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Posts Tagged ‘Shanghai’

China’s Best Known Artist Arrested

April 3rd, 2011 04:11 admin View Comments

ai.jpgAi Weiwei was arrested yesterday at the Beijing Airport on his way to Hong Kong, the New Yorker reported. Ai, China’s best known artist and a global art star and designer of the Beijing Olympics stadium, the Bird’s Nest, had plans to possibly leave China to live in Germany, where he had set up a studio, according to Deutsche Welle.

We cover threats to free speech here, especially when those threats intersects the Web. Sometimes we know the people involved, as is the case with Ai. Our founder, Richard MacManus, took part in an historic conversation a year ago in New York with Ai.

birdsnest.jpgOne of his assistants posted this on Ai’s Tumblr account.

April 3, 2011. Ai Weiwei was detained by two customs officers while crossing customs in Beijing Capital Airport. Just separated Ai Weiwei and his assistant. By the two customs officers taken to a separate location. Ai Weiwei’s phone has been shut off, and he’s already been out of contact for 50 minutes. The situation is unclear. Please everyone pay attention. (Note: This is an assistant tweeting.)

Continued news on his detainment can be found there and on Ai’s Twitter account.

According to the Washington Post, the police “also blocked off the streets to his studio and raided it, carting away laptops and the hard drive from the main computer…eight staff members and Ai’s wife, Lu Qing, were taken to the local police station for questioning.”

Although Ai had increased China’s reputation in the world of art, he had yet to receive permission to stage a solo show in his home country. His February show was canceled due to political pressure and the Shanghai studio he built was demolished by order of the Chinese government.

Ai’s arrest is not an isolated incident, nor, probably, just the workaday oppression of artists in China; it is instead part of a renewed crackdown, against an anticipated infection of freedom from the Mideast’s Jasmine Revolutions. of Keith Richburg of the Washington Post theorizes that this is an attempt to further lower the level of expression in the country.

Ai poster photo by Sanfamedia | Birds Nest photo by Edwin Lee

Source: China’s Best Known Artist Arrested

Baidu Leads $50 Million Funding Round For Chinese Real Estate Marketplace Anjuke

March 8th, 2011 03:56 admin View Comments

Leading Chinese search engine company Baidu has led a $50 million financing round for Anjuke, a major real estate marketplace in China. Anjuke, which was founded in Shanghai in 2007, provides a platform that connects property buyers, homeowners and real estate agents to buy and sell secondhand properties online.

Anjuke last year also launched Haozu.com and Aifang.com to expand to property rental and new property sales, respectively.

The company currently boasts over 800 employees in 20 offices, and offers its service in 20 Chinese cities. Anjuke in a press statement says it will use the additional capital to invest in geographic expansion and R&D.

Matrix Partners China, which is affiliated with U.S.-based venture capital firm Matrix Partners, also participated in the round. Anjuke has raised $72 million to date.

Source: Baidu Leads $50 Million Funding Round For Chinese Real Estate Marketplace Anjuke

D2 Technologies Buys Android TV Box Maker Webia

March 2nd, 2011 03:06 admin View Comments

D2 Technologies, which markets embedded IP communications software platforms, has acquired Webia Technologies through an all-stock transaction.

Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with development centers in Taiwan and Shanghai, China, Webia was one of the first software vendors to introduce set-top box media player platforms based on Google’s Android OS.

Webia recently unveiled what it claims is the world’s first Android TV solution at Broadband Taiwan 2010.

D2 provides a converged communications client dubbed mCUE that offers OEMs a platform for Android OS-based devices such as tablets, IP media phones, connected TVs and mobile handsets, delivering services like Skype, GoogleTalk and Yahoo! Messenger.

Through the acquisition of Webia, D2 says its mCUE platform is now even more ideally designed for connected TVs and set-top boxes.

John Wu, formerly CEO of Webia, joins D2 as VP of products for the company’s Mobile and Personal Communications Business Unit (MPCBU). He will be based in D2’s Taiwan offices.

