Agriculture
Guy Hands buys Australian cattle business from Terra Firma
Guy Hands, chairman and CIO of Terra Firma, has acquired the UK-headquartered private equity firm’s position in Consolidated Pastoral (CPC), one of Australia’s largest cattle station operators, through his family office.
Walmart, Flipkart re-up in India's Ninjacart
US retailer Walmart and Flipkart, its India-based e-commerce platform, have made an additional investment in local fresh produce delivery business Ninjacart.
J-Star acquires Japan aquaculture business
Japanese lower middle market private equity firm J-Star has acquired local aquaculture industry supplier Dainichi for an undisclosed sum.
Duo of Indonesia fishery start-ups attracts funding
Northstar Group and Go-Ventures have led a Series B round of undisclosed size for Indonesia’s eFishery, while East Ventures has backed a $5.5 million Series A for fishing industry app Aruna.
Sustainable food: Forces of nature
Environmental considerations are intrinsic to food innovation investment strategy, not a public relations bonus. Science, society, and myriad motivations color a range of perspectives
KKR backs Australia environment services player
KKR has made an investment of undisclosed size in GreenCollar, an environmental services provider that helped establish Australia’s carbon credit market.
Deal focus: Soil Carbon’s nascent climate fix
Australian start-up Soil Carbon is developing microbial technology that can be used to limit carbon emissions from crops. Horizons Ventures has provided financial support for the project
Indonesia's BRI Ventures launches fund
BRI Ventures, a unit of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, has launched a locally incorporated fund that will invest local start-ups.
Australia cleantech start-up secures $7m
Horizons Ventures – a VC firm controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing – has joined a A$10 million ($7 million) round for an Australian start-up specializing in fungi-based carbon capture technology.
Ascendent to exit China dairy player through $240m trade sale
Ascendent Capital Partners has agreed to make a full exit from Chinese dairy producer Ningxia Harmony Dairy Development with New Hope Dairy set to buy the business for an enterprise valuation of RMB1.7 billion ($240 million).
PE-backed group resumes pursuit of Malaysia's Yee Lee
A Dymon Asia Private Equity (DAPE)-backed privatization of Malaysia’s Yee Lee Group – which did not proceed last year – has been reactivated at a reduced valuation of MYR394.7 million ($92.4 million).
Japan agtech player raises $7m Series A
Japan’s Beyond Next Ventures has led a JPY800 billion ($7.4 million) Series A round for local cell-based agricultural technology specialist IntegriCulture.
IAG invests in Australia agtech player
Insurance Australia Group (IAG) has made an investment of undisclosed size in local start-up Digital Agriculture Services (DAS) via its VC unit Firemark Ventures.
ADB Ventures raises $50m for debut fund
ADB Ventures, a VC unit of the Asian Development Bank launched earlier this year, is set to begin investment after raising $50 million for its debut impact fund.
Korean digital food trading platform raises $11m
Tridge, a Korean international trading platform for agricultural products, has raised $11 million in a Series B round from SoftBank.
Openspace co-leads $17m round for Indonesia's TaniHub
TaniHub, an online marketplace for farm products in Indonesia, has raised more than $17 million in a funding round led by Openspace Ventures and Intudo Ventures.
Fund focus: 8F reels in $358m
Singapore's 8F Asset Management is taking sector specialization to a new level with a $358 million fund that focuses exclusively on salmon aquaculture projects
Singapore GP nets $358m for salmon farm fund
Singapore impact investor 8F Asset Management has closed its debut fund at $358 million, beating a target of $300 million. It is dedicated to building a global salmon fishing business.
Meituan-Dianping invests $87m in China food supply chain player
Shenzhen-based agricultural products distributor Wangjiahuan has raised RMB600 million ($87 million) in Series B funding led by Meituan-Dianping. Existing backer Hidden Hill Capital - a PE firm established by warehouse operator GLP - also took part.
Carlyle to sell Japanese food business Meisui Bijin
The Carlyle Group has agreed to sell full ownership of the maker of Meisui Bijin, a Japanese brand of bean sprouts, to food-focused Shinmei Holdings for an undisclosed sum.
Deal focus: WayCool Foods pursues scale
WayCool Foods receives $32 million in funding to support an expansion of its agricultural technology proposition that removes middlemen - and boosts efficiency - in food supply chains
Deal focus: India's WayCool in fresh approach
A $32.9 million equity and debt investment is unusually large for an Indian agricultural technology start-up.
IFU leads $23m Series B for Indian agrilogistics firm
Leap India Food Logistics (LIFL), an Indian agricultural warehousing and logistics firm, received INR1.64 billion ($23 million) in a Series B round led by the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU), a Danish development finance institution.
ADB launches venture arm
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched a VC arm focused on climate change-related technologies and women’s empowerment in the region.