Articles by Justin Niessner
Kotak hits $185m first close on India pre-IPO fund
India’s Kotak Investment Advisors has achieved a first close of INR13.9 billion ($185 million) for a pre-IPO fund.
India's Pine Labs raises $315m at $3.5b valuation
Indian financial technology provider Pine Labs has raised a $315 million round featuring BlackRock at a post-money valuation of about $3.5 billion.
PE-backed China dental player files for Hong Kong IPO
Arrail Group, a leading Chinese dental chain that has raised about $400 million in private funding since 2010, has filed for a Hong Kong IPO.
VC-backed Indian game developer bought by Swedish strategic
Indian game studio PlaySimple has been acquired for about $360 million by Sweden’s Modern Times Group (MTG), setting up exits for Elevation Capital and Chiratae Ventures.
Fund focus: Hive Ventures’ Taiwan AI thesis gets nod
Taiwan’s Hive Ventures managed to attract significant local support for its debut fund despite having a sparse network in its home market. Its focus on early-stage AI didn’t hurt
Deal focus: Indian cartoons poised for proliferation
NewQuest Capital’s acquisition of Cosmos-Maya from KKR-backed Emerald Media punctuates a crystallizing opportunity set in Indian animation. The next step is going global
Deal focus: LocoNav targets gap in fleet digitization
The rapidly modernizing fleet management industry has seen surprisingly little progress in terms of driver and dispatcher services. Global VCs see a solution in India’s LocoNav
Indian online gaming business Winzo raises $65m
Winzo, and Indian gaming platform focused on online pool, rummy, poker, and fantasy sports has raised a $65 million Series C round led by US-based Griffin Gaming Partners.
Hong Kong NFT player adds $50m to funding round
Hong Kong’s Animoca Brands, a gaming company focused on blockchain-based non-fungible tokens (NFTs), has raised $50 million from a group including Gobi Partners and a VC unit of Samsung.
Faering leads $200m round for India's Digit Insurance
Indian private equity firm Faering Capital has led a $200 million round for local insurance company Digit Insurance at a valuation of $3.5 billion.
Pacific Century's insurtech business closes $180m Series A
Bolttech, a one-year-old company controlled by Pacific Century Group, has raised $180 million at a valuation of $1 billion. It is being called the largest-ever Series A round in insurance technology.
Australian rocket developer gets $45m Series C
Australian rocket developer Gilmour Space Technologies has raised a A$61 million ($45 million) Series C round featuring local investors Blackbird Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures.
Partners Group backs China's Apex Logistics
Partners Group has acquired a 24.9% stake in China’s Apex Logistics from its majority owner Kuehne+Nagel for an undisclosed sum as part of an expansion plan.
Quadria backs India drug maker Encube Ethicals
A consortium led by healthcare-focused Quadria Capital has invested in Indian topical drugs maker Encube Ethicals, facilitating an exit for Multiples Alternate Asset Management.
Investcorp backs Hong Kong's Heritage Foods
Investcorp has made an investment of undisclosed size in Hong Kong-based Heritage Foods, which has a portfolio of condiment and sauce brands in Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan.
India auto software provider LocoNav raises $37m
LocoNav, an Indian vehicle fleet software provider, has raised $37 million in Series B funding from a group of investors including Sequoia Capital India.
Taiwan’s Hive Ventures closes debut fund at $13.5m
Taiwan’s Hive Ventures has closed its debut seed fund with $13.5 million in commitments. It will invest locally and globally with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI).
NewQuest buys Cosmos-Maya from KKR's Emerald Media
Direct secondaries specialist NewQuest Capital has acquired Indian animation studio Cosmos-Maya from Emerald Media, an Asian media platform backed by KKR.
PE & gambling: Ante up
Private equity has exhibited consistent appetite for gambling-related assets amid pandemic-fueled uncertainty. Regulation remains a significant wildcard in Asia. Reputational risk, not so much
VC-backed Australia cloud business sold to US strategic
Panviva, an Australian cloud-based enterprise software provider backed by a number of venture capital investors, has been acquired by US counterpart Upland Software for about $23.3 million.
NewQuest exits BPO business to US GP
NewQuest Capital Partners is exiting Integreon, a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider with a significant Asia footprint to US private equity firm EagleTree Capital.
Australia carbon neutral courier raises $35m Series C
Sendle, an Australia-based package delivery provider for small businesses that claims to be 100% carbon neutral, has raised a $35 million Series C round led by local investor AP Ventures.
Nippon Investment acquires Japan wine brand
Japanese private equity firm Nippon Investment Corporation (NIC) has acquired the local subsidiary of Germany-based winemaker and distributor Pieroth for an undisclosed sum.
Hong Kong crypto player Amber raises $100m
Hong Kong crypto financial services provider Amber Group has raised a $100 million Series B round led by China Renaissance. It is said to value the company at $1 billion.