Funds
Korea's SMBA, IDG form $91m VC fund
IDG Capital Partners and South Korea's Small and Medium Business Administration have agreed to form a KRW100 billion ($91 million) VC fund that will help Korean businesses enter the China market.
China car-washing app raises $20m from Ping An VC
Ping An Ventures, a venture capital arm under Ping An Insurance, has provided $20 million in Series A funding for Exc118.com, a Chinese car-washing service mobile app.
IFC leads $10m round for India eye hospital chain
International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $5.5 million in Indian eye clinic chain Eye-Q Vision, leading a round of financing for the company worth $10 million.
Q&A: Baring PE Asia's Jean Eric Salata
Baring Private Equity Asia has closed its sixth fund at $3.98 billion. CEO Jean Eric Salata explains how the firm has sized up to raise its largest-ever vehicle, and where he expects to deploy the capital
Ola and TaxiForSure share a ride
Car ownership in India is very low; according to the country’s 2011 census, passenger vehicle penetration is just 4.9% overall and a mere 9% for urban areas. For a country of 1.3 billion, suffering from poor public transport, it means the demand for...
The C2B segue: China used-car trading platforms
While private equity capital is pouring into China’s B2B online car-trading platforms, some investors claim to see more value in smaller scale but less-penetrated and higher-margin C2B space
Global ambitions: China targets Israel VC
Chinese corporates and financial investors are gravitating to Israel in their quest for high-end technology. This has buoyed local VC activity and more cross-border expansion is likely to follow
Customized solutions: LPs look beyond the blind pool
Boyu Capital and Hopu Investment Management both participated in a $2.5 billion investment in Singapore-listed warehouse developer Global Logistic Properties (GLP) last year, but the other consortium members arguably make for more interesting reading....
Kalaari invests $2.5m in India-based Codigami
Kalaari Capital has committed $2.5 million to Codigami, parent company of Indian social media manager app Crowdfire, in a Series A round of funding.
Biopharma venture raises $7.3m from Korean investors
Korean healthcare-focused VC firm InterVest and tech-focused E&Investment have together invested $7.28 million in G-treeBNT, a Seoul-based diversified bio pharmaceutical business.
PEP to buy Kerry Group's Australian bakery unit
Australian GP Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has agreed to acquire Pinnacle, the Sydney-headquartered bakery unit of Irish food giant Kerry Group.
Mainland Chinese investors barred from owning Taiwan start-ups
Chinese groups are free to make venture capital investments in Taiwan but they will not be able to gain control over local start-ups, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).
Alibaba leads $60 million Series C1 round for Quixey
Alibaba Group has led a Series C1 round of funding worth $60 million for US app search engine Quixey, as the Chinese e-commerce giant continues to ramp up its presence in the US tech sector.
Qiming leads Series A for China medical research, translation provider
Qiming Venture Partners has led a Series A round of funding for MedSci, a Chinese clinical research and academic translation services online platform.
Korean education social network raises $3.2m
Classting, a South Korean social networking site for students and teachers, has raised a KRW3.5 billion ($3.17 million) Series B round of funding led by Partner Investment, a tech-focused PE firm based in Seoul.
Ally Bridge participates in $57m round for US biotech firm
Healthcare-focused GP Ally Bridge has participated in a $57 million round of funding for EndoChoice, a US-based endoscopic imaging specialist, with a view to helping the company to expand in China.
VC-backed Chinese home furnishing site Jia.com raises $160m
Jia.com, a Chinese home furnishing and decoration B2C online platform backed by several VC firms, has completed a Series D round of funding worth $160 million.
Markus Ableitinger to leave Capital Dynamics
Markus Ableitinger has resigned from his position of managing director and co-head of Asia Pacific investment management at Capital Dynamics after more than 10 years with the firm.
Chinese parenting site Lamabang raises $100m
China online retailer Vipshop has led a $100 million Series C round of funding for Lamabang, an online social networking platform that focuses on mothers.
Rocket Internet delivers Series A financing to Bridestory
Rocket Internet has participated in a Series A round of funding for Indonesian online wedding marketplace Bridestory. The size of the investment was not disclosed, but it is said to be between $1 million and $10 million.
JD, Beijing Water to launch $320m environment fund
China-focused private equity firm JD Capital has partnered with Beijing Water Business Doctor to launch a RMB2 billion ($320 million) environment fund.
PE-owned AWAS to sell aircraft to Macquarie
AWAS Aviation Capital, which is owned by Terra Firma Capital Partners and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), will sell an operating lease portfolio of 90 aircraft to Australia's Macquarie Group.
TPG reaches $6.5b first close on latest global fund
TPG Capital has reached a first close of $6.5 billion on its latest global fund. The vehicle, which was formally launched last October, has a target of $8 billion and a hard cap of $10 billion.
Sydney launches financial technology start-up hub
Sydney has launched a hub for financial technology start-ups, supported by initial funding of A$2 million ($1.6 million) from a string of Australian banks, property and technology firms in collaboration with the New South Wales government.