(Press release)

Source: D2 Technologies Buys Android TV Box Maker Webia

BMW Teams Up With, Invests $5 Million In MyCityWay

February 25th, 2011 02:36 admin View Comments

Auto maker BMW recently established a New York-based venture capital firm dubbed BMW i Ventures that it seeded with $100 million to seek out partnerships that might facilitate BMW-i product adoption in urban markets. BMW-i is a BMW sub-brand solely focused on developing and producing sustainable mobility vehicles.

Its first investment was made public this week: BMW pumped $5 million into MyCityWay, a user-driven, location-aware city guide. FirstMark Capital and IA Ventures, who participated in an earlier $1 million seed round, joined BMW.

Useful for locals and visitors alike, MyCityWay is an interactive tool for urban exploration and discovery on your mobile device (iOS, Android, BlackBerry coming soon). The app brings together more than 50 local mobility apps in one interface to act as a one-stop, location-aware platform to discover, connect, experience and share.

The app is available for more than 40 cities worldwide, including New York City, Shanghai, Tokyo, London and Paris.

Source: BMW Teams Up With, Invests $5 Million In MyCityWay

BMW Teams Up With, Invests $5 Million In MyCityWay

February 25th, 2011 02:36 admin View Comments

Auto maker BMW recently established a New York-based venture capital firm dubbed BMW i Ventures that it seeded with $100 million to seek out partnerships that might facilitate BMW-i product adoption in urban markets. BMW-i is a BMW sub-brand solely focused on developing and producing sustainable mobility vehicles.

Its first investment was made public this week: BMW pumped $5 million into MyCityWay, a user-driven, location-aware city guide. FirstMark Capital and IA Ventures, who participated in an earlier $1 million seed round, joined BMW.

Useful for locals and visitors alike, MyCityWay is an interactive tool for urban exploration and discovery on your mobile device (iOS, Android, BlackBerry coming soon). The app brings together more than 50 local mobility apps in one interface to act as a one-stop, location-aware platform to discover, connect, experience and share.

The app is available for more than 40 cities worldwide, including New York City, Shanghai, Tokyo, London and Paris.

Source: BMW Teams Up With, Invests $5 Million In MyCityWay

Former eHarmony Head Greg Waldorf Joins Accel As CEO-In-Residence

January 31st, 2011 01:34 admin View Comments

Accel Partners is announcing today the addition of former eHarmony head CEO Greg Waldorf as CEO-in-residence. Waldof spent eleven years at eHarmony and five as CEO before leaving the company a couple of weeks ago and landing at Accel as of today.

While at eHarmony, Waldorf oversaw an online dating business that raked in more than $1 billion in revenue. Under his helm the company expanded into over 15 countries worldwide. Waldorf has previously worked with Accel on the board of real estate startup Trulia.

Waldorf told us over the phone that he’s most excited about the companies with freemium business models given his background in paid services like dating. He’s also interested in spending some time in Accel’s New York and London offices as so many interesting things are happening internationally with regards to entreprenuership.

As Accel CEO-in-residence, Waldorf will be succeeding LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner and former Googler Singh Cassidy who went on to found Polyvore. When asked what his number one piece of advice for budding entrepreneurs is Waldorf said “pick your partners wisely.”

Accel recently launched its New York branch, joining its offices in Silicon Valley, New York, London, Bangalore, New Delhi, Shanghai and Beijing.

The VC firm has has also had some recent notable exits, including that of Diapers.com to Amazon for $540 Million, Admob to Google for $750 Million and Playfish to Electronic Arts for $300 million.

Image via Wikipedia

Source: Former eHarmony Head Greg Waldorf Joins Accel As CEO-In-Residence

Founder Institute on a Roll– Amsterdam Is Now Open Too

January 24th, 2011 01:16 admin View Comments

Adeo Ressi of the Founder Institute was blown away by the comments and response he got from our post last week reporting the incubator’s new offices in South America and intention to keep expanding globally. Readers were invited to make the case for their city in the comments and more than 40 locations caught his attention. The post even wound up expediting the opening of a new Amsterdam chapter.

