Funds
PE buyout talks with Australia's Bradken fall through
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and Bain Capital have pulled their take-over bid for Australian mining industry supplier Bradken due to volatility in the commodities market.
YJ Capital launches Fund II, backs Indonesia fashion site
YJ Capital - the corporate VC arm of Yahoo! Japan - has announced the launch of its second fund, which has made its first investment in Indonesia fashion flash sale site VIP Plaza.
Japan’s Wizpra raises $2m from VCs
A consortium of Japanese investors including Gree Ventures, Mobile Internet Capital, SMBC Venture Capital, and Mizuho Capital has invested JPY230 million ($1.9 million) in internet-based market research platform Wizpra.
China food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $350m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has received $350 million in a Series E round of funding from CITIC Private Equity and Sequoia Capital as well as strategic investors Tencent Holdings, JD.com and Dianping.
Chinese local supermarket O2O player gets $100m
CITIC Private Equity, Fortune Capital, GP Capital and Zhejiang Zheshang Investment Management have invested $100 million in Huimin, a Chinese B2B and B2C e-commerce platform that focuses on small-scale supermarkets.
China’s Banyan fast-tracks Fund II
The launch of Banyan Capital's second US dollar-denominated fund came sooner than expected. The China-focused VC firm, which spun out from IDG Capital Partners and closed its debut vehicle at $206 million just over 12 months ago, had the Fund II launch...
China's Meituan enters the big league
Asked whether, two years ago, he could have envisaged Chinese group-buying site Meituan achieving a $7 billion valuation Feng Deng, founding managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital, gives a swift no.
China VIEs: An end to uncertainty?
China has proposed a new set of rules that would regulate the use of variable interest entity (VIE) structures that underpin VC investment in restricted industries. It is a positive sign but questions remain
Asia start-ups: The SoftBank effect
SoftBank has laid down a marker in Asia’s technology space over the past six months, investing nearly $2 billion and promising much more. What does this say about the Japanese giant’s broader ambitions?
Singapore: Start-up central
When looking for an example of how Singapore start-ups previously struggled to get funding, one of the founders of tenCube was happy to oblige. Bootstrapped into existence in 2005, the mobile security solutions provider spent a frustrating 18 months trying...
Legend Capital leads $100m round for China’s Innovent Biologics
Legend Capital has led a Series C round of funding worth $100 million for Innovent Biologics, a Chinese biopharmaceutical company.
Taiwan’s NDF commits $84m to VC funds
Taiwan’s National Development Fund (NDF) will invest up to $84 million into four venture capital funds as part of efforts to support local start-ups.
Singapore Exchange, Clearbridge form SME capital-raising platform
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has partnered with Clearbridge Accelerator to set up a capital-raising platform for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Asia.
Shenzhen Capital leads $16m round for China game review site
Shenzhen Capital Group has led a RMB100 million ($16 million) Series A round of funding for Mofang.com, a Chinese mobile gaming reviews site, with participation from Matrix Partners.
Singapore expands Block 71 tech start-up hub
Singapore start-up hub JTC LaunchPad @ one-north – better known to many as Block 71 – has been expanded to accommodate 500 companies and 35 incubators, with plans to create space for 250 more.
Chinese radio mobile app raises $20m Series C round
Lizhi.FM, a Chinese radio broadcasting mobile app, has raised $20 million in a Series C round of funding from Chinese smart phone manufacturer Xiaomi and Shunwei Capital Partners.
VIDEO: Bain Capital's John Connaughton
Global buyout deal flow reached $332 billion in 2014, the highest annual total in seven years according to Preqin, in part thanks to cheap credit in the US. However, John Connaughton, managing director at Bain Capital, argues that the market has yet to...
Banyan closes second China VC fund at $362m
Banyan Capital, a China-focused VC firm that spun out from IDG Capital Partners, has closed its second US dollar-denominated fund at $362 million.
Capital Today, New Horizon lead $100m round for Beibei
Capital Today and New Horizon Capital have led a $100 million Series C round for Beibei.com, a Chinese online discount retail platform for maternity and baby products. Existing investors Banyan Capital and IDG Capital Partners also participated.
Japan's Mitsui Global backs clinical SaaS start-up
Japan’s Mitsui Global Investment and Dolby Family Ventures have together invested $12 million in cloud-based, clinical study software start-up goBalto.
Darby mezzanine fund exits China furniture manufacturer
Darby Private Equity, the private equity arm of Franklin Templeton Investments, has exited its holding in Chinese furniture manufacturer Shayne International Holdings for an undisclosed sum.
Portfolio: J-Star and Primagest
Primagest is a long-standing leader in Japan's document-scanning industry, but it faces challenges in terms of a transition in leadership and staying relevant as technology evolves. J-Star is providing support
China taxi-booking apps: Road war
High-powered alliances are forming in China’s mobile taxi-booking space around Kuaidi Dache and Didi Dache as part the ongoing battle between the big internet companies. What does it mean for VC investors?
Infrastructure funds exit UK's Eversholt Rail to Cheung Kong
3i Infrastructure, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and Star Capital Partners have agreed to sell Eversholt Rail Group, one of the UK’s three major rolling stock operators, to a consortium led by Hong Kong-based Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI)...