Articles by Andrew Woodman
Australia's Lifx goes from Kickstarter to Series A
Sequoia Capital has led a $12 million Series A round of investment for Lifx, an Australian manufacturer of Wi-Fi enabled light bulbs.
Carlyle to acquire Japan's Sunsho Pharmaceutical
The Carlyle Group has agreed to acquire Sunsho Pharmaceutical, a contract manufacturer in the Japan's health and nutrition (H&N) industry. The financial details of the transaction - which will see the PE firm take a 100% stake - were not disclosed.
KDDI, Jafco invest $12m in Japan news app Gunosy
Japanese telecom giant KDDI Corp. has led a JPY1.2 billion ($11.8 million) round of investment in news app developer Gunosy.
China's CIC promises better oversight after damning audit
China Investment Corp. (CIC) has said it will improve management of its overseas investments after China's National Audit Office (NAO) said mismanagement had led to losses.
Milestone leads $35m Series B round for JHL Biotech
Milestone Capital has led a $35 million Series B round of investment for JHL Biotech, a Taiwan-based biopharmaceutical company.
Nadathur invests $10m in Indian risk management provider
Nadathur Holdings has invested $10 million in Paladion Networks, an Indian technology firm which provides information risk management.
SAIF leads $25m round for India's BookMyShow
SAIF India has led a INR1.5 billion ($25 million) round of funding for Bigtree Entertainment, the company behind cinema and events ticketing site BookMyShow.
Permira targets IPO for Japan's Arysta LifeScience – report
Permira is planning to raise $500 million via the US IPO of Japanese agricultural chemical maker Arysta LifeScience.
Singapore's Sova raises $3m seed round
Sova, a Singapore start-up that provides a cloud-based WordPress hosting service, has secured $3 million in seed funding from undisclosed investors.
Tano Capital invests $8.5m in India's Safari Industries
Tano Capital will pay INR498 million ($8.5 million) for a 20% stake in Safari Industries India, a plastic moulded luggage maker, through a preferential allotment of shares.
CyberAgent launches $50m start-up fund
CyberAgent Ventures, the corporate VC arm the Japanese internet firm, has formed a new fund worth JPY5 billion ($49 million).
China's UCloud raises $50m Series B round
UCloud, a China-based cloud services provider, has raised $50 million in a Series B round of funding led by Legend Capital and existing investor Bertelsmann Asia Investments.
Creador Fund II to reach final close in August
India and Southeast Asia-focused GP Creador is set for a final close of $250 million on its second fund in August, having already raised $220 million.
Japan's public pension funds: Sleeping giants
Following concerns about performance and a government review of asset allocations, Japan’s public pension funds are prepping to enter private equity. But when will it happen and who stands to benefit?
Q&A: JBIC's Shigeki Kimura
Japan Bank for International Cooperation made its first commitment to a top-tier GP this year, backing CVC Capital Partners’ latest Asia fund. Managing Executive Officer Shigeki Kimura explains the group’s strategy
Japan outbound investment: Playing away
Emboldened by ample financing and the need to develop demand bases beyond a stagnating domestic market, Japanese companies are investing more overseas. Are they partner or competitor for private equity?
Next-owned Hirepool seeks up to $227m in NZ IPO
Hirepool Group - a New-Zealand equipment rental firm owned by Next Capital - is to raise up to NZ$262 million ($227 million) in what is likely to be one of New Zealand's largest listings this year.
Sequoia, TOM Group support HK P2P lender WeLab
Sequoia Capital and Asian billionaire Li Ka-Shing's TOM Group have invested $14 million in WeLab, the start-up behind peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform WeLend.hk, in a Series A round of funding .
Intel Capital leads $16m round for India's Vizury
Intel Capital has led a $16 million Series C round of funding for Indian client relations management (CRM) platform Vizury.
Khosla, Battery lead $9.2m Series B for HackerRank
Khosla Ventures and Battery Ventures have led a $9.2 million Series B round of funding for Indian hacker platform HackerRank.
Permira holds $7.2b final close global Fund V
Permira has reached a final close on its fifth global buyout fund, Permira V, at the hard cap of EUR5.3 billion ($7.2 billion), less than the EUR9.6 billion raised by its predecessor.
Tiger Global leads $31m Series D round for India's Freshdeck
Tiger Global Management has led a $31 million Series D round of investment in India's Freshdesk, a provider of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) customer support platform.
Australia's EMR Capital invests $12m in phosphate explorer
EMR Capital, an Australian resources-focused private equity firm, will invest A$12.75 million ($12 million) in Australian Securities Exchange-listed potash explorer Highfield Resources.
Japan's KSP reaches $11m first close on fourth venture fund
Japanese incubator KSP has reached a JPY1.2 billion ($11.7 million) first close on its fourth venture investment fund.