Articles by Justin Niessner
Frontier market fundraising: Roads less travelled
As fundraising slows globally, GPs in frontier markets are more dependent than ever on multilateral development banks. That’s not a major problem now, but in a long downturn, it could become one
Deal focus: COPE moves fast with Malaysia petfood play
Recognising a local champion in a pandemic-proof category, COPE Private Equity flipped a significant minority stake in Malaysian petfood maker Pet World in just over two years
Indonesia's eFishery closes $200m Series D
Indonesian aquaculture start-up eFishery has closed a USD 200m Series D round led by Abu Dhabi-based 42XFund and featuring Northstar Group and 500 Global.
Japan's Telexistence gets $170m Series B
Japanese connected robotics start-up Telexistence has raised USD 170m in Series B funding featuring SoftBank Group, Foxconn, Airbus, and Globis Capital Partners.
Tiger, Blume join $33m round for India's Battery Smart
Tiger Global Management and Blume Ventures have supported a INR 2.7bn (USD 33m) pre-Series B round for Indian battery-swapping electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure provider Battery Smart.
Antler appoints Indonesia-based partner
Singapore-based accelerator and VC investor Antler has engaged Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro, an entrepreneur formerly of East Ventures, as a partner based in Indonesia.
500 Global backs debut fund from Singapore's First Move
500 Global has backed the debut fund raised by Singapore’s First Move, a pre-seed VC firm set up by former executives of Malaysian online-to-offline commerce services provider Fave.
US GP backs Australia skin tanning products brand
Gauge Capital, a US private equity firm with experience in the Australian health and beauty space, has invested in local tanning cream brand Loving Tan. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Amara backs Cambodian hotpot restaurant chain
Cambodian private equity investor Amara Capital has invested an undisclosed sum in local hotpot restaurant operator KFK Holdings.
Vertex China closes Fund V on $390m
Vertex Ventures China, an early-stage investor affiliated with Temasek Holdings-owned Vertex Holdings, has closed its fifth flagship fund with USD 390m in commitments.
Danish fund invests $24m in India's Arohan Financial
Indian microfinancier Arohan Financial Services has received DKK 166m (USD 24.3m) from the government of Denmark’s Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU).
Fund focus: Epiq renews brute force India tech strategy
Epiq Capital has closed its second VC fund aimed at identifying India’s future tech unicorns early and buying in when the path to a large IPO comes into focus. Access and selection are the secret sauce
India’s A91 invests $30m in digital consultancy
Indian VC firm A91 Partners has invested USD 30m in KaarTech, a local digital transformation consultancy looking to expand in the Middle East, EU, and North America.
Muzinich closes debut Asia debt fund on $500m
Muzinich & Co has closed its debut Asia private debt fund on USD 500m. It aims to provide flexible financing to underserved middle market companies regionwide.
Brookfield commits $1bn to Indian energy platform Avaada
Brookfield Asset Management has invested about USD 1bn in Indian energy platform Avaada as part of a newly closed USD 1.3bn funding round.
India's Epiq raises $225m for second VC fund
India’s Epiq Capital has closed its second late-stage VC fund with USD 225m in commitments, beating a target of USD 200m.
Hong Kong's OneDegree upsizes Series B to $55m
Hong Kong insurance start-up OneDegree has raised USD 27m from a group including Gobi Partners. It is billed as an extension to a Series B round from 2021, bringing the overall total to USD 55m.
India's Omnivore hits $150m first close on third fund
India agricultural technology-focused impact investor Omnivore has reached a first close of USD 150m on its third fund, beating the overall target of USD 130m. The hard cap is USD 200m.
Japan's Abies Ventures seeks $69m for Fund II, courts foreign LPs
Japanese deep-tech investor Abies Ventures has set a JPY 10bn (USD 69m) target for its second fund and is looking to tap international investors for the first time.
ResponsAbility raises $106m for climate-agri debt fund
Swiss impact investor ResponsAbility has raised USD 106m for a global climate-smart agriculture and food private debt fund that will be 40% deployed in Asia.
Creador buys 40% stake in Malaysia's Pet World, COPE exits
Malaysia-based Creador has acquired a 40% stake in prominent local pet food maker and brand owner Pet World, setting up an exit for COPE Private Equity.
Warburg Pincus buys majority stake in India bath fittings brand
Warburg Pincus has acquired a majority stake in India’s Watertec, an affordable bath fittings brand with a nationwide footprint.
Advanced computing: Niche or indispensable?
Investors are wary of rising data processing challenges in a rapidly digitising world. They must make do with the imperfect solutions of today without failing to embrace frontier technologies
Japan's Terra Motors raises $28m
Japanese electric vehicle (EV) start-up Terra Motors has raised JPY 40bn (USD 28m) in Series C funding featuring Silicon Valley-based Pegasus Tech Ventures.