Articles by Justin Niessner
Australia social media start-up Linktree raises $45m
Index Ventures and Coatue Management have led a $45 million Series B round for Australia-based social media services platform Linktree.
KKR, Sequoia lead $234m round for Indian NBFC
KKR and Sequoia Capital India have led a $234 million investment in Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) Five Star Business Finance at a valuation of $1.4 billion.
JC Flowers exits Asia trading platforms business
JC Flowers has agreed to sell Hong Kong-based Chi-X Asia Pacific, which operates equity trading platforms in Australia and Japan, to US-based Cboe Global Markets.
IFC to invest $25m in Gaja’s fourth India fund
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has proposed a $25 million commitment to the fourth private equity fund from India’s Gaja Capital. The target corpus is $400 million.
Invesco leads $155m round for China's Brii Biosciences
Invesco has led a $155 million Series C round for China-focused infectious diseases drug developer Brii Biosciences.
Blackstone bids $6.1b for Australia's Crown Resorts
The Blackstone Group has offered to acquire 100% of Australia-listed casino and hotel operator Crown Resorts for about A$8 billion ($6.1 billion).
DCM set for partial exit from Japan's Freee
Tokyo-listed accounting software provider Freee is set to raise up to JPY42.5 billion ($391 million) through an offering of new shares and the sale of shares held by DCM Ventures.
CDC, FMO, SDC launch Nepal investment platform
European development finance institutions CDC Group and FMO and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) have jointly launched a market building platform in Nepal.
India NBFCs: Agreeable aftermath
India’s non-bank financiers remain attractive investment targets as a convergence of macro and systemic shocks tests the market. Sturdy underlying drivers provide confidence as models evolve
Quadria backs Indonesia's Hermina Hospitals
Singapore’s Quadria Capital has paid an undisclosed sum for a minority stake in Hermina Hospitals, one of the largest hospital chains in Indonesia.
Sojitz backs Malaysia's PE-owned Qualitas Medical
Japanese conglomerate Sojitz has taken an equity interest in Qualitas Medical, a diversified Malaysia-based healthcare services provider owned by Southern Capital Group.
Australia's Adamantem acquires carbon offset company
Australia’s Adamantem Capital has acquired a controlling stake in Climate Friendly, a local carbon offset consultancy, for an undisclosed sum.
Hong Kong's Gly Capital launches $300m mobility tech fund
Gly Capital, a Hong Kong-based investor controlled by Chinese auto giant Geely, has launched a $300 million mobility tech fund.
India's PolicyBazaar raises $75m for Middle East expansion
PolicyBazaar, India’s largest insurance comparison portal, has raised $75 million from US-based Falcon Edge Capital for a Middle East expansion.
Singapore’s PatSnap raises $300m Series E
Singapore and UK-based market intelligence and analytics provider PatSnap has raised a $300 million Series E round led by SoftBank Vision Fund II and Tencent Holdings.
Jungle leads $17m round for India edtech, fintech player
Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has led a $17 million Series B round for Leap Finance, a financial technology provider targeting the Indian education space.
India's Ankur Capital raises $45.5m for Fund II
Indian early-stage technology investor Ankur Capital has reached an incremental close of INR3.3 billion ($45.5 million) against a target of INR3.5 billion.
ESG scoring: Measured approach
Investors are encouraged to keep experimenting in quantifying and qualifying the real-world outcomes of their sustainable investment programs. Every report is imperfect yet worthwhile
LP interview: Sun Hung Kai & Co
Lindsay Wright, CEO of the newly launched funds management unit at Sun Hung Kai & Co, is helping reposition a Hong Kong financial services mainstay as an alternatives investor
VCs to exit New Zealand-based software developer
Canada’s Lightspeed POS, a global technology supplier for consumer-facing businesses, has agreed to buy New Zealand retail software player Vend for $350 million. It sets up several VC exits.
New Zealand's Seequent sold to US trade buyer for $1b
Accel-KKR, a private equity firm created by Accel Partners and KKR, is set to exit New Zealand engineering software provider Seequent to a US strategic in a deal worth $1 billion.
Deal focus: Gitai turns robot economics on its head
Japanese start-up Gitai eschews conventional wisdom that industrial-use robots must be specialized. Its Series B round will be used to build general-purpose robots for use in space
MDV, Kenanga launch $73m Malaysia fintech fund
Malaysia Debt Ventures (MDV) and Kenanga Investment Bank have launched a VC fund focused on the local financial technology space with a target of MYR300 million ($73 million).
US-Japan VC hits $75m first close on cross-border fund
SIP Global Partners, a US and Japan-headquartered VC firm, has reached a first close of $75 million on its debut cross-border fund. The target is $150 million.