- Feb. 12, 2022 -
Focus on the globalization of Chinese companies, provide the latest venture capital news from around the world, and strive to eliminate information gaps, so that readers can see the most noteworthy events of the week.
A major event in the globalization of Chinese companies that deserve attention
Xiaopeng Motors reached a strategic cooperation with European dealer group Emil Frey NV and Bilia. 36Kr learned that recently, Xiaopeng Motors announced that it has reached a strategic cooperation agreement with European distributor Emil Frey NV Group in the Netherlands and Bilia Group in Sweden. On February 11, Xiaopeng Motors' first direct-operated experience store in Europe was officially opened in Stockholm, Sweden. Xiaopeng Automobile has introduced a new retail model of "direct operation + authorization" in the European market. According to reports, under this channel model, Xiaopeng Automobile will accelerate the development of local sales networks in Europe, including the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark.
"Basis Point Bio" received a C2 round of financing of 120 million yuan. 36Kr learned that "Basis Point Biology", a provider of intelligent biological deep cryogenic preservation system solutions, has completed a C2 round of financing with a total of 120 million yuan. It is reported that this round of financing is jointly led by LYFE Capital and old shareholder Deyi Capital. After this round of financing, Basis Point Bio will continue to launch more product lines and make efforts to lay out overseas markets.
In January, 34 Chinese manufacturers were shortlisted in the global mobile game publisher revenue list TOP100. 36Kr learned that the Sensor Tower store intelligence platform shows that in January 2022, Chinese mobile game publishers ranked in the global App Store and Google Play revenue rankings, and a total of 34 Chinese manufacturers were shortlisted in the global mobile game publisher revenue list TOP100 in this issue, with a total of 2.26 billion US dollars, accounting for nearly 39% of the global top 100 mobile game publishers' revenue.
Realme's market share ranks in the top five in 30 markets and 6 regions worldwide. According to canalys' latest data, realme's market share ranked in the top five in 30 markets and 6 regions around the world in the fourth quarter of 2021, with the Philippines and Bangladesh ranking first, and markets and regions including Germany, Peru, Colombia and Western Europe entering the top five for the first time. In Europe, realme is growing at nearly 450% annually, making it the fourth largest smartphone brand in the region.
SAIC Motor sold 456,000 units in January, with new energy and overseas markets as a bright spot. 36Kr learned that SAIC Motor released a production and sales report in January, with wholesale sales of 456,000 vehicles in the month, an increase of 13% year-on-year, and terminal deliveries reaching 518,000 units. Among them, SAIC's wholesale sales of passenger cars reached 68,000 units, an increase of 18% year-on-year; at the same time, its new energy vehicles also ushered in hot sales, with single-month sales of more than 72,000 units, an increase of 25.5% year-on-year; and overseas market sales exceeded 65,000 units, an increase of 74.4% year-on-year.
Zhongke Electric: The company will strive to open up overseas markets. According to Sina Finance, Zhongke Electric said in the institutional survey that the company has maintained long-term and good cooperative relations with well-known enterprises in the industry and domestic and foreign such as BYD, Ningde Times, AVIC Lithium Battery, Ewell Lithium Energy, Ruipu Energy, South Korea SKI, ATL and so on. In the future, in addition to continuing to deepen cooperation with existing major customers, the company will actively expand high-quality new customers in the industry. In addition, the company will strive to explore overseas markets, and the related expansion work is underway as planned.
This week must read the sea boutique article
In 2021, the global Internet giants are entering the live e-commerce, and TikTok, as a successful model for Chinese companies to go overseas, has also entered the market. The purchase potential of one billion monthly active users and the content form of short videos undoubtedly make TikTok the platform with the most potential to drive the development of overseas video shopping. Similar to Douyin, advertising marketing, talent cooperation, and live streaming are also the main ways to play on TikTok. However, in the face of the vast overseas market, there is still uncertainty about TikTok's e-commerce path. When will TikTok e-commerce be able to "take off"? Referring to the process of vibrato, is there only one "Luo Yonghao"?
The population of more than 660 million, the younger population structure, the continuous improvement of network infrastructure, and the increasing consumption level have become a powerful boost to the development of Southeast Asia's Internet economy. A number of super applications have emerged under the impetus of the Internet, covering the fields of takeaway taxis, online shopping, and online payment. In recent years, the rise of the C-end market in Southeast Asia has been put in the spotlight and attracted the world's attention. At the same time, the B2B technology wave has also quietly emerged in Southeast Asia.
Global new economic events
Southeast Asia
Digital bank Tonik completes $131 million Series B funding round. According to foreign media reports, the round of financing was led by Mizuho Bank, with the participation of existing investors Sequoia India, Point72 Ventures, Insignia Ventures Partners and Alpha JWC Ventures. Headquartered in Singapore, Tonik entered the Philippine market in March 2021, introducing deposit, payment and credit card products to consumers in the market. After this round of financing, Tonik will accelerate its development in the Philippine market.
