CHINA:
1. China FDI rose to record level in 2020 despite coronavirus, fastest growth rate in five years
2. China e-commerce to grow 21% in 2021; cross-border up 33% in 2020
3. China Makes Breakthroughs In UAV Quantum Networking
4. TikTok owner ByteDance launches payments in China as it pushes into fintech and e-commerce
5. Alibaba-backed logistics firm Best 百世 weighs sale in strategic review
7. Logistics Firm Lalamove Close to Raising $1.5b in Fresh Funding, Reaching $10b Valuation
8. Chinese edtech startup Erwan nets nearly $100m in Series D, E rounds
9. Chinese cold chain logistics firm Fresh Life nets $93m from CICC, others
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MOBILE-ONLY MARKETS:
1. Indian online gaming industry expected to touch $2.8b by 2022
2. Indian stock exchanges approve $3.4B Reliance and Future deal in setback for Amazon
3. India’s e-commerce giant Flipkart shelves plan to enter food retail sector
4. DeHaat inks $30M for agritech platform
5. Indian AI startup AlphaICs raises $8m Series B led by Endiya Partners, Emerald Technology
6. Ex-Flipkart, Alibaba exec backs Indian social commerce firm ShopG in $1.5m seed round
7. Accel and Elevation Capital co-lead a seed round in India’s apparel B2B marketplace Fashinza
8. African edtech startup uLesson lands a $7.5 million Series A
9. Fireside Ventures closes its second fund for consumer brands at $118m
11. VinaCapital backs livestreaming firm Gostream to supercharge Southeast Asia’s live-commerce market
CROSS-BORDER:
1. Singapore’s Antler to pour $100m into Indian startups within the next 4 years
OVERSEAS
1. In 2020, VCs invested $428M into US-based startups every day
2. Rivian raises $2.65B as it pushes toward production of its electric pickup
3. Digital workspace technology procider Citrix acquires Wrike for $2.25B
4. General Motors-owned self-driving car company Cruise has raised $2 billion
5. Naver acquires the online social storytelling platform Wattpad for over $600M
6. Mercedes unveils electric compact SUV in bid to outdo Tesla
7. Ad-supported EV charging network developer Volta raises $125 million
9. Startup Founded By Former UK PM Tony Blair’s Son Nabs $44M For Apprenticeship Startup
10. Powering Online Purchases, Bold Commerce Bags $27M Series B
11. Trovata banks $20M for cash automation
12. Conversa Health expands its Series B round to $20M
13. Miami-based Ironhack raises $20 million for its coding bootcamps as demand for coders continues
14. Brand building agency Genflow nabs $11M investment from BGF
15. Curtsy, a clothing resale app aimed at Gen Z women, raises $11 million Series A
16. Landbot closes $8M Series A for its ‘no code’ chatbot builder
17. Saudi Arabia-based Tamara inks $6M for BNPL platform
18. Podchaser raises $4M to build a comprehensive podcast database
19. Valve and five PC games publishers fined $9.4M for illegal geo-blocking
Image Credits: KrAsia