Articles by Andrew Woodman
Crowdfunding: Herd dynamics
More start-ups are tapping crowdfunding platforms for capital. How well prepared are Asian markets to accommodate the phenomenon and what does its emergence mean for venture capital investors?
India's Power2SME raises $7m Series C round
Power2SME, an Indian group buying start-up, has raised a INR420 million ($6.87 million) Series C round from existing investors Accel Partners, Kalaari Capital and Inventus Capital.
Baring Asia drops out of Japan electronics deal
Baring Private Equity Asia has abandoned plans to acquire the audio-video operations of Japanese car electronics maker Pioneer Corp - alongside the company's rival Onkyo Corp - three months after reaching a basic agreement.
PE-backed Snowman jumps 67.5% on India debut
Snowman Logistics - the PE-backed cold chain unit of Gateway Distriparks - gained 67.5% on its first day of trading on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
India's BigBasket raises $32.8m Series B from Helion, Zodius
Helion Venture Partners and Zodius Capital have led a INR2 billion ($32.8 million) Series B round of investment in BigBasket.com - the Indian online retailer owned by Bangalore-based SuperMarket Grocery Supplies.
CLSA Global invests $25m in Hathway Cable
Singapore-based CLSA Global Market has invested INR1.5 billion ($24.7 million) in Hathway Cable & Datacom, India's largest cable service operator by revenue.
NPS, Macquarie-backed Megabox goes on sale
Megabox, the South Korean movie theatre chain 50% owned by a consortium including the Korean National Pension Service (NPS) and Macquarie Group, is being sold at auction.
Permira-owned Arysta LifeScience files for US IPO
Arysta LifeScience, the Permira-owned Japanese agricultural chemical maker, has filed for its US IPO with a view to raising as much as $500 million.
Clearwater exits India's Dolphin Offshore
Clearwater Capital Partners has exited its 6.53% stake in Indian marine operation and construction company Dolphin Offshore Enterprises via an open market transaction.
Portfolio: YPX and China casual dining
YPX Cayman was born out of an idea for a tech-style start-up in China's casual dining space. Backed by a string of investors, the firm is making headway with Cloud 9 and preparing to launch new concepts
Secondaries: Deal flow spike
Secondary deal flow has reached record breaking levels in 2014. Regulatory reform and economic recovery have helped, but that is not the whole story - the maturing market is arguably more important
Partners Group acquires $648m MLC portfolio
MLC, the private wealth unit of National Australia Bank(NAB), has sold a A$750 million ($648 million) portfolio of private equity investments to Partners Group.
LeapFrog reaches $400m close on second microfinance fund
LeapFrog Investments - the specialist microfinance investor backed by George Soros and JP Morgan Chase - has reached a $400 million close on its second fund targeting financial services investments in emerging Asia and Africa.
OPTrust, Catalyst consortium acquires Australia's SkyBus
A private equity consortium including Canada's OPTrust Private Markets Group (OPTrust PMG) and Catalyst Direct Capital Management has acquired Australian bus route operator SkyBus.
Unison holds $428m first close on Fund IV, eyes $714m
Unison Capital has reached a first close on its latest Japan buyout vehicle - Unison Capital Partners IV(F) - of JPY45 billion ($428 million), with the fund expecting a final close of JPY75 billion.
Carlyle closes fourth Asia buyout fund at $3.9b
The Carlyle Group has reached a final close on its fourth Asian fund - Carlyle Asia Partners IV (CAP IV) - at $3.9 billion.
Providence makes partial exit from India's Idea Cellular
Providence Equity has made a partial exit from Idea Celluar, a Indian mobile network operator promoted by Aditya Birla Group, selling a 2.3% stake - or a quarter of its previous holding - for around INR14.1 billion ($234 million) via an open market transaction....
UOB, Orix launch $200m SE Asia-focused mezz fund
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) and Japan's ORIX Corp. (ORIX) have launched a mezzanine fund providing expansion capital to mid-sized companies in Southeast Asia.
VCs take part in $2.1m round for Japan's Innova
Nippon Venture Capital, Draper Nexus and strategic investor Salesforce.com have together invested JPY220 million ($2.1 million) on Tokyo-based search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing agency Innova.
Singapore Red Dot Payment complete Series A round
Wavemaker Pacific and GMO Global Payment Fund have taken part in a Series A round of funding for Singapore's Red Dot Payment, an online payment solutions provider. The financial details were not disclosed.
Carlyle, FountainVest pull out of China Shanda Games take-private
The Carlyle Group and FountainVest Partners have pulled out of the consortium backing a $1.9 billion bid to acquire US-listed Chinese games developer Shanda Games.
IFC invests $27.5m in Indian food additives producer
World Bank investment arm International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $27.5 million in Lucid Colloids, one of the top four producers of food additive guar gum.
H&Q leads $16.7m round for cloud insurance software firm
H&Q Asia Pacific has led a $16.7 million Series A round for US cloud insurance software provider One Inc.; Camp One Ventures and AGI Partners also took part in the round.
Japanese mobility firm Whill closes $11m Series A round
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has led an $11 million Series A round for Whill, a Japanese startup which has designed a type of electronic mobility chair.