Consumer
Allegro Funds buys Australia's Great Southern Rail
Allegro Funds has agreed to buy a 100% stake in Australian railway company Great Southern Rail (GSR) from its UK parent Serco.
India's LimeRoad raises $30m Series C round
Tiger Global has led a $30 million Series C round of funding for India LimeRoad, an online social discovery platform aimed at women. Lightspeed Venture Partners and Matrix Partners India also took part in the round.
L Capital-backed 2XU targets IPO in Australia or US
Australian sports apparel brand 2XU - which is 40%-owned by L Capital Asia, a PE firm backed by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH - is looking to go public in either Australia or New York with an IPO that could value the business north of A$600 million ($468...
Tiger Global leads Series A for Indian social network Roposo
Indian fashion-centric social network Roposo has raised $5 million in Series A funding led by Tiger Global.
China sex toy online retailer Chunshuitang raises $13m
New Margin Ventures and Shenzhen Cowin Capital have committed RMB80 million ($13 million) in a Series B round of funding for Chunshuitang.com, a Chinese sex toy e-commerce site.
Indian condiments maker to back PE fund
Indian condiment maker Eastern Group will back a INR1.25 billion ($19.9 million) private equity fund in partnership with venture capital firm CapAleph Advisors.
ChinaEquity leads Series B round for education site Juesheng
ChinaEquity, a Beijing-based private bank engaging in PE and VC investments, has led a Series B round of funding for Juesheng.com, a Chinese education-focused online marketplace.
Japan's Zozotown acquires VC-backed Aratana
Start Today - the Japanese start-up behind fashion site Zozotown - has acquired VC-backed e-commerce solution provider Aratana.
PE investors to make partial exits from India's AGS, S.H. Kelkar
Three private equity firms – TPG Capital, Actis and The Blackstone Group – are set for partial exits from their Indian investments as payment solutions provider AGS Transact Technologies and fragrances manufacturer S.H. Kelkar both filed for IPOs.
Greenoaks leads $25m investment in India hotel marketplace
US investment firm Greenoaks Capital has led a INR1.5 billion ($24 million) investment in Oravel Stays, the start-up behind India-focused online budget hotel marketplace OyoRooms.com.
China travel social media site raises C round
Mafengwo, a Chinese travel social media platform, has raised a Series C round of funding from Hillhouse Capital Management, Qiming Venture Partners, hedge fund Coatue Management and technology firm Cobuilder.
GGV boosts China internet of things exposure
GGV Capital has added three Chinese firms to its internet of things (IoT) portfolio, increasing its total holdings in the sector to eight companies.
Japan's Livesense buys VC-backed e-commerce start-up
Livesense - a Japanese internet company known for its flagship career search site Jobsense - has acquired a 71.7% stake in VC-backed e-commerce start-up Waja for JPY400 million ($3.3 million).
TA sees promise in YeePay's offline offering
China's third-party online market hit RMB8.08 trillion ($1.3 trillion) by gross merchandise volume (GMV) last year. Alipay, Alibaba Group's payment platform, is the dominant player with a 49.6% share, according to consultancy iResearch. Tencent Holdings'...
India’s Premji and China’s Tencent back US mobile OS start-up
Premji Invest, the family office of Wipro Enterprises chairman Azim Premji, led an $80 million Series C round for US mobile operating system developer Cyanogen.
Indian online tea seller raises $6m
Indian tea retailer Teabox has raised $6 million in a Series A round led by JAFCO Asia, with participation from Keystone Group and Dragoneer Investment Group, and existing investor Accel.
Portfolio: CHAMP Private Equity and Accolade
For a long time the UK and Australia operations of US wine giant Constellation Brands had been a drain on the parent company. Nevertheless, CHAMP Private Equity saw the potential for a category leader
PE-backed Asia-targeted remittance service raises $12.5m
Remitly, a US-based remittance service that targets Asian expatriates, has raised $12.5 million in a Series B funding round led by DFJ.
India mobile payment start-up raises Series B round
India-based mobile payment provider Mosambee has raised a Series B round of funding from Rajasthan Venture Capital Fund (RVCF) and existing investor SIDBI Venture Capital.
Valiant backs Mahindra-owned used car trading platform
Indian used car trading platform Mahindra First Choice Wheels (MFCWL) has raised $15 million from Valiant Capital Management, a San Francisco-based hedge fund. It will take a minority stake in the business.
Vertex to support parenting site's India expansion
Vertex Ventures, a VC subsidiary of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, has led a funding round for online parenting portal theAsianparent, bringing the total raised by the site to S$4.5 million ($3.3 million).
Japan's Rakuten to acquire VC-backed US eBook firm
Japan's Rakuten will pay $410 million to acquire US-based digital book marketplace OverDrive from Insight Venture Partners, a US private equity and venture capital firm.
China’s Tiantu commits $32m in dining mobile app
Chinese consumer-focused GP Tiantu Capital has invested RMB200 million ($32 million) in a Series A round of funding for Kaizhuo, a mobile app can be used to make restaurant bookings and payments.
HK court upholds CVC asset freeze over South Beauty founder
A Hong Kong court has supported a move by CVC Capital Partners to freeze the assets of Lan Zhang, founder of Chinese restaurant chain South Beauty, which was bought by the private equity firm last year.