Articles by Andrew Woodman
Q&A: Navis Capital Partners' Nick Bloy
Nick Bloy, managing partner at Navis Capital Partners, explains what ASEAN integration means for private equity and how valuation and sector issues should shape approaches to Indonesia
Samurai Incubate Fund invests in Japanese child monitor app
Samurai Incubate Fund has backed Japanese mobile app developer Unirings - the company behind child monitoring app Mimamoru. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
INCJ invests in $1.7m in Japanese tech firm Exvision
The Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has invested JPY180 million ($1.7 million) in Exvision, a company which develops high-speed image processing technology.
Korea to grant start-up visas to foreigners
South Korea is to grant start-up visas to foreign entrepreneurs in a bid to facilitate inbound investment.
Navis exits Australian oil and gas services provider
Navis Capital Partners has exited Callidus Process Solutions, an Australian industry valve maintenance specialist serving mining and oil and gas sites, to Pon Holdings Australia (PHA).
Japanese software testing service in $4m VC round
Shift, a Japanese software testing service, has raised JPY400 million ($4 million) from VC investors Simplex Holdings and Movida Capital as well as strategic investor Bit-isle, a cloud data service provider.
DBJ, SMBC, Mitsubishi UFJ back Japan's Adinnovation
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) , SMBC Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have together invested JPY160 million ($1.5 million) in marketing specialist Adinnovation.
Japan's Chiyoda acquires PE-backed energy consultancy
Chiyoda Corp, a Japanese engineering contractor, has acquired a majority stake in Scottish energy consultancy business Xodus Group from UK private equity backer Simmons Parallel Private and Dutch investor Sunrise Xodus. Financial details were not disclosed....
Nissay Capital invests $2m in display component maker Cerebrex
Nissay Capital has invested JPY250 million ($2.4 million) in Cerebrex, a semiconductor start-up that produces components for liquid crystal displays.
KDDI Fund participates in $2m round for Japanese game developer
KDDI Open Innovation Fund has joined CyberAgent Ventures and Japanese entertainment company FuRyu in committing a total JPY230 million ($2.2 million) to Japanese game developer Mutations Studio.
Samsung Electronics buys VC-backed Boxee
Samsung Electronics has acquired Boxee, a VC-backed Israeli start-up that manufactures digital video recorders (DVRs). The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
NZ Super allocates $31m to Pioneer Capital
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has committed NZ$40 million ($31 million) to the second fund of Auckland-based private equity firm Pioneer Capital Partners.
Japan, Canada pension fund consortium makes first investment
A consortium of Canada's Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Scheme (OMERS) and a group of Japanese pension funds led by Mistubishi Corp. has made its first investment in Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV), a gas power plant in the US. The details...
Angels in Asia: Exporting Silicon Valley
Early-stage investors in the US are casting their eyes eastwards as they seek out new partnerships in Asia. But what can these angels offer the region’s start-up community?
Sun Capital exits US-based ASB to Japan's Lixil
Sun Capital Partners has exited its stake in American Standard Brands (ASB), a US maker of bathroom and kitchen fixtures, to Japanese toilet manufacturer Lixil Corp. for $542 million. The deal values the 138 year-old firm at around $342 million and includes...
Untapped Japan VC market targets mobile space - AVCJ Japan
Japanese venture capital is still being overlooked by LPs despite the untapped potential of Asia's fastest growing mobile internet space, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
Governance issues could undermine Japan's economic reforms - AVCJ Forum
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s economic reforms have provided a boost for Japanese private equity but issues surrounding corporate governance continue to be a barrier to opportunities, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
Carlyle finds the right formula for Yashili
Glow-in-the-dark pork, dumplings with aluminum, cadmium-tainted rice, and cooking oil made from recycled sewage are just some of the horrors that have found their way onto Chinese dinner tables in recent times. It is no wonder, then, that there is an...
Partners Group joins India's IT crowd
Few investors need to be convinced of the wealth of possibilities that exist in India’s IT outsourcing industry. As of last year, the sector was valued in excess $100 billion with export revenues reaching $69.1 billion and domestic revenues of $31.7 billion...
LP interview: New Zealand Superannuation Fund
New Zealand Superannuation Fund’s private equity program is only five years old but the fund is gearing up to make larger commitments to international managers. CIO Fiona Mackenzie explains the strategy
Japan's INCJ in cooperative talks with private equity
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has been in discussions with domestic and foreign private equity firms over joint investment strategies.
Northern Lights, Nereus Capital bolster India clean energy
Nereus Capital has received $100 million in commitments from Northern Lights Capital Group and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) for its $250 million India Alternative Energy Fund (IAEF).
Macquarie commits $58m to Prime Focus World
Macquarie Capital has invested $53 million in Prime Focus World (PFW), the creative services division of India-headquartered entertainment company Prime Focus.
Apax reaches $7.5b final close on latest global fund
Apax Partners has reached a EUR5.8 billion ($7.5 billion) final close on its eighth global fund. The final close was reached within 15 months of the fund's launch, as planned, but still falls short of its initial target of EUR9 billion.