Steven Millward · · 1 min readGoogle throws funding at China partner for Android Wear
Aside from helping Google tweak Android Wear, Mobvoi makes its own smartwatch OS – as well as this recently-launched Ticwatch.
Google isn’t done with China yet. Despite all its services being blocked in the country, Google today revealed it has invested around US$65 million into Mobvoi, a Chinese startup that makes mobile voice-search apps and smartwatch software.
Mobvoi’s series C funding was confirmed to TechCrunch, though the deal size is an estimation based on the startup revealing it has so far raised US$75 million since it started up.
Google and Mobvoi already have a budding friendship after the search engine giant picked the startup in September as its Chinese partner for Android Wear, Google’s smartwatch OS. That coincided with Motorola bringing a tweaked version of Android Wear to China to launch its Moto 360 watch.
The news comes months after Tech in Asia spotted Google pitching its Android app store to Chinese developers, suggesting that Google wants to re-enter the consumer side of the China business by relaunching a China-specific version of Play Store.
Source: TechCrunch
Editing by Nadine Freischlad
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