Grab acquires Jaya Grocer, a major Malaysian supermarket chain. According to foreign media reports, Grab completed a majority stake acquisition of Jaya Grocer, a large Malaysian supermarket chain. The acquisition enables Grab to leverage Jaya Grocer's vast network of suppliers to further expand its GrabSupermarket product line at a lower cost. In this way, the two companies plan to offer on-demand delivery to more consumers in Southeast Asian countries. Founded in 2008, Jaya Grocer offers fresh products and housewares, and the company currently operates more than 40 stores.
Indonesia suspended mine operations for more than 1,000 miners. According to Sina Finance, a document released by the Mining and Coal Bureau under the Indonesian Ministry of Mines shows that Indonesia has suspended the operation of more than 1,000 miners' mines (tin mines, etc.) due to the failure to submit a work plan for 2022. Sony Heru Prasetyo, an official at the Bureau of Mines and Coal, confirmed the document on Friday and said the companies had received warnings before the temporary moratorium was imposed, but had not yet submitted plans for 2022.
Thai online recruitment platform Manatal raised $5.1 million in seed round funding. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing was led by Surge, an accelerator project owned by Sequoia. The company will use the new funding to enhance its product offerings and AI recommendation engine. Manatal helps recruiters leverage the latest technology to streamline the entire hiring process from onboarding to onboarding.
India
Indian B2B e-commerce platform ElasticRun has joined the list of unicorns with $300 million in funding. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing is led by SoftBank Vision Fund II. ElasticRun is a B2B e-commerce platform focused on connecting large companies and Kirana (mom-and-pop stores), its technology platform and network help small Kirana across India to purchase FMCG goods from large brands, etc., and cooperate with banks and financial institutions to provide working capital for Kirana and help it improve its marketing strategy through data analysis.
Indian logistics company Xpressbees completes $300 million Series F funding round. According to foreign media reports, the investors in this round of financing include Blackstone Growth, TPG Growth and ChrysCapital. It is reported that Xpressbees was originally just a logistics service department under the Indian mother and baby e-commerce giant FirstCry, and after independent operation, the company aims to provide logistics services to users, such as "first mile delivery", "last mile delivery", reverse logistics, collection, direct shipping, supplier management, cross-border services, etc.
Indian home improvement platform Livspace raised $180 million in funding. According to foreign media reports, the round of financing was led by KKR, with IKEA, as well as other early investors Jungle Ventures, Venturi Partners and Peugeot Invest participating. Founded in 2014, Livspace is a renovation platform designed to help clients build connections with interior designers, furniture manufacturers and contractors, who can also purchase furniture and home décor from a variety of vendors.
Europe
Tesla 2021 remains the global champion in electric vehicle sales. According to Sina Technology, the Korea Automotive Research Institute released the "2021 Electric Vehicle Sales Performance and Market Trends" report on the 7th, showing that last year's global pure electric vehicle market sales were 4,717,728 units, a year-on-year increase of 112%, accounting for 5.8% of the overall automobile market share, up 2.9% year-on-year. Tesla is still the top electric vehicle sales in the world, with a total of 921,642 units sold last year, followed by China's SAIC, Germany's Volkswagen, BYD shares, and Hyundai Motor.
Macron: France will launch new energy production projects on a large scale. According to CCTV News, French President Emmanuel Macron announced on the 10th that France will launch new projects on a large scale in the field of energy production, accelerate the construction of renewable energy, and restart the construction of civil nuclear power plants. Macron said that in order to meet its commitments to combat climate change, reduce dependence on international energy markets and develop its own industry, France needs to implement "structural" energy production projects immediately. According to macron's announced plan, by 2050, France will build 50 offshore wind farms to achieve the target of 40 GW of wind power capacity; the installed capacity of solar power generation will increase tenfold to more than 100 GW.
Flexport raised $935 million in Series E funding. According to Yuanjing Capital, the funding round was led by Andreessen Horowitz and MSD Partners, with a strategic investment provided by Shopify. It is reported that Flexport is a technology freight forwarding company that provides a full range of sea, land and air services. Through its Global Trade Operating System, Flexport offers a combination of advanced technology, offline logistics infrastructure, and team expertise to provide logistics and supply chain professionals around the world with fast, predictable transit times, visibility and control, as well as lower supply chain costs.
NVIDIA's acquisition of ARM failed. According to Zhidong, this week, SoftBank, Nvidia and ARM officially issued a statement announcing the termination of the previous Nvidia plan to acquire ARM from SoftBank. SoftBank stated that despite the efforts of both sides, significant regulatory challenges hindered the completion of the transaction. Meanwhile, under the agreement between Nvidia and SoftBank, SoftBank will retain the $1.25 billion deposit previously paid by Nvidia and will be included in profit in the fourth quarter, while Nvidia will retain its 20-year ARM license.
