Articles by Justin Niessner
The Growth Fund buys 50% stake in Australia pilot school
The Growth Fund, an Australian middle market private equity investor spun out from Archer Capital, has paid an undisclosed sum for a 50% stake in domestic pilot training school Soar Aviation.
VC and supercomputing: Access denied
VCs continue to shun the field of supercomputing despite new commercial upside related to the rise of artificial intelligence. Asia, however, could offer a relatively competitive launchpad for start-ups in the segment
China's Yunfeng buys German pharma player
China’s Yungfeng Capital has teamed up with Shenzhen-based Hybio Pharmaceutical to acquire diversified German biopharmaceuticals company AMW for an undisclosed sum.
Malaysia's Sunway launches $50m VC fund
Sunway, a Malaysian conglomerate with operations in real estate and construction, has launched a venture capital fund with a view to raising $50 million.
Value Partners launches China education PE fund
Hong Kong asset manager Value Partners has launched its first PE program in mainland China with a locally focused education sector fund in partnership with university and technical college operator China Education Group.
Telstra Ventures, HarbourVest partner for tech fund
Telstra Ventures, the corporate VC arm of Australian telecom giant Telstra, has teamed up with Hong Kong’s HarbourVest Partners to create a fund focused on technology companies across Asia Pacific and the US.
Tencent, Sequoia join $80m Series B for Australia's Airwallex
Australian financial technology company Airwallex has closed an $80 million Series B funding round with participation from existing investors Tencent Holdings and Sequoia Capital China.
China-US trade: Balance of power
A long-smoldering trade dispute between the US and China has begun to reverberate globally across a range of sectors. Private equity must not ignore the potential impacts
NZ Super buys 27% stake in domestic food player
New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) has invested an undisclosed sum to take a 27% holding in New Zealand Gourmet, a company that farms and markets a range of fresh produce.
Malaysia's Affin Hwang launches private equity unit
Malaysia-based Affin Hwang Asset Management has launched a private equity arm under the name Bintang Capital Partners.
Google launches Asian games accelerator
Google has launched an accelerator for Southeast Asia, India, and Pakistan that will focus exclusively on video games.
VCs invest $8m in Singapore's Umitron
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and D4V, a Japanese seed-stage investor set up by Genuine Startups and US design consultancy Ideo, have joined a S$11.2 million ($8.2 million) investment in Singaporean agricultural technology company Umitron.
C-Bridge leads $20m round for China's Nuance
C-Bridge Capital, a Chinese healthcare-focused private equity firm, has led a $20 million Series B funding round for domestic pharmaceuticals developer Nuance Biotech.
Deal focus: Swiggy reinforces for Indian food fight
Swiggy raises $210 million to consolidate its leading position in India's competitive online food ordering market
Singapore's CashShield gets $20m Series B
Temasek Holdings and GGV Capital have led a $20 million Series B funding round for CashShield, an online fraud management services company for mid to large sized enterprises based in Singapore.
PE-backed Zhaogang files Hong Kong IPO
Zhaogang, a Chinese B2B steel-trading platform operator that has raised more than RMB2 billion ($303 million) across five PE-backed funding rounds, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
Deal focus: VCs see profits as VIPKid goes young
China's online English language education start-up VIPKid has raised $500 million in Series D-plus funding to grow its youth-focused teaching business
Profile: OneVentures' Michelle Deaker
OneVentures co-founder Michelle Deaker leveraged a background of IT innovation to introduce a much-needed dose of entrepreneurialism into the early days of Australia’s venture capital industry
World Innovation Lab raises $521m for US-Japan fund
World Innovation Lab (WiL) has raised $521 million for a US-Japan venture capital fund.
KKR buys Unilever Indonesia's spreads business
KKR has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in a division of consumer goods company Unilever Indonesia that focuses on food spreads such as butter and cooking oil for about IDR2.9 trillion ($210 million).
China online travel service provider files for HK IPO
Tongcheng-eLong, a Chinese online travel services company backed by Tencent Holdings and domestic travel leader Ctrip, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
CITIC Securities fund makes pre-IPO investment in ESR
China’s CITIC Securities has made a pre-IPO investment of undisclosed size in pan-Asian logistic company and fund manager E-Shang Redwood (ESR).
China's VIPKid raises $500m round
China-based English language learning platform operator VIPKid has received a $500 million funding round led by Sequoia Capital, Tencent Investment, Yunfeng Capital, and Coatue Management.
Campbell Lutyens opens Singapore office
Placement agent and secondary transaction advisor Campbell Lutyens has opened a new office in Singapore to support an ongoing Asian expansion agenda.