Articles by Justin Niessner
Philippines PE: Power dynamics
A virtually impenetrable middle market under the control of incumbent conglomerates is the least governable of the systemic obstacles facing private equity hopefuls in the Philippines
GGV backs Singapore dental 3D printing company
GGV Capital has joined a group of investors in a venture round of undisclosed size for Structo, a Singapore-based 3D printing company focused on the dental industry.
Korea blockchain developer Iconloop gets $8m
Iconloop, a Seoul-based blockchain technology developer focused on digital currency services, has raised a KRW10 billion ($8 million) Series A round led by Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC).
LGT closes fourth Asia fund-of-funds at $1b
LGT Capital Partners has closed its fourth Asia Pacific fund-of-funds at the hard cap of $1 billion. It had initially targeted a final close in October 2020.
Lakeshore secures 2.75x return on Bangkok steakhouse deal
Thailand-based Lakeshore Capital has exited Bangkok area steakhouse chain Santa Fe to Singha Corporation for $50 million, generating a 2.75x return.
Deal focus: CDC gets comfortable in Bangladesh
Backing small business lender BRAC Bank and establishing an office in Dhaka is part of CDC Group's wider plan to more than double its exposure to Bangladesh over the next three years
Deal focus: Udaan signals India’s digital progress
B2B marketplace Udaan has achieved unicorn status faster than any of its illustrious Indian forbears. A readymade national broadband infrastructure certainly helped
India's Inventus closes third VC fund at $52m
India and US-focused Inventus Capital Partners has closed its third fund at INR3.6 billion ($52 million). It is the early-stage investor's first vehicle dedicated solely to India.
VinaCapital invests Vietnam industrial supplier
A VinaCapital-led consortium will invest $21.4 million in Ngoc Nghia, a Vietnam-based plastics supplier that claims to be the largest local packaging materials producer of its kind.
India’s Oyo raises $700m in ongoing Series F
Indian hotel platform Oyo has raised $700 million from RA Hospitality Holdings, an entity controlled by founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal, as part of a Series F round targeting $1.5 billion.
No easy answers in Philippines’ sluggish VC market – AVCJ Forum
Industry participants at the AVCJ Philippines Forum were hard-pressed to explain a disappointing lag in local venture capital ecosystem development.
Q&A: Natixis' Raghu Narain
Raghu Narain, head of investment banking for Asia Pacific at Natixis, discusses the macro backdrop for China’s M&A market and how shifting priorities will color deal flow to come
India’s Udaan closes Series D at $585m
India’s Udaan has closed its Series D round at $585 million, with the latest contribution featuring Tencent Holdings and the VC arm of Citi. It values the B2B online marketplace at $2.5-3 billion.
Japanese flying car developer receives $14m
Japanese flying car developer SkyDrive has raised a $14 million funding round from a group including Itochu Technology Ventures and Strive.
Operational due diligence: Query parameters
Institutional investors are taking a closer look at the back-office operations of fund managers in what appears to be a new normal for GP-LP relations. Service providers are circling
VIG acquires Korean education business
VIG Partners has agreed to pay KRW165 billion ($137 million) for a controlling stake in D.Share, an online-offline English language education provider in Korea.
Bain buys Japanese email business from Cheetah Digital
Bain Capital Private Equity has acquired the Japanese email services business of Cheetah Digital, a US marketing firm backed by San Francisco-based Vector Capital.
CDC names Bangladeshi head, invests local bank
UK-based development finance institution CDC Group has cemented its presence in Bangladesh through an investment in local lender BRAC Bank and the naming of a country director.
Asia fintech: Micro is big
The lowest common denominator is getting lower in financial services as technology reaches deeper into the sector. Investors must keep up to speed on business model evolution
New Mountain Capital buys US-India BPO player
US private equity firm New Mountain Capital has agreed to acquire Emids, a US-headquartered business process outsourcing (BPO) provider with extensive operations in India, for an undisclosed sum.
Fund focus: Vertex pumps up in SE Asia, India
Having raised $305 million for its latest India and Southeast Asia fund, Vertex Ventures is looking to tap into themes of technological advancement common to both geographies
Japan investors back US token player Securitize
Japanese investors are supporting efforts to bring token-based economic infrastructure to Japan with participation in a $14 million round for US-based digital securities technology player Securitize.
Sequoia leads $15m round for India's Darwinbox
Sequoia Capital India has led a $15 million Series B round for Indian human resources (HR) technology platform Darwinbox.
Mekong targets $250m for fifth Vietnam fund
Mekong Capital has launched its fifth private equity fund focused on the Vietnam middle market. A hard cap has been set at $250 million.