In this episode, the guys are joined for the second time by John Artman, tech editor at the South China Morning Post.
Posted inEvents
Announcing winners of the OTEC-Emerge Technology Awards
Emerge is TechNode’s annual conference about emerging trends in China tech. It presents a strategic and forward-looking view of China’s tech sector in English with voices from experts and representatives of leading companies.
Posted inOn the Cusp
Fintech firm XTransfer becomes a unicorn following $138 million Series D
The capital signals investor confidence in services supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Posted inNews Feed
Tencent’s QQ stops blocking links to Taobao, Douyin after regulatory push
Users from Tencent’s instant messaging app QQ can now open links to Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Taobao and ByteDance’s short-video app Douyin, TechNode found after testing Friday. The move comes after Chinese regulators reportedly told all internet platforms to stop blocking links to their rivals’ websites by Friday. But WeChat, Tencent’s other messaging app, was still blocking links to rival sites at press time. [The Paper, in Chinese]
Posted inNews Feed
Douyin taps livestreaming for food delivery service: report
ByteDance’s short video app Douyin is testing a new livestreaming portal for its upcoming food delivery service, signaling a different business model from its rivals, Chinese media Tech Planet reported Thursday. By clicking into the window, users will be able to place orders and find information about delivery times, nearby food vendors, and switching vendors. Douyin has completed two months of tests but hasn’t announced a launch date. [Tech Planet, in Chinese]
Posted inNews Feed
Alibaba rebrands community group-buy unit
Alibaba rebranded its community group-buy unit to “Taocaicai” on Tuesday as some rivals losing momentum after rounds of market consolidation. The new brand will incorporate Freshippo Market and Taobao Maicai, Alibaba’s two existing community grocery services. Users in various cities can access the newly branded service through Taobao’s mobile app. [TMT Post, in Chinese]
Posted inNews Feed
JD launches JD Mall brand to expand offline presence
On Tuesday, Chinese online retailer JD launched a physical store brand called JD Mall to expand its offline presence. JD Mall plans to debut in the city of Xi’an with a five-story store on Sept. 30. The store will sell more than 200,000 items from 150 domestic and international brands. [JD press release]
Posted inOn the Cusp
SoftBank leads $200 million D round in Chinese service robot startup Keenon
The two hefty deals this week highlight rising investor attention to the robot delivery market, an emerging sector ready for commercialization and on the rise thanks to the booming non-contact economy in the post-epidemic era.
Posted inNews Feed
TikTok faces EU regulator’s data privacy probes
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission, TikTok’s lead privacy regulator in the European Union, has opened two inquiries into the short video platform related to the processing of children’s personal data and transfers of personal data to China. The Chinese-owned app could face fines up to 4% of its global revenue. [Reuters]
Posted inNews Feed
Food delivery robot maker PuduTech raises $78 million in Series C2 funding
Chinese food delivery robot maker Putdu Technology announced Tuesday it had raised RMB 500 million ($78 million) in a Series C2 round. The company raised RMB 500 million in May in its Series C1. Investors in the financing round include Meituan, Shenzhen Investment Holdings, and Sequoia Capital China. [PuduTech press release]