Articles by Andrew Woodman
Japan's SoftBank acquires VC-backed Supercell for $1.5b
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank has acquired SuperCell - a Finnish mobile games developer backed by Index Ventures, Accel Partners and Atomico - paying JPY150 billion ($1.53 billion) for a 51% stake.
Matrix makes a booking with Stayzilla
The travel e-commerce market in India is booming but the technology which has made it possible is also leaving many behind. This is particularly visible is the hotel booking segment, where transactions frequently break down because establishments don't...
Profile: Innovation Works' Chris Evdemon
A cold email to Innovation Works founder Kai-fu Lee landed angel investor Chris Evdemon a full-time role at the Beijing-based incubator. Now he is looking to follow the firm into Silicon Valley
Ascendent backs Wumart as Chinese retailer buys CP Lotus stores
Ascendent Capital Partners (ACP) has acquired a stake in Chinese supermarket operator Wumart Stores, as Wumart moves to acquire 36 stores from retail firm CP Lotus Corp. for HK$2.3 billion ($302 million) through a share swap.
South Korea's Troika Resources, Canada's Bellatrix form oil JV
Bellatrix Exploration, a small Canadian oil and gas explorer, has formed a C$240 million ($231 million) joint venture with the South Korea's Troika Resources Private Equity Fund (TRPEF) - which is managed by KDB Bank, SK Energy and Samchully Asset Management...
OzForex shares jump on debut following $416m IPO
OzForex Group - an Australian online foreign exchange services provider backed by The Carlyle Group, Accel Partners and Macquarie Group - saw its shares jump nearly 30% on its first day of trading following a A$440 million ($416 million) IPO.
Matrix, Valara invest $150m in New Zealand's Xero
New Zealand-based online accounting software company Xero has raised a NZ$180 million ($150 million) round from existing backers Matrix Capital Management and Valara Ventures. The transaction was priced at $15.10 per share for 9.92 million shares - representing...
Oaktree agrees tanker deal with Singapore's Navig8
Oaktree Capital Management and Singaporean shipping management firm Navig8 have agreed to form a shipping joint venture, Navig8 Chemical Tankers.
IDG, Inventus lead $2m Series A for India's Unbxd
IDG Venture India and Inventus Capital Partners have led a $2 million Series A round of investment in Unbxd, a product recommendation platform for e-commerce companies.
Sovereign assets surpass $5t, Asian groups see fastest growth
Asia-based sovereign wealth funds have seen their assets under management (AUM) increase 19% since 2012, faster than any other region. Sovereign funds globally had an estimated collective AUM of $5.38 trillion as of October this year, up from $4.62 trillion...
AVCAL names Yasser El-Ansary as CEO
The Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) has chosen Yasser El-Ansary as its new CEO, effective from November 20. The appointment follows last month's resignation of Katherine Woodthorpe after seven years in the role.
Japan's Mitsubishi launches energy-focused fund-of-funds
Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. has led the launch of a $300 million US energy-focused private equity fund-of-funds. Energy Opportunity Fund is expected to reach its target by September next year.
China shopping search portal B5M raises $16m round
ClearVue Partners has led a $16 million Series B round of investment in Chinese shopping portal B5M.
VC-backed Eneres in $25m Japan IPO
Eneres, a venture capital-backed energy resources management firm, saw its stock more than double to JPY717 on its first day of trading in Tokyo yesterday following a JPY2.5 billion ($25 million) IPO.
Japan online fish seller raises $1.5m VC round
Hachimenroppi, a Japanese firm that operates an IT-enabled fresh fish distribution platform, has secured a JPY150 million ($1.5 million) round of investment from Pygmalion No 2, a venture fund managed by Tokyo-based firm Value Create. Two strategic investors...
Online tourism: Ticket to ride
Online tourism is on the rise in emerging Asia and numerous venture-backed businesses are looking to hitch a ride on the consumer growth trend. The key is finding the right niche
J-Star buys 'fourth hand' Primagest
Primagest, a firm whose primary business is using optical character recognition (OCR) to turn documents in data, appears every bit the tech-savvy up and comer. However, it has been doing the same thing – in one form or another – for 45 years.
Panasonic unit gets KKR cure
KKR's acquisition of Panasonic Healthcare marks a return to form for the firm after its earlier efforts to acquire Japanese chipmaker Renesas were frustrated by the government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ). The deal had raised...
INCJ, VCs back Japan big data firm Smart Insight
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is to invest up to JPY1 billion ($10.3 million) in Smart Insight Corp, a big data analysis software developer for the corporate sector. The business has also secured JPY400 million from Energy & Environment...
Apollo mulls raising investment limit on global fund - report
Apollo Global Management is reportedly considering seeking approval to raise the limit on its new flagship fund in response to strong investor interest.
J-Star ups stake in Primagest
Japanese GP J-Star has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in image processing firm Primagest. The financial details of this second tranche of investment were not disclosed, but a source with direct knowledge of the matter said the mid-market...
VC-backed Value HR sees shares double after $8.5m Japan IPO
VC-backed Value HR, a Japanese human resources benefits service provider, saw its stock more than double in value to JPY4035 ($41.5) on its trading debut in Tokyo on Friday.
DRC Capital exits Japan's Casa to Ant Capital
DRC Capital has sold Japan's Casa, a rent guarantee provider formerly known as Rento Go, to Ant Capital Partners and the firm's management. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Kyoto University launches $60m venture fund
Japan's Kyoto University has launched its second venture fund, a $60 million vehicle which will invest in start-ups in Japan and the rest of Asia.