11 months to November, without providing an exact figure.

China technology

Chinese venture capital firm finds growth in niche spending amid overall slump

BA Capital has been able to tap into niche consumer areas to grow into a firm with US$1.38 billion under management.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China's economic recovery

China touts ‘bold capital’ to coax risky plays amid waning investor confidence

Concept of ‘bold capital’ has emerged amid national efforts to improve policy environment for investors that both encourages and forgives their attempts.

A two-passenger eVTOL multicopter, the EH216-S, conducts a demonstration flight in Shenzhen, where “bold capital” is being encouraged to elevate innovation and economic growth. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Moonshot AI founder’s dispute with 5 investors up for arbitration in Hong Kong

The five firms that invested in Moonshot AI founder Yang Zhilin’s last venture, Recurrent AI, claim he has ‘uncleared liability’.

Semiconductors

China’s AI chip unicorn Moore Threads moves closer to possible IPO

The GPU and AI-accelerator start-up, founded by an Nvidia veteran, has become a joint-stock company after fresh investments.

Artificial intelligence

Chinese unicorn Zhipu AI raises US$210 million to invest in start-ups

The Z Fund says it aims to take advantage of its parent’s leading position in China’s AI sector to discover promising early-stage start-ups.

The Zhipu AI booth at an industry conference in Shanghai. Photo: Handout
Banking & finance

China’s economic stimulus is a boon for APAC private capital market: Preqin

China’s contribution to the region’s market for private capital has tumbled, but measures from Beijing could spark a turnaround.

An employee works on solar photovoltaic modules at a factory in Sihong, China. Photo: AFP
Banking & finance

China Renaissance names missing founder’s wife to chair investment bank

Hui Yin-ching, also known as Xu Yanqing, was designated as the chairperson of the bank’s board and executive director effective October 9, Renaissance said.

Start-ups

Hong Kong’s MindWorks defies private capital slump with new start-up fund

MindWorks closed a US$220 million fund, with backing from sovereign wealth funds, a university endowment, and ‘new economy entrepreneurs’.

Artificial intelligence

Sam Altman could get 7% stake if OpenAI shifts to for-profit model

OpenAI is considering these changes against the backdrop of an exodus of senior managers, including Mira Murati.

videocam
Sam Altman, right, CEO of OpenAI, and Mira Murati, chief technology officer. Murati announced on Wednesday she is leaving the company. Photo: AP Photo
Banking & finance

Will new policy encourage Chinese banks to invest in struggling start-ups?

Beijing’s encouragement for banks to boost investment in unlisted companies is a big move in the effort to support start-ups, analysts say.

Li Yunze, director of the National Administration of Financial Regulation. Photo: Reuters
China technology

China eyes sci-tech venture capital to boost industrial upgrade, economic growth

Premier Li Qiang said on Wednesday the development of venture capital is critical to sci-tech innovation, industrial upgrading and the growth of the economy.

Start-ups

Start-up funding in China remains weak, but may see a recovery this year

Funding for start-ups in China remains at a low point, although the amount raised in the first half is already more than 50 per cent of 2023’s total, suggesting a potential recovery.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.
SUPPORT NOW
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement