Articles by Alvina Yuen
Non-profit VC firm hires Navis director for India operations
Sachindra Rudra, former director of India operations at Navis Capital, has joined Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture firm addressing poverty across Africa and South Asia, as the new country director.
CDB forms $189m cross-border fund with France
China Development Bank (CDB) has teamed up French state-owned bank Caisse des Dépôts to create a EUR150 million ($189 million) fund to promote the international expansion of French and Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs). Each party will...
CICC PE's assets under management reach $2.4b
The private equity arm of China International Capital Corporation (CICC), the country’s largest investment bank, has seen its assets under management soar to in excess of RMB15 billion ($2.4 billion).
YES Bank's Ghosh to join Motilal Oswal PE as co-CEO - report
Somak Ghosh, Group President of Developing Banking at YES Bank, has reportedly left the company to join Motilal Oswal Private Equity Advisors, the private investment arm of Motilal Oswal Securities, as co-chief executive.
China's Kaiwu Capital to raise $150m maiden fund
Kaiwu Capital, a China-based early-stage venture capital firm, is raising its maiden fund with a target size of $150 million.
Qualcomm Ventures backs Dolphin Browser Series B round
Qualcomm's venture capital arm has participated in the Series B funding round of Dolphin Browser, a Chinese-made mobile browser.
Secondaries in Japan: A new wave?
Japan’s megadeals of 2006-2007 need to be exited or refinanced. With IPOs off the agenda due to weak public markets and strategic investors’ appetites uncertain, secondary buyouts are a popular option.
Olympus-backed DM Healthcare outlines India spending plans
Olympus-backed DM Healthcare, a Dubai-based healthcare services provider which gets a majority of its business in the Middle East, will invest INR15 billion ($270 million) in India. The company hopes this will help boost overall revenues by 40% to INR23...
China Baoxin Auto to buy PE-backed NCGA for $305m
Hong Kong-listed China Baoxin Auto has agreed to pay $305 million for NCGA Holdings, a Beijing-based high-end car dealership owned by the Citigroup, Apollo Global Management and Pangaea One.
Indiareit's CEO quits to set up own fund - report
Ramesh Jogani, CEO and managing director of Indiareit Fund Advisors, an Indian real estate fund operated by Piramal Healthcare, is reportedly leaving the company to start his own fund.
Shandong Heavy invests $922m in PE-backed Kion
Weichai Power, a Chinese automotive and equipment manufacturer owned by Shandong Heavy Industry, will invest EUR738 million ($922 million) in Kion, the German forklift truckmaker backed by KKR and Goldman Sachs. It is the largest Chinese direct investment...
Blume Ventures invests in four Indian startups
Indian angel and seed fund Blume Ventures has invested in four startups. The transactions were completed during the first half of the year, according to the company’s quarterly report.
Mandarin, Hony to support Zoomlion spin-off
Mandarin Capital Partners will team up with Hony Capital to finance the spin-off of Chinese construction equipment manufacturer Zoomlion's sanitation machinery business. It is one of two deals - together worth around EUR100 million ($125 million) - that...
GREE Ventures makes first Southeast Asia investment
GREE Ventures has made its first Southeast Asian investment by leading the Series B funding round in PriceArea.com, a price comparison website in Indonesia. Sony’s So-net Entertainment and East Ventures, a new and an existing investor, respectively, also...
IFC invests $47m in China's Fosun Pharma
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private investment arm of the World Bank, has agreed to provide RMB300 million ($47 million) in funding to Fosun Pharma, one of China’s leading drug companies. The investment will help Fosun scale up the production...
Permira buys Japan's Sushiro from Unison
Global buyout firms see potential in cash-rich Japanese corporations that can be guided overseas.
Permira sells over half of its stake in Galaxy Entertainment
Permira has exited over half of its remaining stake in Hong Kong-listed Galaxy Entertainment Group for HK$5.855 billion ($755 million). The transaction involves a 6.65% stake in the company and the shareholdings of Permira funds have reduced to 5.95%...
StepStone adds two managing directors to Asia team
StepStone has appointed Mu-shin Kim and Andy Tsai as managing directors to its Asia team. While Kim will cover investments and business development in Korea and Japan, Tsai will focus on Taiwan and broader Asia. Both will be based in the firm’s Beijing...
China growth deals: Of entrepreneurs and egos
The battle between NVC Lighting’s founder and SAIF Partners shows how bad things can get when entrepreneur and investor interests are not aligned. Hostility ultimately helps no one
VC-backed Flipkart raises Series D round of funding
Indian online retailer Flipkart has completed a Series D round of funding from new investors MIH, part of the South Africa-based media platform Naspers, and San Francisco-based ICONIQ Capital. Existing backers Tiger Global and Accel Partners also participated....
SMC Capital backs Chinese horse-breeding company
SMC Capital China, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based private equity and alternative asset manager Simon Murray Group, will invest an initial RMB60 million ($9.4 million) in a joint venture with Khorchin Rider Horse.
Permira acquires Unison's stake in Akindo Sushiro for $1b
Permira, through its Ireland-based vehicle Consumer Equity Investments (CEIL), has acquired Unison Capital’s stake in Akindo Sushiro, a leading Japanese sushi restaurant. The deal values the company at $1 billion, including debt.
Anubha Shrivastava leaves CDC
Anubha Shrivastava has left CDC, the UK government's development finance arm, where she served as managing director with responsibility for Asia investments.
JAFCO invests $5m into VC-backed Bubble Motion
JAFCO Asia has invested $5 million in Bubble Motion, a voice blogger service provider backed by venture capital players including Sequoia Capital.