Ressi is offering any TechCrunch readers a free predictive admissions test and early acceptance if they register at this link.

Below is Ressi’s response to commenters, including details of which chapters are in the works already and what you can do to put your city over the top. Enthusiasm and local leadership matters here. While Bogota might not make the most sense for a South American chapter, Ressi says so far it’s had the highest volume of founder applications in less than a week.

“Thanks for the great suggestions!
First, we are actively working on a number of places suggested.
Second, there are a bunch of locations that we need more information on to determine why they would make for good Founder Institute Chapters, so please feel free to add some further analysis in the comments. Are there a dozen strong CEOs of fast growth technology companies that will Mentor? Is there a good regulatory environment? Are funding resources available? Is there a strong technical talent pool to draw from? Please help us with your insights.
Third, there are a bunch of locations suggested that are interesting, but we need a strong individual that is passionate about startups to be a Local Leader. The Local Leader should be well-connected in the startup ecosystem, know of most good regional Mentors, and have solid organizational skills. A potential Local Leader just needs to submit an application to be considered at the following link: http://www.founderinstitute.com/lead
Thanks, again! I look forward to some more feedback.
North America
1. Boulder, Colorado – Have Denver Chapter with Boulder Sessions
2. Chicago, Illinois – **Actively Working On**
3. Austin, Texas – **Actively Working On** – Slow Progress
4. Atlanta, Georgia – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
6. Guadalajara, Mexico – Why Guadalajara?
7. Boise, Idaho – Why Boise?
Europe
1. United Kingdom – **Actively Working On** – Launch Likely in 2011
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands – **Actively Working On** – Launch Likely in 2011
3. Istanbul, Turkey – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
4. Russia – Concerns about Regulatory and Investment Environments
5. Ukraine – Concerns about Regulatory and Investment Environments
South and Central America
1. Sao Paolo, Brazil – **Actively Working On** – Launch Likely in 2011
2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Would Follow Sao Paolo
3. Buenos Aires, Argentina – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
4. Cordoba, Argentina – Would Follow Buenos Aires
5. Peru – Why Peru?
6. San Jose, Costa Rica – Why Costa Rica?
Asia
1. Hong Kong – Limited Progress – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
2. Manila, Philipines – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
3. Jakarta, Indonesia – **Actively Working On** – Slow Progress
4. Bangalore, India – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
5. China – Which City in China, Shanghai?
Africa
1. Cairo, Egypt – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
2. South Africa – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
3. Nairobi, Kenya – Why Nairobi?
4. Lagos, Nigeria – Why Lagos?
Middle East
1. Tel Aviv, Israel – **Actively Working On**
2. Dubai, UAE – Interesting! – Any Ideas for a Local Leader?
Oceania
1. Sydney, Australia – **Actively Working On** – Slow Progress
2. Melbourne, Australia – Why Melbourne?
3. Auckland, New Zealand – Why Auckland?
Other
1. Curacao – Why Curacao?

Source: Founder Institute on a Roll– Amsterdam Is Now Open Too

Electric Vehicle Makers, CODA Holdings, Appoint Phil Murtaugh CEO

January 21st, 2011 01:35 admin View Comments

Today, the Santa Monica, Calif.-based maker of electric vehicles and batteries, CODA Holdings, appointed auto industry veteran Phil Murtaugh as chief executive officer. On a conference call, CODA’s interim CEO Steven “Mac” Heller described Murtaugh as someone who believes “the automotive industry can innovate rapidly and be more responsible as a global citizen,” and is deeply experienced in building American auto businesses in Asia. Earlier this month, the company raised a $76 million bringing its equity funding to about $200 million, sparking IPO rumors.

