Articles by Maya Ando
CDH-backed Xueda debuts on NYSE, raising $127 million
Xueda Education Group, a Beijing-based tutoring company invested by CDH Investments, raised $127.6 million in its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
China winning out?
Mass media have imprinted characteristic images of China on the public’s awareness: a populous country experiencing high-velocity economic growth representing the positive aspects of the nation; but juxtaposed alongside this, the negative impressions...
CIC may invest in US infrastructure
PRC SWF the China Investment Corporation (CIC), may seek to invest in infrastructure projects in the US, as its officials urged US authorities to spend up to $1 trillion on new infrastructure, according to reports.
Advantage investee 1st Holding to go IPO
Advantage Partners-owned Japanese software maker 1st Holding, Inc. has filed for an initial public offering on the JASDAQ board, seeking to raise around JPY14 billion ($173.5 million) by selling around 16 million shares, according to reports.
Risa Partners to be acquired by NEC Capital Solutions via TOB
NEC Capital Solutions, a Japanese financial services provider, has announced that it will buy 100% of Risa Partners, a listed Tokyo-based private equity and real estate investment firm, in a deal estimated at around JPY15.8 billion ($196 million).
State-backed The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan invests cancer drug company Anaeropharma Science
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) will inject JPY700 million ($8.7 million) in Anaeropharma Science, a privately-held biopharmaceutical company based in Tokyo, according to Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun.
Daiwa SMBC Principal exits HMV Japan to Lawson
Lawson Inc., the Japanese convenience store chain operator, will acquire 100% of HMV Japan KK, the CD and DVD retail sales operation running under the UK’s HMV brand name, for JPY1.8 billion ($22.3 million) from Daiwa Securities SMBC Principal Investments...
BlackBerry Partners fund plans to raise $150 million to invest BRIC mobile opportunities
BlackBerry Partners Fund, a VC firm backed by Research In Motion Ltd., Thomson Reuters, Royal Bank of Canada and other major investors, reportedly plans to raise at least $150 million for a new vehicle to make investments in mobile-phone software companies...
Actis sells 30% stake in China's Inpac to Finland's Stora Enso
UK-based private equity firm Actis has agreed to sell its 30% stake in Inpac, a premier printed paper packaging (PPP) manufacturer in China, to Stora Enso, a global paper, packaging and wood products company headquartered in Finland.
Capital Dynamics hires former AIC CEO Kobayashi as MD to head new Tokyo office
Capital Dynamics, the Switzerland-based alternative investment group, has appointed Kazushige Kobayashi, previously president and CEO of Japan's Alternative Investment Capital (AIC), engaged in funds-of-funds, as an MD to head its new Tokyo office.
integral becomes biggest shareholder of Japanese TV ad producer TYO
Integral Corporation, a Tokyo-based private equity firm, has acquired a 44.4% stake in TYO Inc, a second-tier TV commercial producer, for JPY1.3 billion ($16 million) in new shares, becoming the company's largest stakeholder.
China waste energy company's global new energy fund raises $100 million
A global new energy fund established by a group of investors including Chen Zefeng, chairman of PRC waste management and waste power company ZhongDe Waste Technology AG, has succeeded in raising $100 million, according to Wang Jiuhua, executive director...
Hony picks up c.30% of Singapore's Biosensors International
Hony Captal, the leading China-focused private equity firm, has acquired a 29.47% stake in Biosensors International Group, Ltd., a leading medical device company in Singapore, in a deal estimated at around $218.3 million.
VC-backed Dangdang plans $1 billion NASDAQ IPO
Dangdang, China's largest online book retailer, reportedly will debut on NASDAQ next month, aiming to raise $1 billion.
Japan's Mizuho Bank to form SME-focused fund by year end
Mizuho Bank, Japan’s third largest lender, will form an SME-focused private equity fund by the end of this year with a initial size of around JPY10 billion ($122 million).
Sequoia-controlled Mecox Lane raises $129 milllion in NASDAQ IPO
Sequoia Capital-controlled Mecox Lane Ltd., China’s largest mail order service provider, raised $129 million, or $11 per share, from its IPO, offering American depositary shares on NASDAQ.
Blackstone-backed China National BlueStar intends to buy Norwegian solar cell maker
China National BlueStar, the Chinese specialty chemicals company partly owned by US buyout firm the Blackstone Group, is reportedly in talks to acquire some or all of Norwegian solar cell maker Elkem AS, owned by a Norwegian conglomerate Orkla ASA.
South Korea's Woori starts sale process for majority stake
South Korean officials have stated that the government will begin the sale of its 57% stake in Woori Financial Holdings, the nation’s third-largest financial services group, this week, as part of a planned privatization.
China's NewMargin Ventures gets $105 million from Western Mining stake sale
NewMargin Ventures, the Beijing-based VC firm, and NewMargin Mining Co.,Ltd., together the third largest shareholders in Western Mining of Xining, Qinghai province in northwest China, have both sold their holdings, trimming down their stakes to 5.01%...
Japan Industrial Partners buys Kyowa Hakko Kirin chemical unit
Japan Industrial Partners, a Tokyo-based private equity firm specializing in business restructuring, has reached a basic agreement to acquire 100% of Kyowa Hakko Chemical, wholly owned by parent Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co., a major fermented chemicals manufacturer....
ARC China invests over $4 million in English education provider Guanya Education
ARC China, the Shanghai-based investment management group, has invested over $4 million in Guanya Education Group, a leading children’s English education company in northeast China.
KPCB raises RMB600 million VC fund, announces social media platform
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), the iconic US technology-focused venture capital firm, has closed its maiden RMB-denominated China fund at RMB600 million ($90million).
Blackstone and Warburg Pincus-backed Kosmos Energy receives $5 billion bid from CNOOC
China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), China’s third largest oil SOE, and Ghana National Petroleum Corp. have jointly bid in cash to acquire the Ghanaian assets of Kosmos Energy, whose Dallas-based parent is controlled by Warburg Pincus and the Blackstone...
Advent weighs buying QB barbershop chain from ORIX
ORIX Corp., the Japanese leasing and financial conglomerate, is reportedly selling QB Net Co., the operator of a discount barbershop chain, in a deal that could be worth JPY10 billion ($123 million), with PE firm Advent International as a potential buyer,...