Articles by Justin Niessner
AVCJ Awards 2019: Responsible Investment: Organica
SEAF’s commitment to a farm-to-shop natural foods retailer highlights the idea that even sustainability-focused businesses may have room for improvement beneath the surface
AVCJ Awards 2019: Fundraising of the Year - Venture Capital: A91 Partners
A91 Partners’ spinout from Sequoia Capital showcases the deepening networks of the Indian VC space and hints that more ecosystem growth is yet to come
BGH offers $536m for Australia media group
Australian private equity firm BGH Capital has offered to acquire 100% of Village Roadshow in a deal that values the Sydney-listed media group at around A$783 million ($536 million).
Japan's J-Star agrees IT jobs platform acquisition
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has agreed to acquire Gino, a local IT industry job search platform, for an undisclosed sum.
Japanese professional services marketplace raises $36m
Japanese start-up Minma, which operates P2P jobs and services marketplace Curama, has raised a JPY4 billion ($36.5 million) Series C round led by Nissay Capital, the VC unit of Nippon Life Insurance.
Vietnam's Mekong appoints new partner
Vietnam-based Mekong Capital has named Nguyen Thi Minh Giang (pictured, third right) as a partner with responsibility for talent and culture. It brings the number of partners at the firm to four.
MassMutual establishes second VC fund for Southeast Asia
US-based Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) has established a second venture capital fund for Southeast Asia with a corpus of $100 million.
India EV: On a roll
India’s electric vehicle space is nascent but growing rapidly on the back of a concerted policy push. Investors see enormous potential, especially in the world’s largest two-wheeler segment
China's Danke raises $130m in scaled back IPO
Chinese apartment rental platform Danke raised about $130 million in a smaller-than-expected US IPO that was primarily underwritten by existing private equity investors.
China's I-Mab falls on US debut after $104m IPO
China-based I-Mab Biopharma traded as much as 12% lower than initial pricing following the private equity-backed company’s $104 million IPO in the US.
AVCJ Awards 2019: Exit of the Year - Small Cap: Gong Cha
Unison Capital took a Korean game plan global with the Gong Cha bubble tea chain. Attention to local tastes, however, was the key to the enterprise
Fund focus: Korea’s midcap buyout space comes into focus
VIG Partners believes its recent $810 million fundraise validates the firm's middle-market strategy and spur the emergence of new domestic GPs in this area
BlackRock backs Australia hotel booking platform SiteMinder
BlackRock has made an equity investment in Australia-based hotel booking platform SiteMinder that values the company at about A$1.1 billion ($760 million).
Q&A: AI Fund's Andrew Ng
After establishing artificial intelligence units for Google and Baidu, Andrew Ng famously declared AI “the new electricity” and launched AI Fund, an incubator with a $175 million war chest
Accel-KKR invests Australia workforce software player
Accel-KKR, a US-based private equity firm created by Accel Partners and KKR, has invested A$28 million ($19.3 million) in Australian workforce management software provider Pegasus.
Indonesia's Waresix lifts Series A to $25.5m
Indonesia trucking and warehousing platform operator Waresix has closed an extended Series A round at $25.5 million following new contributions from EV Growth and Jungle Ventures.
EMR-backed consortium acquires Australian gold mine
A consortium backed by mining-focused GP EMR Capital and Singapore’s Golden Energy & Resources has agreed to acquire an Australian gold mine in a deal worth up to A$300 million ($207 million).
Australia's AMP Capital closes global infra fund at $3.4b
Australia’s AMP Capital has closed its latest global infrastructure fund with $3.4 billion in commitments. The target was $3 billion.
Goldman Sachs, SK back Korea cold chain play
Goldman Sachs and SK Group have committed a combined KRW50 billion ($43 million) to a Korean expansion by cold chain logistics operator Belstar Superfreeze.
French GP exits Singapore's JustCo with 8x return
France-based GP Tikehau Capital has exited its stake in Singapore workspace provider JustCo, achieving a net profit of S$27.7 million ($20.5 million) and an 8x return multiple.
BP enters China AI sector
BP has realized its first investment in China’s artificial intelligence (AI) sector by backing energy systems developer R&B Technology through a venture capital arm.
New Zealand's Soul Machines raises $40m Series B
Soul Machines, a New Zealand-based company specializing in emotionally responsive artificial intelligence (AI), has raised a $40 million Series B round led by Temasek Holdings.
Openspace makes first Thailand investment
Southeast Asia-focused Openspace Ventures has made its first investment in Thailand, co-leading a $10 million Series B round for financial technology player Finnomena alongside China’s Gobi Ventures.
Australia's Five V agrees Philippines outsourcing carve-out
Australian GP Five V Capital has agreed a A$100 million ($69 million) carve-out of Philippines business offshoring specialist MicroSourcing as a bolt-on for an existing portfolio company.