Investments
500 Startups closes Thailand fund at $15.4m
500 Startups has reached a final close of $15.4 million on its Thailand-focused early-stage fund. It had originally targeted $10 million.
LPs see limitations as well as opportunities in Asia co-investment
Co-investment opportunities are increasing in Asia, with LPs pushing for direct exposure to deals and GPs more willing and able to bring them in, but they do not appeal to all institutional investors.
Asia secondaries challenged by valuation complications
Valuations remain a key obstacle to securing secondary transactions in Asia, even as a generation of funds becomes a year older and still struggles to generate liquidity, but the market is also growing in complexity due to the nature of the assets on...
LPs must address staffing constraints as Asian opportunities multiply
Global LPs targeting increasingly complex opportunity sets in Asia must streamline their activity and employ a range of techniques to reconcile shortages in investment team resources, panelists told the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's...
Warburg Pincus invests $120m in India's PVR
Warburg Pincus has invested INR8.2 billion ($120 million) for a 14% stake in Indian listed film and retail entertainment company PVR, providing a partial exit for Multiples Alternative Asset Management.
Innotech targets Asia with US marketing acquisition
Shanghai-based Innotech Capitals, a PE arm of Innotech International Group specializing in advertising technology, has acquired US data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to helping the company expand into Asia.
Deal focus: Yao Capital backs new motor-racing formula
With its investment in Formula E, Yao Capital hopes to help electric car racing achieve some of Formula One's success, but with an emphasis on China, downtown circuits, younger fans, and environmentally friendly entertainment
Portfolio: EQT Partners and Australia's I-Med
When EQT Partners acquired Australia-based I-Med Radiology Network, the company had spent years in the hands of different creditors. The GP had to restore confidence internally and drive long-term growth
Deal focus: Ednovation finds China solution
CDH investments has acquired Tembusu Partners' stake in Ednovation and will commit more capital for a controlling position as it supports the Singapore pre-school operator's China expansion
Fund focus: INSEAD alumni pay it forward
INSEADAlum Ventures, a seed-stage investor focused exclusively on INSEAD alumni, has raised its debut fund from a group of graduates keen to give back to the school where they got their start
India dairy player Milk Mantra raises $10m Series D
Neev Fund, an investment vehicle sponsored by the State Bank of India (SBI), has led a $10 million Series D round for Milk Mantra Dairy.
India's Practo gets $55m round led by Tencent
China's Tencent Holdings has led a $55 million Series D round for Indian clinic management software and doctor search portal developer Practo.
Fairfax India buys controlling stake in Saurashtra Freight
Fairfax India Holdings has agreed to invest INR2 billion ($30 million) for a 51% stake in domestic logistics company Saurashtra Freight.
VIDEO: Ilfryn Carstairs, Värde Partners
Ilfryn Carstairs, co-CIO of Värde Partners, discusses distress and structured credit opportunities globally and in Asia
China AI start-up Moran Cognitive raises $10m from VCs
Moran Cognitive Technology, a China-based artificial intelligence (AI) start-up, has received $10 million in a funding round co-led by Matrix Partners China and Source Code Capital.
Nexus leads $5m Series A for India's Zolo
Nexus Venture Partners has led a $5 million Series A round of funding for Indian managed accommodation platform Zolo.
China Exim Bank fund buys Hungary's Invitel from Mid Europa
The China-CEE Fund, which is backed by China Exim Bank and invests in Central and Eastern Europe, has agreed to buy Hungarian fixed line telecom and broadband internet provider Invitel Group for an enterprise valuation of EUR202 million ($214 million).
China used car trading platform Uxin raises $500m
Chinese used car trading platform Uxin has raised $500 million in a new round of funding led by TPG Growth, Jeneration Capital and China Vision Capital.
KKR makes $1.3b tender offer for Japan's Hitachi Koki
KKR has launched its second tender offer in two months for a Japanese listed company, submitting a bid for Hitachi Koki that values the power tools manufacturer at JPY147.1 billion ($1.28 billion).
India's Unacademy raises $4.4m Series A round
Blume Ventures and Nexus Venture Partners have led a INR300 million ($4.4 million) Series A round of funding for Indian free-to-use learning platform operator Unacademy.
Tencent leads $40m round for China CRM platform Xiaoshouyi
Xiaoshouyi, a China VC-backed customer relationships management (CRM) platform, has raised a RMB280 million ($40 million) Series D round of funding led by Tencent Holdings.
Tembusu exits Singapore-based Ednovation to CDH
CDH Investments has acquired a 36% stake in Ednovation, a Singapore-based operator of pre-schools in Southeast Asia and China, from Tembusu Partners in a deal said to be worth more than S$50 million ($35 million).
Faster food: PE and restaurant franchising
Franchising out restaurant chains - one of the major objectives for the new PE-backed McDonald's China partnership - is a popular ploy for investors across Asia as they pursue scale. But it is not without risk
Capital Today leads $100m round for China Q&A platform Zhihu
Capital Today has led a $100 million Series D round of funding for Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer platform similar to US-based Quora.