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Sequoia’s Asia spinoffs bet on AI startup fighting online fakes

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Sequoia’s Asia spinoffs bet on AI startup fighting online fakes


By

Bloomberg

Published



September 16, 2025

Sequoia Capital’s former Asian arms are investing in a little-known startup that hunts and helps take down unauthorized sales listings of AI chips, drugs, games and luxury products.

Marq Vision

Los Angeles-based Marq Vision Inc. raised $48 million in a Series B round led by Peak XV Partners, formerly Sequoia’s India and Southeast Asia business, with participation from HSG, formerly Sequoia China. Salesforce Ventures and Tokyo-based Coral Capital Inc. also participated alongside existing investors Y Combinator, Altos Ventures Management Inc. and Atinum Investment Co., lifting the total amount raised for the company to $90 million, according to a statement.

The five-year-old startup, which counts some LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE brands among its customers, is opening an office in Tokyo to meet growing calls in the world’s anime and creative industry mecca to combat a surge in copycats with the advent of generative AI.

“It’s kind of AI against AI,” said founder Mark Lee, who declined to comment on the company’s valuation. AI gives the startup the ability to tackle counterfeits at scale, but the same technology is also available to scammers and pirates, helping to contribute to an estimated $3 trillion illicit economy, he said. “The magnitude of the problem has also increased.”

Last year, the startup’s AI tools flagged about 50 million potential intellectual property violations, including impersonations across some 1,500 e-commerce and social media sites. It helped get about 99% of those taken down, Lee said.

Marq Vision’s staff in Shanghai and Seoul have worked with Asian companies to address the high volume of counterfeits manufactured in the region, Lee said. It’s also increasingly working with animation studios, fashion brands and other creators in Asia, as the region grows into an IP powerhouse of its own, he said.

“Japan and Korea are our strong suit, and we want to expand here more quickly,” he said.



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Acne Studios opens first Thailand store in Bangkok

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Acne Studios opens first Thailand store in Bangkok


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December 18, 2025

Acne Studios has opened its first standalone store in Thailand, opting for the Asian nation’s capital, Bangkok, to make its debut.

Inside the new Acne Studios Bangkok store – Courtesy

Located inside the city’s Siam Paragon shopping mall, nestled in the Siam shopping district, the new Acne Studios Bangkok store was conceived by the Swedish luxury fashion brand’s creative director Jonny Johansson and Swedish architecture studio, Halleroed.

Washed in the Stockholm-based brand’s signature light pink hue, the new store’s facade features pink granite, which extends to the interior flooring and a series of monolithic pillars, with matte plaster walls.

The minimalist space is punctuated by furnishings and fixtures by longtime collaborators, including seating by British furniture designer Max Lamb, alongside geometric stainless steel, including a metal payment desk, and strip lighting by the French artist, Benoit Lalloz.

Inside the new Acne Studios Bangkok
Inside the new Acne Studios Bangkok – Courtesy

“Together, this dialogue between materials, furnishings and lighting reaches what Johansson and Halleroed call an ‘unexpected harmony’ – a reflection of Acne Studios’ collections, which are rooted in ideas
of juxtaposition, creativity and play,” said the brand in a press release.

Inside, local shoppers will find Acne Studios Fall/Winter 25 looks from the men’s and women’s collections alongside shoes and accessories, and the brand’s new Camero bag.

To celebrate the opening, a limited-edition Acne Studios Loves Bangkok T-shirt will be available alongside a series of early Trompe L’œil drops.

The new Bangkok store opening comes on the back of Acnes Studios’ opening in Aoyama, Tokyo, strengthening the firm’s presence across the Asia-Pacific region.
 

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



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LVMH CEO Arnault: Ask me again in 10 years about succession plans 

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LVMH CEO Arnault: Ask me again in 10 years about succession plans 


By

Reuters

Published



December 17, 2025

LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said he was hoping he would be able to make another ten years when asked about his succession ⁠plans for the world’s biggest luxury group. 

Reuterss

“Talk to ⁠me again in 10 years, I can give you a more ‍precise ‌answer,” Arnault, 76, told broadcaster CNBC ⁠in an ‌interview, referring to his ‌latest mandate extension, approved by shareholders earlier this year. 
“I hope … that I will make these ‍10 years,” he said. 

Commenting on the role of his five ‌children ⁠at ​the family-controlled luxury giant, ⁠Arnault ​gave little insight on who could take over the ​helm. 
“For getting responsibility, they have to merit the responsibility ⁠and to ⁠prove they can do it,” Arnault said. 

© Thomson Reuters 2025 All rights reserved.



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Nextil strengthens its US presence with the acquisition of a 51% stake in medical textile specialist Isavela

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Nextil strengthens its US presence with the acquisition of a 51% stake in medical textile specialist Isavela


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Europa Press

Published



December 17, 2025

Nextil has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the shareholders of Texas-based US company Isavela, with a view to acquiring a 51% majority stake in the company.

César Revenga, Nextil Group CEO – Nextil

As reported by the company in a statement to the Spanish National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on Wednesday, Isavela specialises in the design, manufacture, and marketing of compression and post-operative garments for the medical sector, operating in the high value-added “medical garments” segment.

Specifically, the company develops textile solutions that require premium elastic fabrics, high-quality standards, traceability and regulatory compliance, as well as close collaboration with hospitals, clinics and healthcare professionals, mainly in the US.

At present, Isavela generates recurring revenues of more than 10 million dollars (8.6 million euros), with EBITDA of over 3 million dollars (2.6 million euros), reflecting a specialised, profitable business model with high recurrence.

Thus, the potential integration of Isavela would enable Nextil to complete the value chain in the medical segment, from fabric development through to the finished garment, drawing on its international industrial platform and its expertise in management, innovation and sustainability.

Following the transaction, Isavela will continue to operate independently under the leadership of its current executive team, maintaining its identity, culture, and specialisation, while benefiting from Nextil’s industrial, technological, and commercial support to accelerate its expansion in the United States and other international markets.

The agreement provides for a flexible payment structure, combining an initial cash payment and a deferred component, which may be settled in cash or in Nextil shares, at Nextil’s discretion. The MoU also includes a future option to acquire 100% of Isavela, within a timeframe agreed by the parties, with the aim of supporting the project’s growth and maximising joint value creation in the medium and long term.

Likewise, the agreement establishes a joint work period to carry out due diligence, draw up the business plan and negotiate the final agreements.

“Isavela is a company with an excellent position in the medical and post-operative sector, an exceptional team and a solid business model,” said Nextil Group, stressing that this agreement enables it to advance in a strategic segment, integrate the entire value chain and strengthen its presence in the US with a long-term vision, as it has “great ideas for product, market and design development.”

Furthermore, the company highlighted that this agreement forms part of Nextil’s strategic plan, which continues to actively analyse new opportunities for inorganic growth, especially in high value-added segments with strong potential for international expansion.

Lastly, the company stated that it will promptly inform the market of any relevant developments relating to this transaction and to the rest of the group’s strategic initiatives.

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