Articles by Suhas Bhat
India’s True North closes sixth fund below target
Indian private equity firm True North closed its sixth fund last year at about $600 million, falling short of a revised target.
Singapore’s Her Capital targets $10m for debut fund
Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm Her Capital is seeking to raise a debut $10 million fund to invest in Southeast Asia with a gender lens-focused thesis.
India's Vedantu raises $100m round Series D
Indian online tutoring service Vedantu has raised $100 million in a Series D round led by US hedge fund Coatue Management.
Asia VC: Vertex's evolving early-stage network
Vertex Holdings’ Chua Kee-Lock likens his network of VC funds seeded by the Temasek-owned entity as a distributed computer system. It will draw down more power as it grows
Walmart leads $1.2b round for India's Flipkart
Walmart has led a $1.2 billion funding round for Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce business in which it acquired a majority stake at a valuation of $24 billion in 2018.
Google joins Facebook on Jio Platforms investor roster
Google has agreed to invest INR337.3 billion ($4.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms and outlined plans to build a low-cost smart phone aimed at the mass-market.
India's Unacademy moves to form edtech group
Indian online education platform Unacademy has acquired a majority stake in industry peer Mastree. It is the company's second acquisition in recent weeks, suggesting a consolidation strategy within the space.
Google commits $10b for India digitization effort
Google will launch a INR750 billion ($10 billion) fund to make equity, operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments that seek to increase the pace of digitization in India.
Ocumension climbs on debut after $184m Hong Kong IPO
Ocumension Therapeutics, a Chinese drug developer targeting eye diseases that counts Boyu Capital and Temasek Holdings among its backers, posted a 152% gain on debut following a HK$1.5 billion ($200 million) Hong Kong IPO.
Qualcomm Ventures invests $97m in India’s Jio Platforms
Qualcomm Ventures has agreed to invest INR7.3 billion ($97 million) in India’s Jio Platforms, the holding company for various internet and telecom assets owned by Reliance Industries.
VinaCapital, Daiwa sell stake in Vietnam dairy producer
Vietnam’s VinaCapital and Japan’s Daiwa PI Partners are poised to make a partial exit from Vietnamese dairy producer International Dairy Products (IDP).
CLSA looks to connect wealthy investors with unicorns
CLSA, the international arm of China-based brokerage CITIC Securities, has launched a strategy to offer high net worth clients investment opportunities in late-stage private companies in Asia.
Ashva raises $60m for India SME, start-up fund
Singapore-headquartered investment firm Blue Ashva Capital has secured a first close of INR4.5 billion ($60 million) for an India-domiciled fund that will invest in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.
BP commits $70m to Everstone-managed India energy fund
Energy giant BP has agreed to invest $70 million in Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), a PE vehicle co-managed by Everstone Group that invests in sustainable infrastructure projects in India.
Fund focus: B Capital begins second innings
Growth capital investor B Capital expects enterprise services to feature prominently in its Fund II portfolio as technology ecosystems in Southeast Asia and India continue to develop
Indonesia's Social Bella raises $58m Series E
Social Bella, an Indonesian online services provider for the beauty and personal care industry, has raised $58 million in Series E funding.
Sequoia raises $1.35b for India, Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital closed its latest set of funds for deployment in India and Southeast Asia with $1.35 billion in commitments.
TA Associates invests in Indian stock exchange
TA Associates has invested an undisclosed sum in the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE).
Intel Capital to invest $250m in India’s Jio Platforms
Intel Capital has agreed to invest INR18.9 billion ($250 million) in India’s Jio Platforms marking the company’s 12th investment in 11 weeks.
Deal focus: Soil Carbon’s nascent climate fix
Australian start-up Soil Carbon is developing microbial technology that can be used to limit carbon emissions from crops. Horizons Ventures has provided financial support for the project
Deal focus: Ascent envisions 10-year Myanmar play
In internet service provider Frontiir, Ascent Capital believes it has a portfolio company that can deliver profit and positive social impact in Myanmar
Lightspeed leads round for Singapore mapping software player
Lightspeed India Partners and Falcon Edge Capital have led a $7 million Series A round for Nextbillion, a Singapore-based provider of artificial intelligence-enabled mapping software solutions.
CapitalG leads $27.5m Series E for Indian NBFC
CapitalG, Google’s corporate venture arm that focuses on growth equity investments, has led an INR2.1 billion ($27.5 million) funding round for Indian non-bank lender Aye Finance.
Tencent buys Malaysia streaming platform Iflix
Tencent Holdings has agreed to acquire the assets of Malaysia-headquartered streaming platform Iflix, which was previously backed by a number of private equity and strategic players.