Koubei and Ele.me consider big-money merger

Aug 7, 2018 • Robert Lavine

Alibaba spinoff Koubei could merge with another subsidiary, Ele.me, as SoftBank Vision Fund enters talks to lead a round of up to $5bn.

Koubei, the local services platform spun off from China-based e-commerce group Alibaba, is set to merge with food delivery service Ele.me with a large investment from telecommunications firm SoftBank, Bloomberg reported today.

SoftBank is in discussions to invest between $3bn and $5bn in the new entity through its Vision Fund, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg, adding that talks are ongoing.

Koubei was launched by Alibaba and its financial services affiliate Ant Financial in 2015 to serve as a…

LEADERSHIP SOCIETY

Informing, connecting, and transforming the global corporate venture capital ecosystem.
The Global Corporate Venturing (GCV) Leadership Society’s mission is to help bridge the different strengths and ambitions of investors across industry sectors, geography, structure, and their returns.

Find out more

FUNDING ROUND DATA

Which corporates are backing which startups? Search our corporate deal database.

CVC DIRECTORY

Find details about global CVC units in the CVC Directory

SPECIAL REPORT

Bumpy road: Self-driving cars make a cautious comeback

Events

Webinar: Designing a winning CVC platform – Engagement, venture development, operations

Jan 15, 2025
Online

Find out more All events

Events

GCV Institute: CVC Investment Programs

Jan 28 -
Jan 29, 2025
Online

Find out more All events

Events

GCV Institute: CVC Investment Programs

Mar 17 -
Mar 18, 2025
Palo Alto, CA (USA)

Find out more All events

Events

GCVI Summit 2025

Mar 18 -
Mar 20, 2025
Monterey, CA (USA)

Find out more All events

Events

GCV Institute: CVC Investment Programs

Apr 8 -
Apr 10, 2025
Online

Find out more All events

Events

GCV Institute: Landing the Value of Corporate Venturing

May 1 -
May 6, 2025
Online

Find out more All events

Events

GCV Symposium 2025

Jun 17 -
Jun 19, 2025
London (UK)

Find out more All events

About us

GCV provides the global corporate venturing community and their ecosystem partners with the information, insights and access needed to drive impactful open innovation. Across our three services - News & Analysis, Community & Events, and the GCV Institute - we create a network-rich environment for global innovation and capital to meet and thrive. At the heart of our community sits the GCV Leadership Society, providing privileged access to all our services and resources.