Webrazzi

Rocket Internet partners with Qatar’s Ooredoo to invest big in Asian mobile markets

Noyan Ayan | April 23, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Germany’s biggest internet incubator Rocket Internet and Qatar’s number one mobile operator and service provider Ooredoo has partnered in a joint venture named Asia Internet Holding, to develop and fund online businesses and create new revenues streams in Asian markets.

The couple announced that the operations of the new venture will initially cover 15 markets in the continent, including Pakistan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Australia.

Tech startup’s guide to European accelerators and incubators

Noyan Ayan | April 22, 2014 | One Comment Tweet

For most of the visionary but broke and unexperienced tech entrepreneurs, accelerators and incubators are still the most viable sources of mentorship and cash to pay for electricity and pizzas. Though they keep growing in number and the size of funding for start ups continues to increase, they are still scarce, given the huge number of entrepreneurs out there seeking tech funds.

Acceptance rates to accelerator programs are really low, even lower than average in Europe. So, it is crucial to do your homework and carefully study which accelerator offers the resources that play to your best advantage, and how you must pitch to them.

To make the task a bit quicker we compiled a list of startup accelerators and incubators in Europe with short descriptions of each. Be sure to take a look at them all to have a better idea.

Aslanoba Capital buys minority stake in Webrazzi

Merve Kara | April 18, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Webrazzi announced today that it partners with Aslanoba Capital, a leading VC in Turkey, to expand its operations across Eastern European and MENA regions. As a part of the deal, Hasan Aslanoba, founder and the CEO of Aslanoba Capital has acquired 15% of Webrazzi shares owned by Arda Kutsal, the founder of the blog.

The partnership is expected to boost leading Turkish tech blog’s growth to become a regional leader as a provider of high-quality technology news content and networking events on international level. Arda Kutsal will continue leading Webrazzi team as the largest shareholder as well as the CEO of the company and the editorial independence of Webrazzi will be sustained.

Vid! app makes looping videos social and viral

Noyan Ayan | April 17, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Vid!, an iOS app that allows user to partially edit and share looping videos, has been launched today with backing from a notable group of angel investors contributing nearly $1.2 million of seed funding.

Angel investors include Masao Tejima, president of OpenTable Japan, Sharmila Mulligan, Silicon Valley veteran hailing from HP and Netscape, David Kellogg, Daniel Terry, CEO, Pocket Gems, among others. The angel round also includes investment from Storm Ventures, Tenex Capital Fund, DBO Capital and the Orrick Venture Fund.

King partners with Tencent to release Chinese version of Candy Crush

Noyan Ayan | April 17, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Swedish-British mobile gaming giant King has announced an exclusive deal with Tencent Holdings Limited, the leader in Chinese internet sector, to introduce Chinese version of its all-time hit product Candy Crush Saga. The game will be available this summer  to Tencent’s almost 1 billion Mobile QQ and Weixin (or WeChat) Game Centers users combined.

The deal followed successful launches of Candy Crush in South Korea and Japan in 2013, and a recent IPO at NYSE. Riccardo Zacconi, the CEO of King, said in a statement that Tencent has the largest mobile social network in China and is a great partner to work with.

Lifesum raises $6.7 million to bring its health guidance apps to burger-loving markets

Kaan Çalışkan | April 15, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Samsung has recently been showing off its smart health apps on the new Galaxy S5 flagship device, with chic new add-ons like Galaxy Fit, urging Europeans to get moving. However, when it comes to gauging the food we stuff our stomachs with, it’s the Lifesum (formerly ShapeUpClub) that will claim the leadership position on the continent in the very near future.

The Stockholm-based company has grown tremendously across Europe since its foundations in 2008, reaching more than 4 million registered users so far and over 500,000 active users a month, press release announcing the closure of the first external funding round. It has earned a valuable Series A funding of $6.7 million yesterday from the German media giant, Bauer Media Group, and SparkLabs Global Ventures.

Munich attracts most venture capital in tech, EU atlas reveals

Noyan Ayan | April 14, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

A new EU study lists Europe’s top ICT hubs in different categories, represented on an Atlas of EU areas where digital technologies thrive, and details what drives this success. The report reveals that Munich is the number one EU city with regard to venture capital activities in the technology sector, followed by Paris and London. Germany also ranks first in the EU for research and patenting activities.

According to the report, most of Europe’s ICT activity is concentrated in 34 regions across 12 countries. Key causes of a high ranking on the list included relatively easier access to top universities and research centres, as well as greater funding opportunities.

Rocket Internet’s real estate marketplace Lamudi gets $7M to expand Asian operations

Noyan Ayan | April 14, 2014 | No Comment Tweet

Rocket Internet‘s real estate classifieds platform Lamudi has raised $7 million of funding to expand operations further across Asia. The new round of funding for the regional power player comes from a range of investors including Tengelmann Ventures, the investment arm of German retailer Tengelmann Group.

The company hinted the new funding will be used to expand Asian operations, beefing up the existing ones in Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and Bangladesh, as well as additional new markets. Currently it operates in 21 countries across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America.