Articles by Justin Niessner
Investcorp completes debut China control deal
Investcorp has acquired a controlling stake in China’s Shandong Jianuo Electronics, a components supplier for the electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy industries, for an undisclosed sum.
East Ventures closes follow-on fund at $250m
East Ventures has announced a first and final close of USD 250m on its latest follow-on fund, bringing capital raised in the past 12 months to USD 835m.
Deal focus: Indonesia food delivery goes daily
Indonesia’s Uena claims to have penetrated an untapped corner of Indonesia’s booming app-driven food delivery space. Scaling shouldn’t be overly costly, but there are menu-level nuances to consider
Fund focus: Patience pays for off for Movac
New Zealand VC firm Movac has exceeded expectations with its latest vintage, trading individuals and families for institutions, some of which are entering the asset class for the first time
Profile: Mandala Capital's Uday Garg
Uday Garg realised an unlikely career arc from tennis to private equity with the establishment of India’s Mandala Capital. This was guided by a passion for achieving impact in food and agriculture
India's Convergent invests $49m in Puma sportswear spinout
Convergent Finance, a private equity firm founded by former Fairfax India head Harsha Raghavan, has invested INR 4bn (USD 49m) in Agilitas Sports, a local spinout of German sportswear giant Puma.
Apax invests $450m in India's IBS Software, Blackstone exits
Apax Partners has agreed to pay USD 450m for a significant minority stake in India’s IBS Software, a travel and logistics industry supplier, enabling an exit for The Blackstone Group.
Japan's Dimension closes second VC fund on $75m
Dimension, a spinout of Japan’s Dream Incubator, has closed its second VC fund with JPY 10.1bn (USD 75m) in commitments.
Macquarie Capital acquires majority stake in India's CloudExtel
Macquarie Capital, the investment arm of Australia’s Macquarie Group, has acquired a 51% stake in Indian digital connectivity technology provider CloudExtel for about USD 100m.
Blackstone falls short in bid to delist India's R Systems
The Blackstone Group has failed to delist Indian IT provider R Systems due to insufficient interest from public shareholders six months after agreeing on a majority acquisition.
Singapore coffee chain raises $50m Series B
US-based VC firm White Star Capital has led a USD 50m Series B round for Singapore's Flash Coffee, an app-driven coffee chain.
Singapore wine cleantech start-up raises $10m
Singapore’s EcoSpirits, a start-up focused on low-carbon technology for the wine industry, has raised a USD 10m Series A round led by US circular economy specialist Closed Loop Partners.
Bessemer pledges USD 1bn for global AI deals
Bessemer Venture Partners, a US-based early-stage investor currently expanding a longstanding presence in India, has earmarked USD 1bn for artificial intelligence (AI) start-ups globally.
Japan's Genesia closes Fund III on USD 110m
Japan’s Genesia Ventures, a seed-stage tech investor with a presence in Indonesia and Vietnam, has closed its third fund on USD 110m.
CLSA exits Japan parking lot operator to Advantage
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has agreed to sell Japanese coin-operated parking lot business Ecolocity to Advantage Partners for an undisclosed sum.
Japan's SMBC, Incubate set up USD 200m Asia VC fund
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) has established a USD 200m growth and late-stage pan-Asian VC fund in partnership with Japan’s Incubate Fund, which will co-manage the vehicle.
Sweef's Asia women-focused fund makes debut investment
Singapore’s Sweef Capital, a women-focused impact investor, has made its first investment, providing an undisclosed sum to Vietnamese children’s technical academy Teky Alpha.
India EV player BluSmart raises $42m
India’s BluSmart, an integrated electric vehicle (EV) ride-hailing and charging business, has raised USD 42m in a funding round featuring BP Ventures.
East leads $20m Series A for Indonesia's Praktis
East Ventures has led a USD 20m Series A round for Indonesian logistics technology start-up Praktis with support from Sinar Mas Digital Ventures (SMDV).
Temasek impact unit backs UK cleantech player
Singapore’s ABC Impact, a unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a GBP 20m (USD 25.2m) Series B round that will support an Asian expansion by UK-based cleantech company Polymateria.
Chiratae closes debut growth fund on $122m
India’s Chiratae Ventures has closed its debut late-stage VC fund with about INR 10bn (USD 122.3m) in commitments, beating a target of INR 7.5bn.
India's Iron Pillar leads $30m round for logistics SaaS company
Iron Pillar and Uncorrelated Ventures have co-led a USD 30m investment in Pando, a US-headquartered logistics software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider with an India-based development team.
India's Ace Turtle raises $34m Series B
India’s Ace Turtle, an omnichannel platform used by lifestyle and fashion retailers such as Wrangler and Toys R Us, has raised USD 34m in Series B funding featuring Singapore’s Vertex Ventures.
Japan's Marunouchi launches $1bn climate tech fund
Japan-based Marunouchi Innovation Partners (MIP), a private equity manager controlled by Mitsubishi Corporation, has hit a first close of USD 400m on a climate tech fund. The overall target is USD 1bn.