Articles by Suhas Bhat
Indian agtech start-up raises $5.9m Series A
Indian agricultural technology start-up Intello Labs has raised $5.9 million in a Series A funding round led by Saama Capital, Singapore’s Grow and SVG Ventures-Thrive.
UAE's EMPG acquires Rocket-backed Lamudi Global
EMPG, a real estate classifieds marketplace group headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, has acquired Lamudi Global, which runs property market portals in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Deal focus: GudangAda fills FMCG distribution void
Keeping every small store in Indonesia well-stocked is a monumentally complex challenge that GudangAda tackles by bringing buyers and sellers together online.
Coronavirus & Vietnam: Hobbled winner
A successful COVID-19 containment plan has underlined Vietnam’s status as a leading investment destination in Southeast Asia. GPs are impressed but still hamstrung
Singapore SME financing platform gets $20m
Validus, a Singapore-headquartered financing platform for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Southeast Asia, has raised $20 million in a Series B+ round co-led by Vertex Growth and Orion Fund.
India-China regulation: Punching bag
Chinese venture capital investors have become an increasingly significant presence in India’s venture capital ecosystem, but a recent regulatory reform calls their participation into question
Tribe Capital leads $13m round for Indian logistics aggregator
Shiprocket, an Indian logistics aggregator that primarily solves shipping needs of small businesses, has raised $13 million in a funding round led by US VC firm Tribe Capital.
Carlyle pursues control of India's SeQuent for $210m
The Carlyle Group has reached agreements that could see it pay INR16.3 billion ($216 million) for up to 74% of Indian animal healthcare services provider SeQuent Scientific.
CVC to invest in Indian cancer care chain operator
CVC Capital Partners plans to acquire 36.4% of HealthCare Global Enterprises (HCG) in a deal that ultimately could see it assume majority ownership of the Indian cancer care center operator.
Vista Equity to invest $1.5b in Reliance's India app platform
US-based Vista Equity Partners has agreed to invest INR113.67 billion ($1.5 billion) for a stake in Jio Platforms, a holding company for Indian internet and telecom assets, including Reliance Jio Telecom.
Deal focus: Oriente's plastic alternative
Well-capitalized though not immune to COVID-19 disruption, Indonesia and Philippines-focused online lender Oriente is waiting for the market to get back to normal
Everstone sells Asia payroll business to US strategic player
India and Southeast Asia-focused private equity firm Everstone Group has agreed to sell Singapore-headquartered human resources software provider Excelity Group to US peer Ceridian. The size of the deal has not been disclosed.
Cashlez gains on debut after Indonesia IPO
Indonesian mobile point-of-sale solution provider Cashlez - a portfolio company of Mandiri Venture Capital - traded up on debut following an IDR87.5 billion ($5.7 million) domestic IPO.
Indonesia's GudangAda gets $25m Series A
Indonesian B2B e-commerce platform GudangAda has raised $25.4 million in a Series A round led by Sequoia Capital India and Alpha JWC Ventures.
Asia private debt: Inflection point?
With other pools of capital running dry for many companies, private debt has become a more appealing proposition. Institutional funds have a chance to impose themselves on a bank-driven market
Warburg Pincus invests $26.7m in IDFC First Bank
Warburg Pincus has invested INR2 billion( $26.7 million) in IDFC First Bank as part of an INR20 billion capital raise by the Indian lender.
Silver Lake to invest $750m in Reliance's India app platform
Silver Lake Partners has agreed to invest INR56.5 billion ($750 million) for a stake in Jio Platforms, the holding company behind a number of apps and the parent of India's largest telecom operator.
Beenext leads $13m Series B for Indian logistics platform
Indian logistics platform LoadShare Networks has raised INR1 billion ($13.2 million) in a Series B round led by Beenext.
Indian industry body proposes $3.3b state VC fund for start-ups
The Startup Association of India (SAI) has called on the government to bolster an existing state-backed venture capital fund and commit INR250 billion ($3.3 billion) to local companies.
Hong Kong's PE-backed Oriente raises $50m
Oriente, a Hong Kong-headquartered financial technology start-up, has raised $50 million in a round led by Peter Lee, the co-chairman of local property developer Henderson Land.
Indonesian insurtech player Qoala raises $13.5m Series A
Qoala, an insurance technology start-up in Indonesia, has raised $13.5 million in a Series A round led by Centauri Fund, a vehicle jointly run by KB Investment and MDI Ventures.
Deal focus: SensorFlow's coronavirus pivot
With hotel occupancy falling - and demand for its energy management solution taking a hit - SensorFlow moved quickly to make the revenue model sustainable. The company is now targeting vertical and geographic expansion
RTP Global leads round for Indian B2B agritrading platform
Bijak, an Indian business-to-business (B2B) platform for trading agricultural commodities, has raised $12 million in a Series A funding round led by RTP Global.
KKR to acquire India solar assets for $204m
KKR has announced plans to acquire five solar energy assets from Shapoorji Pallonji Infrastructure Capital (SP Infra) for INR15.5 billion ($204 million).