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Asian Startups Claim 11% of Billion Dollar Club
Any wonder to see so many Asian startups placing in the top tier of global companies valued at $1 billion or more by venture capital firms.
Accounting for 11 percent of a total 73 companies, China claims the most with eight, followed by India with four. In a show of strength for Startup Asia, South Korea takes two spots - Coupang and Yello Mobile - while Malaysia takes one - GrabTaxi.
These venture-backed technology startups that rank among the hottest in the world are centered in market sectors where Asia is taking a lead with innovations.
Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi tops the list with a stratospheric valuation of $46 billion.
E-commerce site Flipkart scores the highest for India, with a valuation of $11 billion.
See Forbes, $1BLN Club.
See WSJ article on $1 Billion Tally:
Meet the Hottest Tech Startups
TOP 10 VC-BACKED GLOBAL STARTUPS BY $
| Company | Latest Valuation | Total Equity Funding | Last Valuation |
|---|
| Xiaomi |
$46.0 billion
|
$1.4 billion
| December 2014 | | Uber |
$41.2 billion
|
$2.8 billion
| December 2014 | | Palantir |
$15.0 billion
|
$1.0 billion
| September 2014 | | SpaceX |
$12.0 billion
|
$1.1 billion
| January 2015 | | Flipkart |
$11.0 billion
|
$2.5 billion
| November 2014 | | Airbnb |
$10.0 billion
|
$800 million
| April 2014 | | Dropbox |
$10.0 billion
|
$607 million
| January 2014 | | Snapchat |
$10.0 billion
|
$615 million
| December 2014 | | Theranos |
$9.0 billion
|
$400 million
| June 2014 | | Meituan |
$7.0 billion
|
$1.1 billion
| January 2015 |
Source: Dow Jones VentureSource
TECH E-TRADE ROUTE FROM THE UK TO
ASIA'S HOTSPOTS OPENS
 Struggling to think of strong startup connections between the UK and China? Think again. Incubators, accelerators, tech delegations, stock exchanges, and U.K.-based business leaders are eyeing growth and profits by leveraging opportunities in the Far East.
Trade flows have always been strong, but not for tech innovation and venture investment. Now that's changing as more and more business and policy leaders spot the potential and see London as a bridge to Eastern markets.
Simon Squibb's incubator Nest from Hong Kong has engineered a partnership with London's Level 39 for its startups to share space at the Canary Wharf accelerator space. Meanwhile, a new incubator project backed by China Equity Capital, Cocoon Global, is forming in London to facilitate UK-China entrepreneurship.
Read Forbes: London's Bridge
TREND-SPOTTING
A new and thorough report from SparkLabs Global showcases some telling statistics about Asia's booming e-commerce business, with break-outs for China, India, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asian markets.
See Asian-E-commerce Report.
INSIDE ALIBABA, THE SHARP-ELBOWED WORLD OF CHINESE E-COMMERCE
Some merchants are using fake orders to boost their standing on Alibaba's websites, a practice that puts the Chinese e-commerce giant at risk. on.wsj.com/1zUqN07
BAIDU MAY STEAL SOME OF ALIBABA'S LIMELIGHT
Upcoming changes to global indexes should create even more investor interest in big Chinese Internet companies. But Baidu might benefit more than Alibaba or Tencent. on.wsj.com/1GniX3u
VENTURE CAPITAL ON THE RISE IN INDIA
Getting seed funding is easier than earlier with VCs having tasted blood with FlipKart, Snapdeal, Ola Cabs. See Times of India: VC on the rise
SMOG DOCUMENTARY SEND CHINA STOCKS SOARING
When journalist Chai Jing released her documentary on China's air pollution, she probably could not have dreamed that her message would resonate so widely while boosting the share prices of so many "environmentally friendly" companies.
More than a dozen stocks in the fields of pollutant treatment, air quality monitoring and green technology saw huge gains, with several rising 10% and reaching the daily trading limit.
The catalyst for the buying frenzy was a 104-minute long documentary going into details of the history, causes and impact of China's smog.
CHINA-US TECH BATTLE LINES DRAWN
Battle lines became clearer in China/US technology company disputes when a top United States official criticized China for new regulations on American tech companies.
The escalating conflict pits a confident Chinese leadership, alarmed by evidence of online espionage by the U.S, against an awkward alliance between the Obama administration and Silicon Valley - which itself is wary of Washington but is also salivating over the huge Chinese market.
What makes this trade dispute different from others is that traditional concerns of market share and protectionism have become intertwined with the thornier issues of national security and espionage.
Read NYT article, China-US tech trade
DEALS, FUNDS
GREATER CHINA
China's largest used car e-business Cheyipai picks up $110 million in financing. Renren led the D-round financing with secondary investors Sequoia Capital, Matrix China, Morningside Ventures and CITIC Capital.
Read related post: Renren's Burst Of Deals In US Startups Shows New Focus http://onforb.es/1DKWjnH
Alibaba announces new $315 million 'not-for-profit' fund to invest in Taiwan startups
"Chinese Craigslist" 58.com acquires real estate portal Anjuke for $267 million
Xiaomi powerhouse Lei Jun, the founder of China's most popular smartphone, raised 1 billion RMB ($160 million) to invest in more Chinese tech and Internet startups.This is the first RMB-denominated fund for his Shunwei Capital, enabling it to fund localized startups and exit from these deals within China as they go public. It's another advancement for China's homegrown tech innovation.
Read Forbes post: Shunwei fund
INDIA
Home-grown mobile handset maker Micromax Informatics, which sold as many or even more smartphones in the past couple of quarters than global smartphone leader Samsung in India, is reportedly seeking a valuation of $3-3.5 bliion for a potential stake sale. The valuation, which is close to three times of its annual sales, is too low compared to its global competitors who are trying to capture a slice of Indian smartphone market, the fastest growing, where Micromax has already established its leadership. China's Xiaomi, which has entered India only a few quarters ago, was valued at $46 billion in its December 2014 round of funding, a jump from $4 billion in June 2012.
India-based food ordering service TinyOwl raises $16 million from Matrix, Sequoia and Nexus in a Series B round to fund plans to reach 50 cities in the country http://tcrn.ch/1Deb4dj
Doctor search engine Practo Technologies raises $30 million from Sequoia and Matrix in a second round of financing.
Grofers, an on-demand delivery service for Indian cities, raises $10 million from Sequoia and Tiger Global http://tcrn.ch/1E25yzO
Sequoia Capital has led a $4.5 million investment deal in eight-month-old HomeLane, a technology-led home solutions startup backed by storied entrepreneur duo K Ganesh and Meena Ganesh. buff.ly/1B7J3Yb
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