Technion Spreads Its Knowhow To China And NYC, Jack Ma Does $800M MoneyGram Deal, Hyperloop Eyes India
Technion University was welcomed to New York City at a recent event where Technion’s President Peretz Lavie and Dan Huttenlocher, dean of Cornell Tech, shared plans on the campus being constructed on Roosevelt Island to bring game-changing science and technology education from Israel to New York City and create an Applied Sciences graduate school.Technion is simultaneously opening a campus in southern China’s Guangdong province.
The technology world is at the forefront of a major trend – call it the Tech Triangle — that links Israel with China and the U.S. for venture capital and research and development of next generation breakthroughs. It’s a new angle on advances made by this strong trio of tech hubs.
Silicon Dragon explores this Tech Triangle at a VC and tech forum held at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, February 20.
What works in China doesn’t work beyond. That’s what Xiaomi’s former global head Hugo Barra learned as he moves to Facebook to focus on virtual reality, Bloomberg.
WeChat launched its mini-app early in January, and now Alipay is getting ready to roll out its own mini-app platform that could be integrated with offline merchants. China Internet Watch.
For couriers, China’s e-commerce boom can be a tough road as they zip packages to customers by scooter or three-wheeled electric cart. Couriers now number 1.2 million in China. NYTimes.
DEALS
Alibaba spin-off Ant Financial snaps up Western Union-style payment chain MoneyGram in the U.S. for a mere $800 million.
Sequoia Capital China has led a $29 million series B round in Nanjing-based Che300, a used car appraisal and sales platform.
China venture investors Temasek and Vertex have led a $100 million round for local education app Xueba.
China’s Ministry of Finance and its Internet oversight agency CAC have launched a $15 billion Internet investment fund.
INDIA
Can Elon Musk’s imaginative new transportation technology, Hyperloop, transform how Indians travel. Hyperloop is keen to enter the Indian market. Mint.
India’s IDFC Alternatives expanda its platform investment model with a fourth fund.
Tencent leads $55 million, Series D investment in Indian medtech startup Practo for emerging markets expansion.
