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China Q4 2018

Startup China

4th quarter 2018 news

  • Made in China 2025: A look at how 5G could put China in charge of the wireless backbone   //   read it here
  • China: XinChao Media elevator TV ad firm backed to $302M in part by Baidu search giant   //   read it here
  • ‘I wrote about Chinese oppression in a South African paper. Hours later, they cancelled my column.’   //   read it here
  • How China’s AI exports seed high-tech surveillance far beyond the country’s borders   //   read it here
  • China tests technologies spanning AI, facial recognition and fingerprinting at border crossing of HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge   //   read it here
  • China: NextVPU AI and computer vision startup raises $28M from state-owned group   //   read it here
  • China: AEYE-GO secures investment for AI-driven self-checkout systems   //   read it here
  • Baidu, China’s Google clone, leads AI patent applications in China with 2368 filings   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to Deepwise, startup using AI to interpret medical imaging   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to Infervision, using AI in detecting cancer cells   //   read it here
  • China: Alibaba e-commerce giant registers new chip-making subsidiary, Pingtouge, in Shanghai   //   read it here
  • China: Yitu AI-powered facial recognition startup expands into speech recognition   //   read it here
  • China: 4Paradigm AI-driven firm secures $145M with corporate-focused data science software suite   //   read it here
  • China: Face++ AI facial recognition startup reportedly raising $500M at $3.5BN valuation   //   read it here
  • China: ByteDance to raise $1.45BN for venture fund focusing on AI and media content   //   read it here
  • An overview of China’s Didi Chuxing ride-hail app’s growth in Australia   //   read it here
  • A brief video look at Alibaba Cainiao Automated Warehouse, China’s largest   //   read it here
  • China: Full Truck Alliance ‘Uber for trucks’ reportedly heading for near $1BN funding   //   read it here
  • China: Momenta autonomous driving startup secures new funding, hits $1BN valuation   //   read it here
  • China: Watchdog works on online credit blacklist system to punish debt defaulters and ‘trouble-makers’ aiming for 2020 social credit rollout   //   read it here
  • China: TransWiseway transport system startup secures $103M with ‘internet of vehicles’ platform   //   read it here
  • On Bloomberg: The Chinese government’s plan to sideline bitcoin’s promise   //   read it here
  • China’s activists using blockchain to document MeToo stories   //   read it here
  • China now requires blockchain-based info service providers to register users’ real names, censor posts and store user data   //   read it here
  • China: Alibaba Cloud launches Blockchain-as-a-Service offering globally   //   read it here
  • China: 3 banks complete first trial payment on blockchain-based settlement system   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to the recently-announced Blockchain Test Zone in Hainan island’s Free Trade Zone   //   read it here
  • People’s Bank of China has registered 78 digital currency patents; 44 blockchain-related   //   read it here
  • China: Shenzhen tax bureau partners Tencent for blockchain invoice system via WeChat payment platform   //   read it here
  • 7-Eleven partners WeChat Pay and Alipay for Canada-wide availability   //   read it here
  • Google CEO recently spoke for the first time about its censored China search engine, Project Dragonfly   //   read it here
  • China: Ucommune coworking space operator makes 5th acquisition this year in battle for China dominance with US rival WeWork   //   read it here
  • China: Atlas coworking startup secures funding on $871M valuation and rapid growth   //   read it here
  • China: Ucommune coworking giant raises further $200M, hitting valuation of $3BN   //   read it here
  • China: Cobo cryptocurrency wallet startup raises $13M to enter US and expand in SE Asia   //   read it here
  • China’s Huobi crypto exchange unveils expansion plans for Africa, Middle East and South Asia   //   read it here
  • China: Cobo cryptocurrency wallet startup gains $13M funding for international growth   //   read it here
  • People’s Bank of China central bank set to clamp down on airdrops, the free distribution of cryptocurrency tokens   //   read it here
  • China: 8th Global Public Blockchain Technology Assessment Index released   //   read it here
  • China: As cryptocurrency losses exceed $706BN, investors back off from blockchain and crypto startups   //   read it here
  • China: BOX cryptocurrency startup backed by Intel, Nasdaq for corporate supply chain financing services   //   read it here
  • China: Bitmain crypto mining firm partners state-run China Mobile for AI development   //   read it here
  • China’s Alipay partners HMSHost for seamless payments in airports across US and Canada   //   read it here
  • China’s JD e-tail giant partners Google for flagship online store in the US   //   read it here
  • Infographic: A quick breakdown of Alibaba Group’s US$12.4BN earnings in Q3 2018   //   read it here
  • China: Alibaba launches low-cost smart screen for the visually-impaired   //   read it here
  • China’s Alibaba partners Rwanda for Electronic World Trade Platform   //   read it here
  • Alibaba’s Hema Supermarket set to have 100 stores running in China by year-end   //   read it here
  • China: An overview of Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplace stats for Q3 2018   //   read it here
  • China: Baidu search giant to invest $140M in development of mini-program ecosystem   //   read it here
