Articles by Andrew Woodman
Japan's Gumi Ventures reaches a $16.9m close on Fund II
Gumi Ventures - the corporate venture arm of the Japanese mobile gaming company of the same name - has reached a JPY2 billion ($16.9 million) final close on its second fund.
L Capital Asia backs Saudi Arabia gourmet confectioner
L Capital Asia - a PE firm sponsored by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH - has secured its first Middle East investment with the acquisition of a minority stake in Bateel, a luxury confectioner based in Saudi Arabia.
PE buyout talks with Australia's Bradken fall through
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital have pulled their take-over bid for Australian mining industry supplier Bradken due to volatility in the commodities market.
YJ Capital launches Fund II, backs Indonesia fashion site
YJ Capital - the corporate VC arm of Yahoo! Japan - has announced the launch of its second fund, which has made its first investment in Indonesia fashion flash sale site VIP Plaza.
Japan's Wizpra raises $2m from VCs
A consortium of Japanese investors including Gree Ventures, Mobile Internet Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, and Mizuho Capital has invested JPY230 million ($1.9 million) in internet-based market research platform Wizpra.
Asia start-ups: The SoftBank effect
SoftBank has laid down a marker in Asia’s technology space over the past six months, investing nearly $2 billion and promising much more. What does this say about the Japanese giant’s broader ambitions?
Singapore Exchange, Clearbridge form SME capital-raising platform
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has partnered with Clearbridge Accelerator to set up a capital-raising platform for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia.
Kaizen backs India's Impartus Innovations
Education-focused Indian GP Kaizen Private Equity has made a $4.1 million Series A investment in video learning platform Impartus Innovations.
IFC backs Vietnam's Pan Pacific Corp
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $6.5 million in Vietnamese agribusiness and food conglomerate Pan Pacific Corp. in exchange for a 5% stake.
India's Suzlon sells German unit to Centerbridge
Suzlon Energy, an India-headquartered wind-turbine manufacturer, has sold its German subsidiary - Senvion - to Centerbridge Partners in EUR1 billion ($1.16 billion) deal.
Blackstone exits India's Agile Electric for $106m
The Blackstone Group has agreed to sell its entire stake in Indian auto parts maker Agile Electric Sub Assembly to Japan's Igarashi Electric Works (IEW), and Indian boutique investment bank MAPE Advisory Group, in a $106.4 million deal.
Temasek buys SVB's India venture debt business
Singapore's Temasek Holdings has agreed to acquire the India venture debt unit of NASDAQ-listed financial services company SVB Financial Group for INR2.8 billion ($45 million).
Japan's Mitsui Global backs clinical SaaS start-up
Japan’s Mitsui Global Investment and Dolby Family Ventures have together invested $12 million in cloud-based, clinical study software start-up goBalto.
Deal focus: ChrysCapital doubles its money on ING Vysya
In November it was revealed that Kotak Mahindra Bank - India's fourth largest private lender - would acquire its smaller rival, Bangalore-based retail bank ING Vysya, in an all-stock deal at a valuation of $2.4 billion.
Portfolio: J-Star and Primagest
Primagest is a long-standing leader in Japan's document-scanning industry, but it faces challenges in terms of a transition in leadership and staying relevant as technology evolves. J-Star is providing support
China PE returns stunted by public market performance
Returns over the past five years have been disappointing for Chinese private equity, say industry participants, but performance must be judged in the context of the region's public markets.
PremjiInvest leads Series C round for India's Amagi Media Labs
PremjiInvest has led a Series C round of funding for Amagi Media Labs, a Bangalore-based firm that facilitates targeted television advertising based on geography.
Temasek acquires 18% stake in Indian hospital operator
Temasek Holdings - an investment arm of the Singapore government - has acquired a 17.74% stake in Global Health, which operates the Mendanta super specialty hospital in Gurgaon, India.
India Value Fund completes partial exit from Mahindra CIE
India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) has completed a partial exit from Mahindra CIE Automotive, selling a third of its stake for about INR1.3 billion ($21 million).
Tiger Global leads $100m round for India's ShopClues
Tiger Global has a led a $100 million Series C round of funding for Clues Network, the US parent of Indian e-commerce platform ShopClues.
Japanese entrepreneurs' big data start-up raises $15m
Treasure Data - a Silicon Valley-based big data start-up founded by two Japanese entrepreneurs - has raised a $15 million Series B round of funding led by Scale Venture Partners with participation from AME Cloud Ventures.
Club Med board recommends Fosun consortium's renewed offer
The board of French vacation resort operator Club Méditerranée (Club Med) has recommended that shareholders accept the most recent takeover offer from a consortium led by China's Fosun International.
Co-investment deals could be the next PE bubble LPs fear
Co-investment could represent the next bubble for global private equity says Erik Hirsch, global CIO for global fund-of-funds Hamilton Lane.
Multiples makes partial exit from Cholamandalam Finance
Multiples Alternative Asset Management has made a INR1.9 billion partial exit from Indian non-banking financial company Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company (CIF).