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San Francisco-based electric scooter firm Lime is planning to launch its e-scooter and e-bike rental service across the Middle East over the next two years. Lime CEO Wayne Ting said that the company is running a small trial in Dubai and plans to launch permanent operations in the next couple of months. Ting also mentioned the Middle East region is young, dynamic and forward-looking, adding that it has a huge commitment towards sustainability. IDG Capital joined Lime's Series A funding round in 2017.
IDG Capital has led a Series A funding round in JD Energy, an energy storage system integrator based in China. The funds raised will be used for R&D and the upgrading of the company’s eBlock program, JD Energy’s smart energy block product. The eBlock program includes systems for balanced battery management, energy storage converters, safety, power distribution and thermal management. The proceeds will also be used to speed up the R&D of new products and improve delivery capacities.
Guangzhou-based driverless car start-up WeRide has received a strategic investment from Chinese automaker Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group), which deepens WeRide and GAC’s strategic partnership in the joint development and manufacturing of purpose-built Robotaxis. WeRide and GAC will build a comprehensive framework for the development of Robotaxis which will cover the underlying technology, products, and commercialization. This May, IDG Capital joined WeRide’s Series C funding round.
IDG Capital has led a Pre-A financing round in Jidun Technology, a network security company engaged in the detection and response capabilities in enterprise business scenarios. Founded in 2020, the company has independently developed and released two products - “Mizong”, an enterprise operation analysis tool for internal personnel, and “Xice”, a network security operation product - and has now served dozens of large- and medium-sized enterprises in the fields of banking, trust, real estate and the Internet. Jidun’s CEO Ding Yang was in charge of the security operation of several departments for Alibaba Group prior to the establishment of Jidun.
KuCoin, a Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange, announced the platform has crossed the 10 million global users mark. Hitting the 10 million mark means that KuCoin has made it to the top 5 cryptocurrency exchanges, sharing the same number of users with the largest digital assets platforms. Known as the home of altcoins, KuCoin has discovered over 540 crypto gems with over 1000 trading pairs. IDG Capital co-led KuCoin's $20 million Series A round in November 2018.
Luxury retail platform Farfetch has acquired resale platform Luxclusif. Luxclusif will take over operation of Farfetch Second Life and continue to sell the pre-owned products they acquire as well as making white-label pre-owned sales for Farfetch Platform Solutions partners. “Luxclusif will help us accelerate our capabilities and reach in this area,” Giorgio Belloli, chief commercial and sustainability Officer at Farfetch, said. “Having supported Luxclusif as a startup, bringing them into the Farfetch family marks an exciting culmination in our work.” In 2016, IDG Capital led Farfetch's Series F funding round. Farfetch went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018.
Luxury online retail platform Farfetch has announced a joint venture with U.K. logistics company Clipper Logistics for extra supply chain support. The 50-50 venture will specialize in the demanding requirements for high-end e-commerce, Farfetch and Clipper said. As well as looking to Clipper to help provide smoother logistics, Farfetch’s chief operations officer, Luis Teixeira, said the move will also enable the company “to move stock closer to the customer” by developing a global warehousing footprint. In 2016, IDG Capital led Farfetch's Series F funding round.
Sanjieke, a China-based career training service provider, has secured over $30 million in its Series B+ and C rounds of funding. Sanjieke helps enterprise employees or individuals improve professional skills. The platform has offered over 7,000 courses linked to new technology, business and management since its foundation in 2015. Sanjieke said it plans to deploy the proceeds towards course development and strengthening its instructor team. IDG Capital led Sanjieke's series A fund in 2018.
Coinbase, a San Francisco-based cryptocurrency trading platform, has acquired crypto wallet firm BRD, a crypto wallet firm launched in 2014. With a focus on decentralization, security and customer-controlled funds, BRD now has over 10 million global customers. “BRD’s unique expertise in self-custody crypto wallets, will be invaluable in our goal of enabling more people to safely and securely access the decentralized world of crypto,” a Coinbase spokesperson said. IDG Capital was an angel investor in Coinbase in 2013.
KuCoin Labs, the investment and research arm of global leading exchange KuCoin, announced the launch of "KuCoin Metaverse Fund". A $100 million fund will be committed to support and incubate early-stage projects in Metaverse, GameFi, NFT, decentralized infrastructure, innovative projects and more. This fund will also support the metaverse education programs to assist the younger generation in exploring its potentials. IDG Capital co-led KuCoin's $20 million Series A round in November 2018.
IDG Capital has co-led $84.3 million in Beijing Changmugu Medical Technology, a provider of integrated solutions for orthopedic intelligent surgery. Founded in 2018 in Silicon Valley, the company has focused on the research and development of orthopedic AI solutions and digital systems. This round of financing will be mainly used to accelerate the research and development, clinical trials, production expansion and global marketing of orthopedic AI solutions and surgical robots.
Luminar, an IDG Capital-backed startup that makes LIDAR sensors, will supply its sensors to Nvidia for a new autonomous vehicle technology platform that Nvdia is developing for automakers to install in consumer cars and trucks. Luminar says its Iris sensor detects objects 250 meters ahead of a vehicle that’s traveling at highway speed, and will cost between $500 and $1,000 per vehicle, depending on production volume. IDG Capital was an early investor in Luminar when the startup was still under stealth mode.
Firework, a Redwood City, Calif.-based short-form video-sharing platform competing with TikTok, has received investment from credit card company American Express. Founded in 2018, Firework is a platform for merchants to create TikTok-like clips and livestreams with direct sales functionality. It counts grocery giant Albertsons and its subsidiary chains, Safeway and Jewel-Osco, as clients. IDG Capital led a $30 million funding in Firework this year and was also an early investor in Loop Now Technologies, Firework's parent firm.
IDG Capital has joined a $200 million funding round in Chinese self-driving firm Momenta.ai. Founded in 2016, Momenta is using a data-driven approach, with its algorithm able to turn sensory information about a vehicle and its surroundings into actionable information in real time. The first production car built with Momenta’s assisted-driving system, SAIC’s electric Zhiji L7 sedan, will start mass delivery as soon as next year.
Coinbase, a San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange, is acquiring Agara, an AI-powered support platform with operations in India and the US. Coinbase plans to leverage Agara’s powerful Deep Learning and Conversational AI technology to automate and enhance the customer experience (CX) tools. Additionally, the Agara team brings deep expertise in ML and NLP to Coinbase and will augment Coinbase’s existing product, engineering, and data teams. IDG Capital was an angel investor in Coinbase in 2013.
HT Aero, an affiliate of Chinese electric vehicle maker Xpeng, publicized a flying car that the company says can also drive on roads. Although not commercially available yet, the flying cars are planned to be rolled out in 2024. The vehicle will have a lightweight design and a rotor that folds away, allowing the car to drive on roads and then fly once the rotors are expanded. IDG Capital led HT Aero’s Series A funding last month.