Murtaugh previously worked as chairman and chief executive officer of GM China. Over a decade, he grew GM’s presence there from fifteen employees in its Shanghai operations to 15,000 employees throughout the country, increasing the unit’s revenue from $300 million to more than $7 billion. In brief, Murtaugh discussed CODA’s plans in Asia, and how he will leverage his experience on behalf of the younger car company:

“We have a joint venture with one of the three largest battery manufacturers in China [Lishen Power Battery of Tianjin, China, whose principal shareholder is CNOOC, or China National Offshore Oil Company]. The joint venture is called LIO Automotive. They will manufacture the battery systems for [our] vehicles. We also have contract assembly agreements to assemble the [battery packs]…

A vast majority of CODA manufacturing will be in China. That fits nicely with experiences I’ve had [there] for the last 15 years. I understand China’s manufacturers and culture. My experience will help us deal with those situations. We’re going to introduce our vehicle into China’s domestic market as well as in the U.S.”

Through its battery system joint venture, currently CODA is a large-scale producer of power battery systems for the transportation and utility industries. Murtaugh touched upon CODA’s retail sales outlook for its vehicles in the U.S., as well.

“We haven’t announced our plans. But what I can tell you is this…We won’t start our retail sales through a traditional dealer network. It will involve setting up company-owned sales outlets. They will be in high visibility areas with lots of [foot] traffic where people will be able to walk in or make an appointment [online] to test drive vehicles. [Customers will be able to] configure their vehicles, and place orders online. This will be a no-haggle buying experience. That’s shown to be very, very successful with other [car] brands.”

With Murtaugh’s appointment, Miles L. Rubin, CODA’s founder and co-chairman becomes a chairman emeritus, remains a company director and the company’s largest shareholder. Heller, CODA Holdings interim CEO and a co-chairman, will move into the role of executive chairman.

Source: Electric Vehicle Makers, CODA Holdings, Appoint Phil Murtaugh CEO

Silicon Valley Migrates! Accel Partners Opens Up A New York Office

January 11th, 2011 01:59 admin View Comments

In what is the first but certainly not the last time we’ll hear of Silicon Valley venture capitalists opening up an office in New York, storied venture firm and Facebook/Groupon backer Accel Partners has opened a New York outpost at 11th and Broadway. This will be the second US location for Accel, which has offices in Bangalore, Beijing, London, New Delhi and Shanghai.

East Coast vs. West Coast has been a theme ever since Biggie and Tupac and now it’s extending itself to the world of startups and venture capital. Accel Partners is justifying the move by saying that it’s made over 15 investments in the New York Area in the past three years and that it does not plan on stopping its aggressive NYC investment pace. Indeed, its (offical) New York investment roster includes:

·         Quidsi – Diapers.com – parent company for www.diapers.com and www.soap.com

·         Etsy – DIY craft marketplace

·         Squarespace – Website and blog publishing platform

·         Learnvest – The leading independent personal finance website for women

·         Glam – Online interactive consumer magazine

·         Global Grind –  Hip-hop social media site

·         Bauble Bar – Curated jewelry site

·         Birchbox – Beauty product samples

·         Loosecubes – Rent a desk service

·         Salescrunch – Sales platform

·         Bonobos – Men’s clothing company

·         Collective – Ad platform

·         VenMo – Mobile payments startup

·         Exclusively.In – Gilt for Indian decorations

New York does seem to be  part of some zeitgeist and the latest expansion also comes at an amazing time for Accel, as portfolio company Diapers.com has just exited for about $540 Million.

Partner Theresia Ranzetta explains the motivations behing the move, “We had a critical mass of companies exhibiting early stage growth and saw an increasing number of interesting opportunities, we thought now would be a good time for Accel to have an outpost in New York.”

Accel plans on rotating the partners heading up the New York office on a per initiative basis, this week it will be partner Jim Breyer (who owns an apartment in downtown NY) and Ranzetta, the next week it will be Sameer Gandhi, with the basic idea that sector experts will fly in from Palo Alto as needed. Perhaps the most exciting part of the move for aspiring entreprenuers? Accel plans on holding startup networking events as well as bringing in EIRs from Silicon Valley and beyond. Interested parties can email nyc@accel.com to get on the mailing list.

