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Venture capital market

Venture capital market
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Venture capital market. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
The partnership with HKU will help bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, according to Gobi Partners. Photo: Dickson Lee
Banking & finance

HKIC, Gobi Partners and HKU launch fund to back university research start-ups

Gobi-HKU Fund I makes first bets at launch, investing in robotics and AI drug design spin-offs born from university research breakthroughs.

China economy

China’s state-led venture capital revival risks losing momentum

United States

Opinion | Chilling effect of US outbound investment rules will extend beyond China

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Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s US$8 billion wealth fund eyes fintech, aerospace and AI for growth

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation will use the city’s advantages amid global competition, geopolitical challenges, CEO Clara Chan says.

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation made HK$2.34 billion in investment income in 2024, according to its annual report released in December. Photo: Jonathan Wong
IPO

From labs to listings: capital markets are the next battleground in the AI race

Stock exchanges have become another barometer in the US-China tech rivalry as markets assess a wave of start-ups in real time.

China technology

China’s nuclear fusion start-ups power up with record funding round

Startorus Fusion raised US$143 million, a record for a private firm, while Supermag New Energy received ‘several hundred million yuan’.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

China’s M&A revival points to deeper investor confidence in growth prospects

Deal value is expected to rise, with strategic transactions and overseas ambitions driving momentum.

Sectors representing Chinese firms’ technology innovation will likely be the main engines of China M&A, including automobile components and life sciences, according to industry experts. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

China launches venture capital fund to lead the charge on tech investment

The fund, which will put state-backed money behind early tech bets, could guide trillions of yuan in private capital to chosen sectors.

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United States

China’s AI sector poised for growth despite US restrictions: venture capitalist

China’s AI sector gains confidence with DeepSeek’s emergence, but tech ecosystem needs to improve, GSR United Capital’s Zhou Qi says.

Robotics

China’s Deep Robotics raises US$70 million as sector draws more investors

Company founder Zhu Qiuguo says the new funding would be used for research and the recruitment of top robotics talent.

Deep Robotics’ LYNX M20 quadruped robot is designed to support logistics and delivery operations. Photo: Handout
Banking & finance

Healthcare and tech to drive Asia-Pacific private equity deals amid slower growth

Asia-Pacific private equity managers are forecasting higher returns and fewer geopolitical risks than peers elsewhere, a new survey finds.

Healthcare is one of the sectors expected to drive private equity deals in 2026. Photo: Shutterstock
Fashion

How did Kim Kardashian’s Skims become a US$5 billion brand?

The shapewear and athleisure brand founded by Kardashian has been valued in the billions after a recent round of fundraising led by Goldman Sachs Alternatives in the US.

Banking & finance

Opinion | As markets grow more fragile, matter of time before the bubble bursts

The news and stories that move markets could well be a leading indicator of when markets fail.

Artificial intelligence

US start-up Anthropic unveils cheaper model to widen AI’s appeal

Haiku 4.5 offers coding abilities similar to Sonnet 4 but at about one-third the cost, the company says.

Anthropic has released the latest version of its Haiku AI model. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Nvidia to invest in Musk’s xAI as part of US$20 billion funding

Nvidia is investing as much as US$2 billion in the equity portion of the deal, sources say.

The xAI logo. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

AI dominates venture capital investing in 2025, pulling in US$192.7 billion

That puts 2025 on track to be the first year where more than half of total VC dollars go into the AI industry, according to PitchBook data.

Banking & finance

Blackstone hits US$10 billion goal on Asia buyout fund amid PE chill

Fundraising amid investor caution about private equity amid high borrowing costs, fewer listings and declining secondary buyouts.

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Artificial intelligence

Anthropic says new model can code on its own for 30 hours straight

Claude Sonnet 4.5 is also intended to excel at using a person’s computer to take actions for them, the company says.

Anthropic has released a new model. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba leads US$60 million investment in AI video generation start-up AIsphere

AIsphere’s PixVerse has over 100 million users globally, more than double the number it had at the start of the year.

Banking & finance

Qatari fund invests US$2 million in CK Asset-backed start-up Nexx

Doha-based Rasmal Ventures, backed by the Qatar Investment Authority, invests US$2 million in Hong Kong’s Nexx.

Artificial intelligence

Alibaba Cloud leads US$140 million funding round for AI start-up X Square Robot

The growing investor interest in embodied intelligence reflects the rapid advances being made by China’s humanoid robot makers.

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Alibaba Cloud has been increasing its outlay on robotics and embodied intelligence. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

US start-up Anthropic blocks Chinese firms’ subsidiaries from AI access

The changes mark an escalation from previous measures that targeted only companies located within China.

Anthropic is blocking subsidiaries of Chinese companies from accessing its services. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

Venture firm Lanchi doubles down on Chinese AI, robotics start-ups with new fund

Lanchi is committed to investing in Chinese embodied AI start-ups because of the improving abilities of robots and abundance of applications.

Artificial intelligence

AI start-up Anthropic in talks to raise US$10 billion in new funding

The new financing would mark a significant jump in valuation for the company and cement its status as one of the leading AI developers.

Insurance

Hong Kong virtual insurer Bowtie Life raises US$70 million in third funding round

Company, established in 2018, cites Hong Kong’s stock market rally for its success in raising funds.

Fred Ngan, Bowtie Life Insurance co-founder. Photo: Enoch Yiu
Artificial intelligence

Manus AI lays off China staff, scrubs social media, shelves mainland service

The start-up has relocated to Singapore with an eye on overseas clients and funding amid heightened US-China tensions.

Manus AI says it has started restructuring its operations after relocating to Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Robinhood CEO raises US$100 million to build AI models for maths

Harmonic adopts a maths-first approach, which it hopes will make its model better at solving complicated problems than large language models.

Artificial intelligence

Hong Kong’s financial centre status gives it an edge in AI market, experts say

SenseTime chief financial officer Wang Zheng says ‘having easy access to capital is extremely important’ for AI companies.

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