Articles by Justin Niessner
Sequoia leads $20m Series A for Singapore's Incomlend
Sequoia Capital India has led a $20 million Series A round for Incomlend, a Singapore-based invoice trading platform that aims to democratize access to trade finance.
Q&A: Circulate Capital's Rob Kaplan
Rob Kaplan is CEO of Singapore’s Circulate Capital, which is dedicated to reducing oceanic plastic pollution. Its $150 million debut fund is backed by the likes of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Unilever
Australia's Blackbird raises $357m for fourth fund
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has raised A$500 million ($357 million) for its fourth fund and named Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes as chairman.
MUFG launches Singapore venture debt business
Japan’s MUFG Bank has set up a Singapore-based venture debt business alongside Israeli financial technology start-up Liquidity Capital. Its debut fund has been set up with an initial $80 million.
Australia's PEP closes Fund VI at $1.8b
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has reached a final close on its sixth Australia and New Zealand-focused buyout fund at the hard cap of A$2.5 billion ($1.8 billion).
BGH to buy Australia's Village Roadshow for $543m
BGH Capital has agreed to acquire Australian cinema and theme park operator Village Roadshow for A$758 million ($543 million).
China Resources consortium buys Hong Kong’s City Super
A consortium led by China Resources Capital (CR Capital) has agreed to acquire a 65% stake in Hong Kong retail and supermarket operator City Super Group.
Globis joins $32.6m round for Japan's Photosynth
Globis Capital Partners has joined a JPY3.5 billion ($32.6 million) Series C round for Photosynth, a Japanese internet-of-things (IoT) developer specializing in smart locks for office buildings.
Korea, US-based serialized fiction app gets $63m
SoftBank Ventures Asia and Kakao have led a $63.2 million Series A round for Radish, a Korea and US-based producer and broadcaster of serialized fiction for mobile devices.
Sustainable food: Forces of nature
Environmental considerations are intrinsic to food innovation investment strategy, not a public relations bonus. Science, society, and myriad motivations color a range of perspectives
Gobi backs Singapore e-commerce acquisition
China’s Gobi Partners is leading a consortium that will acquire the e-commerce services business of Singapore-based Synagie for S$61.6 million ($44.8 million).
BRI invests Indonesia fintech player Ayoconnect
BRI Ventures, the newly launched VC unit of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, has joined a $5 million pre-Series B round for local financial technology provider Ayoconnect.
Hana invests $85m in Asia renewables platform
Hana Financial has invested KRW100 billion ($85 million) in a portfolio of Korean waste to energy (WTE) projects being developed by Equis Development.
JD.com invests $100m in Hong Kong's Li & Fung
Chinese online retailer JD.com is investing $100 million in Hong Kong's Li & Fung, which recently won support from warehouse investor GLP for a privatization.
Sistema Asia Capital appoints CEO
Sistema Asia Capital, a corporate VC arm of Russian conglomerate Sistema that focuses on India and Southeast Asia, has named Edward Tay (pictured) as CEO.
Navis acquires Cambodia international school
Navis Capital Partners has acquired CIA First International School in Cambodia for an undisclosed sum.
Asia-IO, Wise Road invest in HK semiconductor supplier
Private equity firms Asia-IO Capital and Wise Road Capital have acquired a 55.6% stake in a semiconductor packaging materials business from Hong Kong-listed ASM Pacific Technology.
WI Harper backs Hong Kong financial services player
WI Harper Group has led a $20 million Series B round for Hong Kong financial services provider EMQ.
Eurazeo backs UK, Singapore-based Thought Machine
Eurazeo Growth, a joint venture between French GPs Eurazeo and Idinvest Partners, has joined a $125 million Series B round for UK and Singapore financial technology player Thought Machine.
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
Fund focus: Wavemaker turns crisis into opportunity
Wavemaker Partners overcome COVID-19 uncertainty to close its latest fund at $111 million. Enterprise-facing and deep technology companies in Southeast Asia are likely targets
Eurazeo commits $94m in debut Europe-China fund deal
French GP Eurazeo has made its debut investment from a newly launched Europe-China cross-border fund, committing EUR80 million ($94 million) to Dutch medical supplier DORC.
Australia's Square Peg backs Singapore wealth manager
Australian VC firm Square Peg Capital has led a $16 million Series C round for StashAway, a Singapore-based digital financial services provider focused on retail wealth management.
Deal focus: DRX wants e-sports to surf the Korean wave
Investors are backing DRX to generate international buzz for e-sports in Korea, following in the footsteps of K-pop, K-food and K-beauty. Overseas interest is already mounting