  • China: Mogu online e-tailer selling fashion and cosmetics aiming to raise $67M in US IPO   //   read it here
  • China: Starbucks partners Alibaba e-commerce giant to launch ‘virtual store’   //   read it here
  • China: Online retail B2C market in Q3 2018 hit US$186BN in transactions   //   read it here
  • Video: Social commerce currently the most interesting segment in China market according to ZhenFund CEO   //   read it here
  • China: Fresh Buddy social e-commerce app and food delivery system secures $100M   //   read it here
  • China: Liulishuo English-learning app raises $72M in US IPO   //   read it here
  • China: Yuanfudao homework app secures $300M, hitting $3BN valuation   //   read it here
  • China: A look at Shenzhen city’s sustainability moves – 16000 e-buses and 13000 e-taxis by year-end   //   read it here
  • China’s Ant Financial takes $100M stake in Brazil’s StoneCo fintech   //   read it here
  • China: Ping An Insurance Group to deploy additional $100M from Ping An Global Voyager Fund, its first overseas $1BN fund, by year-end   //   read it here
  • China: Central bank warns that rejecting cash as a form of payment is illegal, following merchants going digital-only   //   read it here
  • An in-depth look at how China’s fintech firms are enacting a global coup   //   read it here
  • Earlier this year, China’s central bank warned merchants against refusing cash payments, concerned over financial stability in the face of mobile payments   //   read it here
  • China: WeChat Pay launches AI-based automatic scan-and-pay for parking at over 1000 shopping malls   //   read it here
  • JUST’s vegan mung bean egg set to enter Chinese market in 2019   //   read it here
  • China: Online gaming market *decreased* to US$8.29BN in Q2 2018   //   read it here
  • China: 4 ways Google’s Dragonfly will fuel authoritarianism and state surveillance   //   read it here
  • China: Jiangsu Province to issue electronic marriage licenses via Alipay   //   read it here
  • While tech giants debate the dangers of facial recognition, China forges ahead   //   read it here
  • China: Government announces its sat-nav system, Beidou, has achieved global coverage, removing reliance on US-led GPS   //   read it here
  • China: Yaoshibang pharmacy platform and app raises $133M   //   read it here
  • China: WuXi AppTec medical technology platform raises US$1BN in Hong Kong listing   //   read it here
  • China: WeChat-powered hotel lets guests check in, enter rooms and get breakfast using mobile phone   //   read it here
  • China: An overview of what’s wrong with Huawei, and why countries are banning the telecommunications firm   //   read it here
  • China: Tencent now using facial recognition to detect minors playing mobile game   //   read it here
  • Germany’s Munich Re reinsurance provider partners Plug and Play to engage with China’s up-and-coming insurtech startups   //   read it here
  • Sunshine Insurance Group partners Plug and Play China, aiming for insurtech startups   //   read it here
  • China: Terminus IoT solution provider secures $172M with 70 cities and 8000 projects   //   read it here
  • China: SummitView Capital partners Xuzhou City for $433M fund focusing on IoT and sensor industry growth   //   read it here
  • China: G7 IoT-based fleet management startup raises $320M backed by Tencent   //   read it here
  • China’s JD and Intel partner on Digitized Retail Joint Lab to explore use of Internet of Things in smart retail solutions   //   read it here
  • China: Authorities can now enter any internet services entity and copy information relevant to ‘cybersecurity’   //   read it here
  • China: 36Kr tech-focused media firm establishes $144M venture capital fund   //   read it here
  • The globalization of Beijing’s media controls: Key trends from 2018   //   read it here
  • A look inside China’s global propaganda campaign   //   read it here
  • China: Fuyoukache online truck logistics service provider raises $170M   //   read it here
  • China: Mobvista mobile advertising and analytics platform aiming for US$208M IPO via Hong Kong   //   read it here
  • China: An overview of the top mobile apps by total downloads and earnings in October 2018   //   read it here
  • China: Baidu search engine giant unveils AI-powered camera tool aimed at detecting ocular disease   //   read it here
  • China: Scientists discovered to be losing track of gene-edited CRISPR patients   //   read it here
  • China: Finger music education platform lands $14M for offline market move   //   read it here
  • China: VIP Peilian online music education platform secures $150M   //   read it here
  • The comparative strengths and weaknesses of China’s Tencent Music and Sweden’s Spotify   //   read it here
  • China: A look at Qutoutiao news app, using a pay-the-user-to-read strategy which has so far drawn 20M daily readers   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to Makeblock, HAX accelerator graduate startup with robotics kits used by 6M users worldwide   //   read it here
  • China’s WeChat Pay to be payment option at 600 outlets in Singapore from November   //   read it here
  • China: A look at the ‘water army’ phenomenon – paid internet trolls who flood negative online reviews away for clients   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to Spacety microsatellites startup   //   read it here
  • China: 36kr tech media platform launches $144M VC fund aiming for integrated entrepreneur service ecosystem   //   read it here
  • Infographic: One minute in China’s tech scene   //   read it here
  • Changemakers For China launched by StartupBlink and Taovation, aiming for startup-enterprise relationships in China   //   read it here
  • China’s Gobi Partners VC firm commits to invest $50M in women-founded startups   //   read it here
