Tencent invests in takeaway ordering website

Tencent is joining industry partners and venture capital firms to invest $350 million in takeaway ordering website Ele.me.

Others involved in the deal are CITIC PE, e-commerce company JD.com, Shanghai-based restaurant review website Dianping.com and Sequoia Capital, said a statement issued yesterday.

Ele.me said it will collaborate with JD.com and Tencent to drive market awareness and extend partnerships with more restaurants. By the end of last year, the website had about 20 million users in 250 domestic cities.

Ele.me plans to use the capital to extend its delivery network and start to provide other door-to-door services besides the delivery of food.

Dianping.com is an existing shareholder in the website, injecting US$80 million in May, and has been sharing customer-related data and strengthening collaboration with merchants that offer food delivery services.

Ele.me was founded in 2009.