Articles by Suhas Bhat
India clean energy: Shock treatment
The economic fallout from COVID-19 will not spare any sector, but careful planning can ensure private equity firms can take advantage of India’s ambitious energy transition goals
Actis acquires two solar assets in India
Actis Capital has acquired a 400 megawatt portfolio of operating solar projects in central India from Acme Solar.
VinaCapital completes exit from Vietnam dairy producer
Vietnam’s VinaCapital and Japan’s Daiwa PI Partners have sold the remainder of their interest in Vietnamese dairy producer International Dairy Products (IDP).
India used car platform Spinny acquires rival Truebil
Indian online used car marketplace Spinny has acquired local counterpart Truebil, setting up several venture capital exits.
India's Byju's acquires online coding school
Byju’s, an Indian online learning platform backed by several PE and VC firms, has acquired WhiteHat Jr, a platform that helps students learn to code.
Intudo leads Series A for Indonesia restaurant app
Wahyoo, a digital solutions provider for Indonesian eateries, has raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Intudo Ventures.
Navis exits Malaysian business solutions player
Navis Capital Partners has sold its controlling stake in Malaysian IT firm Strateq to a local subsidiary of Singapore telecommunications company StarHub.
EDBI backs US cybersecurity player's Asia push
EDBI, the investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, has invested in Vesta, a US-based fraud and payment technology start-up with ambitions to expand into Asia.
Tata Growth commits $30m to India's Biocon
Tata Capital Growth Fund has invested INR2.25 billion ($30 million) in the biosimilars business of India-listed pharmaceuticals giant Biocon.
Advent to acquire Indian pharma player
Advent International has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Indian pharmaceutical company RA Chem Pharma.
BRV Capital invests $110m in Line's Thailand delivery app
Line Man, a parcel-to-food delivery app launched in Thailand by Japan’s Line Corporation, has raised $110 million from BRV Capital, an affiliate of BlueRun Ventures.
Oyo founder establishes VC firm in Singapore
Ritesh Agarwal (pictured), the founder of Indian hotel booking platform Oyo, has launched a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm called Aroa Ventures.
India’s Toppr raises $50m from Foundation Holdings
Indian educational technology startup Toppr has raised $50 million (INR3.5 billion) in a Series D funding round led by United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Foundation Holdings.
India online education: Learning process
With millions of Indian students facing the possibility of an academic year conducted entirely online, educational technology start-ups have an opportunity for business model validation
Indonesia's Traveloka raises $250m
Traveloka, an Indonesian online travel services company, has closed a funding round of $250 million, reportedly accepting a stepdown in valuation in the process.
Deal focus: Vedantu adds to war chest as rivals encroach
India's Vedantu has raised $100 million in funding to support its ongoing diversification into non-test preparation services. Other players in the online education space have similar plans
India looks to expand scope of Chinese app ban
India has banned 47 more Chinese apps - saying they are clones of earlier outlawed products - and there are expectations that the crackdown could extend even further.
Probe into death of Indian founder reveals PE link
An investigation into the apparent suicide of V.G. Siddhartha, founder of Indian coffee chain Café Coffee Day, has revealed that a promise of guaranteed returns to private equity investors might have contributed to the entrepreneur's untimely demise.
Steadview backs India SaaS player Freshworks
Steadview Capital has invested $85 million in India and US-based cloud business software developer Freshworks through the purchase of shares from existing investors.
Healthcare investors warn Asia unprepared for winter - AVCJ Forum
Private equity professionals focusing on healthcare told the AVCJ Southeast Asia Virtual Forum that COVID-19’s full impact has yet to be understood. The private and public sectors will need to work together to see out a difficult year.
LPs call for better communication from Asian GPs - AVCJ Forum
LPs from five global funds say cultural issues and a relative lack of crisis experience have led to difficulties getting quality disclosure from Asian fund managers.
Singapore GPs lead round for Israeli drone scouting start-up
Taranis, an Israel drone-based crop monitoring solution provider for farms, has raised $30 million in a Series C round eyeing expansion opportunities in Asian markets.
ASEAN to see rise in opportunities despite high valuations – AVCJ Forum
Industry professionals at the AVCJ Southeast Asia Virtual Forum predicted a rise in regional acquisition opportunities although valuations remain stubbornly high for now.
Indian agritech VeGrow secures seed funding
Indian agricultural technology start-up VeGrow raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Ankur Capital and Matrix Partners India.