  • China: New trading venue set for Shanghai to make it easier for high-tech companies to access funding   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to the 15 startups selected for the 2nd Ping An Cloud Accelerator program   //   read it here
  • China: Self-service ‘mini-gyms’ of 5 square metres emerging in major cities   //   read it here
  • Taiwan’s Foxconn planning $9BN China chip project in trade war adjustment   //   read it here
  • China: 656.88M search engine users as of June 2018, 637.4M via mobile devices – market expected to hit US$20BN   //   read it here
  • A list of the Fortune 500 companies currently doing business in China’s Xinjiang region   //   read it here
  • China: Shanghainese man sentenced to 3 years in prision for selling VPN service   //   read it here
  • China: In Q3 2018 Tencent platforms hit 7BN daily short-and-mini content video views   //   read it here
  • An overview of concerns around China’s tech moves in Africa – AI, facial recognition, surveillance   //   read it here
  • China: Alibaba speech recognition algorithm can now isolate voices within crowd noise   //   read it here
  • Is 2019 the year in which China buys its partners and expands into the West via ownership?   //   read it here
  • China: Baidu ‘mini programs’ reach 100M monthly active users since July launch in move following WeChat   //   read it here
  • A look at the frightening levels of citizen classification in China’s police databases   //   read it here
  • International Financial Corporation and China’s Ant Financial announce 10×1000 Tech for Inclusion program   //   read it here
  • China: Shenzhen government takes control of leading chip maker Tsinghua Unigroup   //   read it here
  • China: Royole rollable display maker hits $5BN valuation   //   read it here
  • China: Huawei to partner Audi for self-driving tech in cars made in China   //   read it here
  • China: WeChat had 61M elderly users (between 55 and 70) as at September 2018, near 20% of China’s elderly population   //   read it here
  • China: Royole display maker unveils first foldable smartphone, the FlexPai   //   read it here
  • China: Royole FlexPai foldable smartphone set to reach market in December, beating Samsung   //   read it here
  • Airbus China Innovation Centre and Royole flexible display startup partner around flexible electronic tech in aircraft development   //   read it here
  • China: Weibo monthly active user numbers grew to 446M in Q3 2018, 93% of traffic from mobile devices   //   read it here
  • China: Xiaomi’s smart speaker now has over 34M monthly active users   //   read it here
  • China: Zhejiang province to invest near $14BN in tech and medical innovation, with gov’t pushing financial institutions for additional $42BN   //   read it here
  • China: WeChat messaging giant adds Snap-like ‘Stories’ clone   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to Shiji, enterprize software firm already serving more than 47K hotels outside of China   //   read it here
  • China: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou and Shenzhen emerging as challengers to Silicon Valley   //   read it here
  • Huawei to invest $23M in OpenLab branches in India and Thailand over 3 years   //   read it here
  • China looks to private capital, open source tech for global tech advantages in low-profile adjustment to trade war woes   //   read it here
  • International cooperation on China’s state-run hacking likely to shape 2019   //   read it here
  • China’s ZTE telecoms giant helping Venezuela build citizen monitoring system via ‘fatherland card’ ID   //   read it here
  • China: Tencent internet giant reportedly raising new VC fund of over $650M   //   read it here
  • China: Beijing’s Zhongguancun district unveils plan for $2.2BN support for early-stage tech projects   //   read it here
  • Matrix Partners China raises additional $77.9M for broad-focus 5th fund   //   read it here
  • Chinese VC’s search for ways to profit from foreign startups   //   read it here
  • China: An overview of ‘venture capital with Chinese characteristics’   //   read it here
  • China: YunDing smart lock startup lands US$87M backing, in part from Baidu internet search giant   //   read it here
  • China: An intro to the country’s short video, gaming and e-commerce live streaming platforms   //   read it here
  • China: WeChat now hosts over 1M mini-apps, with 200M daily active users   //   read it here
  • The ultimate guide to WeChat Articles, provided by 31Ten (pdf)   //   read it here
  • India: China’s Xiaomi smartphone maker moves into money lending after dominating handset market   //   read it here
  • India: An overview of Huawei’s goals in IoT and smart cities tech with the OpenLabs initiative   //   read it here
  • India: Venture Catalysts early-stage investment firm launches incubation centre in partnership with ChinAccelerator   //   read it here
  • China’s Shunwei Capital raises $1.21BN fund, focusing on Indian investments from seed to C series   //   read it here
  • India: China’s Xiaomi launches Mi Pay beta with bank partnerships to take on Google Pay et al   //   read it here
  • India: China’s Xiaomi opens 500 bricks-and-mortar Mi Stores in one go   //   read it here
  • Indonesia: CashCash, Chinese fintech firm, gains funding while website and app await license to operate   //   read it here
  • Fintech MOUs form part of Singapore-China (Chongqing) Financial Summit aiming at financial connectivity along the Belt and Road   //   read it here
  • South Korea’s Hyundai to launch innovation centers in Silicon Valley and Shenzhen for startups in autonomous driving, AI and future tech   //   read it here

Critical tech quarterly, Q2 2024

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