17 startup funding rounds in Asia last week

We ended August with a big bang as we saw 17 startups get funded in the last week of the month. The biggest winner has got to be India’s messaging app Hike, with US$65 million funding raised in its latest round.

1. Xingyun | China

Xingyun, a Chinese niche social network for people interested in the arts and entertainment industry, has just raised an RMB 40 million (US$6.5 million) series A round of funding led by Shenzhen Capital Group.

2. Wecash | China

China’s first big data credit assessment startup, Wecash, has raised RMB 40 million yuan (US$6.5 million) from IDG Ventures.

3. Itugo | China

Itugo, a site that recommends fashion and lifestyle brands to women, bagged an undisclosed amount of funding from Matrix Partners China, InCapital, and a fund managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

4. WeYap | Indonesia

Online city directory WeYap has received an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Mountain SEA Ventures. The site was beta launched on August 18, one day after Indonesia’s independence day.

5. Tripvisto | Indonesia

Indonesian travel startup Tripvisto, has secured an undisclosed amount of seed funding from East Ventures. The team will use the money to hire more employees and to improve their products. (Disclosure: East Ventures is also an investor in TechinAsia. See our ethics page for more information.)

6. Hike | India

Hike, the Indian answer to WhatsApp, Line, and WeChat, has just raised its largest round of funding: US$65 million led by Tiger Global Management. Bharti SoftBank (BSB), a joint venture of Bharti Enterprises and Japan’s Softbank Corporation, also participated in the latest round. Earlier, Hike had raised US$7 million in 2013, and another US$14 million in April this year from BSB.

7. Theatro | India

Theatro, the developer of voice controlled wearable communications devices for hourly workers in the retail, hospitality and manufacturing sectors, announced it raised US$5 million in series A funding from Khosla Ventures.

8. Attero Recycling | India

Roorkee-based Attero Recycling offers end-to-end electronic waste (ewaste) recycling solutions. It just announced an INR 100 crore (US$16.5 million) series C funding.

9. PriceBag | India

Product discovery and price comparison engine PriceBag netted US$2 million in funding from undisclosed angel investors.

10. Ybrain | South Korea

South Korean startup Ybrain revealed it secured US$3.5 million in series A funding to build up its healthcare platform and launch medical wearables.

The startup is applying its know-how to an upcoming headband that claims to slow the effects of Alzheimer’s, a degenerative brain disease that initially leaves sufferers forgetful and confused, before it later shuts down bodily functions and leads to death. The headband entered clinical trials in South Korea last month and is slated for release early in 2015.

11. Vivit | Japan

Tokyo-based excursion buddy and destination discovery startup Vivit nabbed JPY 30 million (US$300,000) from Venture United and Incubate Fund.

12. Zuu | Japan

Tokyo-based financial advisor matching platform Zuu Advisors announced it raised JPY 105 million (US$1 million) from four angel investors.

13. Korbit | South Korea

Korbit, South Korea’s leading Bitcoin exchange, wallet and merchant processor, has closed a US$3 million series A funding round led by SoftBank Ventures Korea. Pantera Capital led the round from the US, with participation from BAM Ventures and previous investors Bitcoin Opportunity Corp, Tim Draper, Pietro Dova, and initial investor Strong Ventures.

14. PatSnap | Singapore

Singapore startup PatSnap has raised a S$4.5 million (US$3.6 million) series A round led by Vertex Venture Partners, the venture capital arm of Singapore-government-owned investment firm Temasek Holdings. It has raised a total of S$6.7 million (US$5.4 million) to date.

PatSnap wants to simplify the process of searching for patents. It has a search engine that makes finding patents easier, visualizing search results as 3D topographical maps. Patents are grouped into ‘islands’ according to technology area, and colors represent different companies. The startup has already gotten over 500 clients worldwide, including NASA, IBM, Pepsi, Xiaomi, and Vodafone.

15. MyDoc | Singapore

Singapore startup MyDoc recently announced that it has attracted investors. It completed an early-stage funding round of an undisclosed amount led by August Capital Partners. Spring SEEDS Capital, a Singapore government-related fund, also joined the round.

MyDoc offers a web and mobile service where patients can consult doctors online and seamlessly share their personal health data. It hopes that will result in lower healthcare costs.

16. HipVan | Singapore

HipVan, a Singapore-based ecommerce startup that sells “great designs” in home and furnishings, fashion, art, and other categories, has completed its $1.4 million series A financing round led by LionRock Capital and Skype co-founder Toivo Annus. This round marks the second time Annus has backed the startup, suggesting HipVan is looking promising and hitting its targets.

17. Spavista | Indonesia

Spavista, an Indonesian platform that lets consumers search for and book beauty and wellness services, announced it has received an angel investment amounting to S$200,000 (US$160,000) from the founding team of Singapore’s automotive marketplace SGCarMart. The Bali-based team will use the cash to hire a few people in Jakarta as it focuses on acquiring more partners in the capital city area.

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17 startup funding rounds in Asia last week