Articles by Andrew Woodman
Music service Rdio acquires India's VC-backed Dhingana
Rdio, a US-based digital music service, has acquired Dhingana - an India and US-based social music streaming service backed by Inventus Capital Partners, Helion Venture Partners and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Temasek tables $2.1b bid for full ownership of Olam
A consortium led by Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings has offered to pay $2.1 billion to take full ownership of agricultural commodity trading conglomerate Olam International. The consortium already owns a 52.5% stake in the firm.
Unison Capital targets $581m for Japan fund
Japanese mid-market buyout firm Unison Capital is targeting JPY60 billion ($581 million) for its fourth Japan fund. The fund - which launched in early February - is scheduled for a first close by the summer.
PE-backed Manappuram acquires Jaypee Hotels NBFC
Manappuram Finance, a listed non-bank financial company (NBFC) backed by Baring Private Equity India and India Equity Partners (IEP) among others, is to acquire Milestone Home Finance Company - a unit of Jaypee Hotels - for an undisclosed amount.
IAN leads round for speech software firm Uniphore
Indian Angel Network (IAN) has led a round of investment for India's Uniphore Software Systems, a company that develops Indian language speech recognition software.
Jafco-backed EnBio raises $7.2m in Toyko IPO
EnBio, a Japanese soil decontamination business backed by Jafco, saw its stock open at JPY1311 - a 126% premium on the offering price - on its first day of trading. The company, which listed the Mothers (market of the high-growth and emerging stocks)...
Kinnevik leads $90m round for India's Quikr
Swedish early stage investor Investment AB Kinnevik has led a $90 million round of funding for Indian classifieds platform Quikr.
Mayfield re-ups in India's Securens - report
US-based venture capital firm Mayfield is investing another $6 million in Indian online alarm systems provider Securens Systems.
GREE, Transcosmos back Singapores's Luxola
Singapore-based online beauty store Luxola has raised $10 million in a Series B round of funding led by Japanese e-commerce services firm Transcosmos with existing backer Gree Ventures.
FidelisWorld invests in India sports management firm
FidelisWorld Asset Management (FAM) - an Indian GP focusing on sports, media and entertainment - has bought a significant minority stake in Technology Frontiers India (TFI), a Chennai-based sports management firm.
PE-backed Prime Focus to acquire Dax
India's Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), a unit of PE-backed movie effects and entertainment company Prime Focus, is to acquire DAX, a developer of a cloud-based workflow software-as-a-service (SaaS) for the media industry, for $9.1 million.
Indonesia VC: Lucrative clicks
E-commerce has emerged as the star of Indonesia’s expanding start-up space. Early-stage investors are scrambling to fill their shopping carts, but you have to pick the right spots and deploy the right resources
CyberAgent leads $12m round for Korean food delivery app
Japan's CyberAgent Ventures has been joined by previous investors Altos Ventures, IMM Investment and Stonebridge Capital for a $12 million investment in Woowa Bros, the start-up behind Korean food delivery app Baedalui Minjok.
INCJ-backed Japan Display IPO prices at bottom of range
Japan Display, the world's biggest maker of screens for tablets and smart phones, has priced its IPO at the bottom of indicative range following a lukewarm response from overseas investors.
INCJ invests $6m in copper paste business
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY600 million ($6 million) in Material Concept, a manufacturer of copper paste for use in electrical components and solar panels. Daiwa Corporate also invested an undisclosed amount in the...
Japan's Globis re-ups in UK educational app developer
Globis Capital Partners, the Japanese venture capital firm, has returned to lead a GBP3.4 million ($5.8 mllion) Series B round for Quipper, a UK company that develops educational mobile applications.
Warburg Pincus-backed Sunshine 100 raises $259m via HK IPO
Sunshine 100 China Holdings - a commercial and residential real estate developer backed by Warburg Pincus - has raised about HK$2 billion ($259 million) after pricing its Hong Kong IPO at the bottom of the indicative price range.
Carlyle to invest $40.9m in India clothing brand Mufti - report
The Carlyle Group is to invest INR2.5 billion ($40.9 million) in Credo Brands Marketing, the company behind Indian casual wear brand Mufit.
South Korea looks to ease M&A rules for PE
South Korea is planning to relax restrictions concerning M&A transactions in a bid to encourage investment by private equity and strategic investors.
Shareholders reject MSPEA-backed Yongye privatization
Shareholders have rejected a $339 million offer - supported by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) - to take US-listed Chinese animal and plant feed maker Yongye International private.
KKR expands energy & infrastructure team into Asia
KKR has further bolstered its energy and infrastructure presence in Asia, appointing Tony Schultz as managing director in Sydney and relocating Ash Upadhyaya -a director with KKR's energy and infrastructure team in the US - to Singapore.
Apollo, ICICI eye $750m close on India distress fund - report
ICICI Venture Funds Management, the private equity unit India's ICICI Bank, and US PE firm Apollo Global Management are expected to reach a $750 million final close a joint fund set up to focus on distress opportunities in India.
SoftBank Venture backs Thai video game firm Ini3 Digital
SoftBank Ventures Korea (SBVK), the corporate investment arm of the Japanese telecoms giant, has taken a 23% stake in Thai online video game operator Ini3 Digital. The financial terms were not dislosed.
PE-backed China iKang Healthcare files for $150m US IPO
IKang Healthcare Group - the Chinese healthcare services provider whose backers include Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC Private, Goldman Sachs and NewQuest Asia - is planning to raise up to $150 million in an initial public offering on NASDAQ.