Articles by Justin Niessner
KKR commits $45m to Philippines B2B e-commerce player
KKR has invested USD 45m in GrowSari, a Philippines-based company that helps micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) take their retail operations online.
WestBridge leads $29m Series B for India's Vyapar
WestBridge Capital has led an approximately USD 29m Series B round for Indian small business financial technology provider Vyapar. The company is now valued at around USD 118m.
Asia Alternatives fund-of-funds closes on $2b
Asia Alternatives has reached a final close of USD 2bn for its sixth private equity fund-of-funds and several related vehicles. It is the firm’s largest raise since its inception in 2015.
Portfolio: Affirma and Sunwoo Fresh
Affirma Capital is helping Korea’s Sunwoo Fresh discover new revenue streams overseas, online, and in adjacent links of the beef importing value chain. Aggressive M&A has accelerated the process
Invesco leads $700m round for India’s Swiggy
Invesco has led a USD 700m round for India-based on-demand delivery platform Swiggy at a reported valuation of USD 10.5bn.
GLP launches $1.1bn Vietnam logistics fund
GLP, a regional logistics platform that makes private equity investments in ancillary businesses and technologies, has launched its debut Vietnam fund with USD 1.1bn in commitments.
Insight leads $56m Series C for India's M2P Fintech
India’s M2P Fintech, a software provider that connects banking infrastructure to consumer-facing technology platforms, has raised USD 56m in Series C funding led by Insight Partners.
Indonesia e-commerce SaaS player gets $80m Series C
Lummo, an Indonesian e-commerce software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider for small businesses, has raised USD 80m in Series C funding led by Tiger Global Management and Sequoia Capital India.
NPX invests $43m in Korean digital content provider
The private equity arm of US and Korea-based NPX Capital has invested USD 43m in Korean digital cartoon studio Copin Communications.
Hong Kong's Animoca Brands raises $359m at $5b valuation
US-based Liberty City Ventures has led a USD 359m round for Hong Kong blockchain media company Animoca Brands at a pre-money valuation of USD 5bn, more than double its valuation in October.
India digital wealth manager secures $75m Series D
Indian personal finance app INDmoney has raised USD 75m in Series D funding from Steadview Capital, Tiger Global Management, and Dragoneer Investment Group.
EverSource closes India climate impact fund on $741m
EverSource Capital has reached a final close of USD 741m on what is being called India’s largest climate impact fund.
Impact investors commit $60m to India agtech platform
Quona Capital, Lightrock India, and Asia Impact SA have co-led a USD 60m Series C round for Indian agriculture technology platform Arya.
Metaverse: Too concrete to ignore
As lives lived online find a virtual world to call home, investors, brands, governments, corporations, and accountants follow them in. Real estate, avatars, and new ideas are in demand. Goggles are not
Global Brain, Mitsubishi launch $44m VC fund
Japan’s Global Brain and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation have established a corporate VC fund that aims to invest JPY 5bn (USD 43.7m) globally over the next 10 years. Global Brain will act as manager.
Quadria backs Vietnam mother-and-baby chain
Singapore-based healthcare specialist Quadria Capital has invested USD 90m in Con Cung, Vietnam’s largest mother-and-baby retailer.
WestBridge, GSV lead $100m Series E for India's Lead School
WestBridge Capital and GSV Ventures have led a USD 100m Series E round for Indian education technology platform Lead School at a valuation of USD 1.1bn.
Apis invests $50m in Singapore loyalty program start-up
Apis Partners has invested USD 50m in Singapore-based loyalty program management and development services provider Giift.
Indonesia's Pluang doubles Series B to $110m
Indonesian micro-savings and micro-investment app Pluang has raised USD 55m in Series B funding led by Accel. It follows a USD 55m Series B investment led by Square Peg Capital last year.
Family offices to mix caution with courage in 2022
Conservatism in a post-pandemic world must be redefined to include flexibility and exposure to progressive industries, the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association’s (HKVCA) Asia forum heard.
MDI leads $108m round for Indonesia's KoinWorks
MDI Ventures, the VC arm of Telkom Indonesia, has led a USD 108m Series C round for Indonesia P2P lending platform KoinWorks.
Indonesia's eFishery raises $90m Series C
Temasek Holdings, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Sequoia Capital India have co-led a USD 90m Series C round for Indonesian aquaculture technology start-up eFishery.
Fund focus: Northstar navigates fundraising doldrums
Like many GPs, Northstar Group found fundraising difficult but deployment fruitful during the darkest days of pandemic uncertainty. Pausing the virtual roadshow for its latest vintage proved shrewd
Profile: Alkemi Growth Capital’s Alka Goel
A trail of haphazard jobs helped flesh out Alka Goel’s adventurousness and people skills before she established Indian healthcare and wellness specialist Alkemi Growth Capital