Volvo plans to invest SEK 10 billion to produce the next generation of electric vehicles in Sweden. According to China News Network, Volvo Cars said on the 8th that it will invest 10 billion Swedish kronor in its manufacturing plant in Torslanda, Sweden, in the next few years to prepare for the production of the next generation of pure electric vehicles. As part of the planned investment, the Torslanda manufacturing facility will introduce a whole new and more sustainable set of technologies and manufacturing processes. With an annual capacity of 300,000 vehicles, the Torslanda plant is one of Volvo Cars' longest-running manufacturing plants.
Anzews
New Zealand biometrics provider Cloudcheck was acquired by British digital identity giant GBG. GbG acquired New Zealand biometric technology provider Cloudcheck for £14 million (about $19 million) to strengthen its competitiveness in the Oceania market. Founded in 2012, Cloudcheck provides identity verification and anti-money laundering (AML) services, including the use of optical character recognition (OCR) and selfie biometrics to examine identity documents.
Australian game development company Aristocrat has terminated its acquisition of Playtech, a British gambling software development company. According to foreign media reports, although a majority of Playtech's shareholders voted for the deal, according to the terms of the bid, Playtech needs at least 75% of voting shareholders to support Aristocrat's bid. But it didn't get enough support, so Aristocrat terminated its acquisition of Playtech. Previously, Aristocrat had planned to buy Playtech for $2.9 billion.
Australian company Syrah Resources is seeking $250 million in financing. According to foreign media reports, Syrah Resources plans to open a new round of financing, raising about $250 million. It is reported that Syrah Resources plans to use the newly raised funds to expand the US market and increase the production capacity of active anode materials.
Latin america
Columbian financial services firm Movii raised $17 million. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing is led by Square. The financing is part of a Series C round that will total $65 million. Movii was founded in 2017 with the goal of providing financial services to the unbanked population through the use of new technologies. So far, Movii has about 2.5 million users and 60,000 merchant users.
Mexican agri-tech company Sistema Biobolsa raised $15.6 million in Series B funding. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing was led by KawiSafi Ventures, with the participation of existing investors engie RDE, ElectriFI fund and Chroma Impact Investment. Founded in 2010, Sistema Biobolsa provides farmers with innovative biopeptizer technology, training and funding to address the challenges of poverty, food security and climate change.
Africa
Egyptian social e-commerce company Brimore raised $25 million in Series A funding. According to foreign media reports, the round of financing was jointly led by International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Endure Capital, with financial technology giants Fawry, Flourish and Endeavor Catalyst Fund, as well as existing investors Algebra Ventures, Disruptech and Vision Ventures. Founded in 2017, Brimore is an omni-channel social e-commerce platform that connects small and medium-sized suppliers and sellers and word-of-mouth marketers and brings emerging brands to market.
Nigerian fintech startup Bamboo raised $15 million in Series A funding. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing was jointly led by Tiger Global and Greycroft, followed by Motley Fool Ventures, Saison Capital and Chrysalis Capital. Some of the funds from this round will be used to optimize the company's technology infrastructure for smoother processes and faster withdrawals. The company also plans to launch more new products.
other
The global manufacturing PMI has continued to decline, and the momentum of the global economic recovery continues to weaken. According to the Financial Associated Press, the National Federation of Logistics and Purchasing released today that the global manufacturing PMI in January 2022 fell by 0.6 percentage points from the previous month to 54.7%, down for two consecutive months. Regionally, the European manufacturing PMI was unchanged from the previous month, the Asian and African manufacturing PMI fell slightly from the previous month, and the Manufacturing PMI in the Americas decreased significantly from the previous month. Judging from the changes in the global manufacturing PMI, the index still remains above 54%, indicating that the recovery of the global manufacturing industry is still continuing. However, the current index level is significantly lower than the 2021 average of 56.1%, down for two consecutive months from the previous month, indicating that the momentum of the global manufacturing recovery continues to weaken.
South Korean electric scooter startup Swing raised $24 million in Series B funding. According to foreign media reports, this round of financing was led by White Star Capital, followed by South Korea's famous blockchain investment company Hashed and so on. Since its inception in 2019, Swing has raised a total of about $33 million. The company will use the proceeds to expand its fleet of micro-mobile vehicles and further penetrate the Japanese market. In 2022, Swing plans to deploy 100,000 electric scooters, bicycles and motorcycles with interchangeable batteries and install 200 charging stations. Swing currently has about 35,000 electric vehicles, including electric scooters and mopeds.
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