Chinese startup Bytedance is finding itself surrounded by challengers as its empire of new media products, including global video app TikTok and Chinese news aggregator Jinri Toutiao, gather steam. Tencent tried to play catch-up with a handful of new short-video services, and a Facebook clone of TikTok was reportedly in the making. Less famous players also […]
View More China’s Qutoutiao is burning millions of dollars to take on TikTok parentCategory: Tencent
China’s authorities propose to keep minors out of live streaming
China is getting serious about the way live streaming videos affect tens of millions of youngsters, so much so a top authority has proposed to tighten restrictions on underage use. According to a report from the China Youth Daily, the Communist Party-controlled All Youth Federation recently submitted a proposal during the once-a-year parliamentary session, urging […]
View More China’s authorities propose to keep minors out of live streamingBike sharing pioneer Mobike is retreating to China
In a telling sign of the state of bike sharing, Mobike, a once red-hot startup that attracted billions in investment capital, is closing down all international operations and putting its sole focus on China. On Friday, Mobike laid off its operations teams in APAC, which entailed more than 15 full-time employees and many more contractors […]
View More Bike sharing pioneer Mobike is retreating to ChinaFood delivered to the doorstep is not so cheap in China anymore
A big selling point of ordering food to the doorstep in China is price, which, in the early years, could be much cheaper than eating in-house. That’s arguably indulged a demographic of lazy, indoorsy eaters, but that may not last for much longer. Over the past few months, users in China have noticed incremental price […]
View More Food delivered to the doorstep is not so cheap in China anymoreChina’s YY eyes overseas live streaming with $1.45B Bigo buyout
One of China’s top live streaming companies YY bought a stake and obtained the right to purchase a majority share in Bigo last June, and now the other shoe has dropped after YY fully acquired the Singapore-based startup behind live streaming app Bigo Live and short-video service Like. That’s according to an announcement YY made […]
View More China’s YY eyes overseas live streaming with $1.45B Bigo buyoutMoka raises $27M led by Hillhouse to make hiring more data-driven in China
Moka, a startup that wants to make talent acquisition a little more data-driven for China-based companies that range from smartphone giant Xiaomi to Burger King’s local business, announced Monday that it has raised a 180 million yuan ($27 million) Series B round of funding. The deal was led by Hillhouse Capital, an investor in top […]
View More Moka raises $27M led by Hillhouse to make hiring more data-driven in ChinaIndia’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investors
Ola, Uber’s key rival in India, is doubling down on electric vehicles after it span out a dedicated business, which has pulled in $56 million in early funding. The unit is named Ola Electric Mobility and it is described as being an independent business that’s backed by Ola. TechCrunch understands Ola provided founding capital, and […]
View More India’s Ola spins out a dedicated EV business — and it just raised $56M from investorsSoftBank’s Vision Fund invests $1.5B in Chinese second-hand car startup Chehaoduo
SoftBank’s Vision Fund is taking a bet on China’s auto market after it agreed to pour $1.5 billion into online car trading group Chehaoduo, which literally means “many cars” in Chinese. The Beijing-based company operates two main sites — peer-to-peer online marketplace Guazi for used vehicles, and Maodou, which retails new sedans through direct sales […]
View More SoftBank’s Vision Fund invests $1.5B in Chinese second-hand car startup ChehaoduoNetEase is the latest Chinese tech giant to lay off a big chunk of its staff
NetEase, China’s second-biggest online games publisher with a growing ecommerce segment, is laying off a significant number of its employees, adding to a list of Chinese tech giants that have shed staff following the Lunar New Year. A NetEase employee who was recently let go confirmed with TechCrunch that the company had fired a large […]
View More NetEase is the latest Chinese tech giant to lay off a big chunk of its staffAlibaba challenger Pinduoduo is bringing imported goods to rural homes
Pinduoduo, the latest challenger to China’s ecommerce dominators Alibaba and JD.com, wants to bring affordable, imported items to shoppers in China’s smaller cities and rural areas. The three-year-old Tencent-backed ecommerce upstart is recruiting importers to set up shop on its marketplace, shows a message on its website. The business is known for offering cheap, sometimes […]
View More Alibaba challenger Pinduoduo is bringing imported goods to rural homesWith China tariffs delayed, Beijing faces startup dilemma
China is facing a challenging juxtaposition in the coming years: can the government remain in control of business and media while also opening up the country to the knowledge economy? China has uplifted more humans in a shorter period of time than any other country in the history of the planet. That mesmerizing growth engine, […]
View More With China tariffs delayed, Beijing faces startup dilemmaChina wants its rural villages to go cashless by 2020
Residents of even the tiniest far-flung villages in China may soon be able to pay on their phones to run daily errands as Beijing announced this month that it aims to make mobile payments ubiquitous in rural areas by the end of 2020. The plan arrived in a set of guidelines (document link in Chinese) […]
View More China wants its rural villages to go cashless by 2020