Partner Richard Wong attributes the instigating critical mass to the ease of setting up a startup, “Prior to Amazon Web Services it was difficult to get distribution. Now you’ve got companies popping up in places you’ve never had before.” And Wong is acutely aware of the first mover principle, “Being the first silicon valley VC to establish an office in new york is going to be a key part of being successful in the next 3-5 years.”

Exactly.

Source: Silicon Valley Migrates! Accel Partners Opens Up A New York Office

8D World Gets $5.25 Million More To Teach English As A Foreign Language Online

December 9th, 2010 12:07 admin View Comments

A startup based in Shanghai, with United States headquarters in Woburn, Mass., 8D World, has attracted a series B investment of $5.25 million for their educational take on massively multiplayer online games, the company announced today. Their flagship product, Wiz World Online, uses sophisticated speech assessment features to teach mostly kids and teens English as a foreign language.

The founder and chief executive of 8D World, Alex Wang, learned English as a kid in China and was good enough to get a high score on standardized tests. He found, however, when he came to the United States for university that he couldn’t initially use his written English skills to do basic things like order food at a restaurant.

A couple of decades later, he conceived of a way to use the Web to solve that problem for students and schools, and enlisted Rick Goodman, the developer and co-founder of the popular Age of Empires game franchise, to make Wiz World Online.

Wang told TechCrunch in an email from China Wednesday night:

“In the near-term, we will use our capital to focus on two specific areas: extend[ing] our product leadership by incorporating more activities and educational content into the virtual world; and invest[ing] in sales and marketing to drive wider adoption and enhance [our] brand.

We have some core competencies in terms of virtual world design. [We know] how to integrate rigorous academic content with virtual world activities and speech technologies. We also have a deep understanding of and connections in local markets in China, South Korea, Japan, Latin America and the U.S.”

The CEO confirmed that 8D World is considering: adapting its systems to deliver other types of coursework, particularly social sciences and math for the U.S. market; and ways in which its virtual worlds can be linked to mobile devices. The company would not disclose specific plans or a timeline for either effort.

Today, Wiz World Online uses company-created, educational content to teach English as a foreign language. One of Wiz World Online’s selling points, however, is that it can incorporate others’ curriculum into its game levels within a couple of weeks.

Over 1,500 for-profit brick-and-mortar schools in China, and a number of public schools there, aiming to teach students communicative English rather than English for test-taking purposes, have signed up as 8D World customers so far. Schools tend to use Wiz World Online as homework, or as an interactive component to supplement what they do in the classroom.

Educational publishers and media companies— including China’s CCTV and ONLY Education — have also signed up with 8D World to sell or distribute their educational content in a new format to schools.

CCTV used Wiz World to run a major, Shanghai-wide oral English competition, in which over 1,000 brick-and-mortar language schools participated. The competition will be held annually for three years, a company spokesman said.

Currently, 8D World is adapting its games for, and expanding its sales to the South Korean market. It plans to do the same in other Asian and Latin American markets in 2011. The venture arm of one of Japan’s largest banks, Mizuho Capital of Japan, led the series B investment along with the company’s’ earlier investors Spark Capital in Boston, and Gobi Partners in China.

A general partner with Spark Capital, Alex Finkelstein, said on Thursday his firm built on its initial investment in 8D World because:

“We think the company is doing something really big.

First, the product is very unique. It is hard to build virtual world gaming, curriculum and speech assessment features like the ones included in Wiz World, and make them immersive and motivating for students. A lot of interactive educational products aren’t good at engaging or motivating students.

8D World has also been innovative with their business model. Instead of selling direct to consumers, they reach out and partner with publishers and schools. This is really smart, and new to the education market.”

Source: 8D World Gets $5.25 Million More To Teach English As A Foreign Language Online