Articles by Justin Niessner
Australian analytics start-up Local Measure raises $3.4m
Local Measure, an Australian analytics technology provider servicing the tourism industry, has raised $3.4 million for an expansion effort that will include opening new offices in Los Angeles and Dubai.
IFC proposes $10m investment in India's Zinka Logistics
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, is considering a $10 million investment in Indian logistics company Zinka Logistics Solutions.
Pencarrow sells NZ beverage company to Dutch trade buyer
New Zealand’s Pencarrow Private Equity has sold 100% of domestic tea and coffee company BrewGroup to Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE), a Netherlands-based beverages group active in more than 100 countries.
500 Startups closes Thailand fund at $15.4m
500 Startups has reached a final close of $15.4 million on its Thailand-focused early-stage fund. It had originally targeted $10 million.
LPs must address staffing constraints as Asian opportunities multiply
Global LPs targeting increasingly complex opportunity sets in Asia must streamline their activity and employ a range of techniques to reconcile shortages in investment team resources, panelists told the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's...
Innotech targets Asia with US marketing acquisition
Shanghai-based Innotech Capitals, a PE arm of Innotech International Group specializing in advertising technology, has acquired US data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to helping the company expand into Asia.
Pakistan PE: Maturing morale
Private equity and venture capital investment activity in Pakistan remains sparse, but early movers are beginning to cut deals with a new sense of confidence as geopolitical and economic issues simmer down
Fund focus: INSEAD alumni pay it forward
INSEADAlum Ventures, a seed-stage investor focused exclusively on INSEAD alumni, has raised its debut fund from a group of graduates keen to give back to the school where they got their start
Fairfax India buys controlling stake in Saurashtra Freight
Fairfax India Holdings has agreed to invest INR2 billion ($30 million) for a 51% stake in domestic logistics company Saurashtra Freight.
Japan's Polaris exits Clean Surface Technology
Japan-based Polaris Capital has sold its 100% stake in domestic electronics supplier Clean Surface Technology (CST) to coal mining company Mitsui Matsushima for JPY4 billion ($35 million).
India's Unacademy raises $4.4m Series A round
Blume Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners have led a INR300 million ($4.4 million) Series A round of funding for Indian free-to-use learning platform operator Unacademy.
Australia's AMP closes global infrastructure fund at $2.4b
Australia’s AMP Capital has reached a final close of $2.4 billion on its second global infrastructure fund, exceeding the target of $2 billion.
Warburg Pincus-backed Stellar makes Indian logistics bolt-on
Stellar Supply Chain Solutions, an Indian logistics company backed by Warburg Pincus, has taken control of refrigerated trucking specialist Kelvin Cold Chain.
Singapore's Marvelstone launches venture arm
Singapore-based private investment group Marvelstone has launched a venture capital arm that will focus on companies developing smart city technologies.
East Ventures raises $27.5m for SE Asia fund
Singapore-based East Ventures has raised $27.5 million for a fund that will invest in early-stage technology companies in Southeast Asia.
India's university incubators: Learning curve
Campus incubators intended to channel entrepreneurial talent at Indian universities into competitive start-ups have a patchy track record. VC investors must consider what this means for early-stage deal flow
India's VC-backed PropTiger, Housing.com agree merger
VC-backed PropTiger and Housing.com have agreed to a merger that will establish India’s largest online realty company.
Singapore business school INSEAD launches seed fund
INSEADAlum Ventures (IAV), the Singapore-based VC arm of international business school operator INSEAD, has launched a seed fund dedicated to its alumni and faculty networks across Europe and Asia.
Indian logistics player raises $13m Series B round
Mumbai-based logistics services company Leap India has secured about $13 million in a Series B funding round led by new investors IndiaNivesh Growth Fund, Sixth Sense and TCI Ventures.
Samsung launches $150m global VC fund
Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has launched a $150 million global venture capital fund via its US-based incubation and acceleration unit.
Tencent forms alliance with Thailand's VC-backed Ookbee
Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings has teamed up with Thailand-based Ookbee, a VC-backed digital magazine platform, to pursue growth opportunities in Southeast Asia’s online media space.
INCJ, Khazanah back SE Asian telecom spin-out
Patient Japanese capital and state-backed Malaysian funding underpin a partial spin-out of Southeast Asia telecom towers business Edotco from Axiata
PE-backed New Century Healthcare targets $129m HK IPO
New Century Healthcare, a Chinese pediatric hospital operator backed by CDH Investments and Boyu Capital, is planning to raise HK$1 billion ($129 million) via a Hong Kong IPO.
PE-backed e-Shang Redwood gets $300m pre-IPO round
E-Shang Redwood (ESR), a pan-Asian logistics services company backed by Warburg Pincus, has received a $300 million pre-IPO investment from a consortium of Chinese investors.