Funds
Cerberus challenges Seibu management ahead of annual meeting
Cerberus Capital Management has publicly questioned the management of railway and property group Seibu Holdings in a bid to gain support for its shake up of the company's board at a shareholders meeting later this month.
China's Jiuding committed to pre-IPO strategy
China pre-IPO specialist Kunwu Jiuding Capital will not change its strategy despite a slump in listings - and exit multiples - before domestic regulators slammed the door on new share offerings completely towards the end of last year.
IDG invests $4m in China Weipass Series A round
IDG Capital Partners has provided a $4 million round of Series A funding to China WeiPass, a smartphone app for payment verification.
Gree Ventures, MIC back $6m round for Japanese software firm
Gree Ventures and Mobile Internet Capital (MIC) have taken part in a JPY625 million ($6 million) investment round for Accounting SaaS Japan (A-SaaS), a developer of cloud-based accounting software.
Blackstone draws $1.5b in commitments for Asia property fund - report
The Blackstone Group has so far managed to attract $1.5 billion of capital commitments for its first Asia real estate fund, targeting $4 billion.
PAG agrees $150m investment in Chinese property developer
PAG’s absolute returns division will invest in China-focused shopping mall operator Zall Development Group through a $100 million convertible bond issue, with the option to subscribe to a further $50 million worth of bonds. Assuming full conversion, the...
Angels say SE Asia ripe for 500 Durians
Dave McClure, Silicon Valley super angel and founding partner of 500 Startups, was on the road in Asia once again this month as part of his firm’s “Geeks on a Plane” (GOAP) tour. While this was not the first time the tech-focused venture capital firm...
Japan's Marubeni scales back deal for PE-owned Gavilon
Marubeni has scaled back its offer for General Atlantic-owned US grain trader Gavilon by $1 billion after cutting the company's energy trading arm out of the deal.
Quadrant-backed Virtus Health jumps 9% on ASX debut
Shares in Virtus Health, an Australian in-vitro fertilization company backed by Quadrant Private Equity, closed up 9% at A$6.20 on its first day of trading on the Australian Securities Exchange. The IPO had been priced at the top end of the indicative...
Qualcomm leads Series C for Chinese online English education start-up
Qualcomm Ventures has led a Series C round of funding for Shanghai-based online education company Alo7. The capital commitment is believed to be up to $10 million.
Silicon Valley angels end first SE Asia tour in Indonesia
The Geeks on a Plane (GOAP) tour organized by Silicon Valley-based accelerator 500 Startups reaches its final leg in Indonesia this week. This is the first time one of the trips has focused specifically on Southeast Asia.
Intel Capital commits $16m to Asia e-commerce
Intel Capital, the VC arm of Intel Corp, has invested a total of $16 million in Asia e-commerce, backing India's Snapdeal.com and Bright Lifecare, while upping its stake in Singapore's Reebonz.com. It did not disclose the size of individual commitments....
Korea's STX Pan Ocean files for bankruptcy after PE rescue fails
STX Pan Ocean, South Korea’s largest bulk shipping group, has filed for court receivership after attempts to secure a private equity-led restructuring of the beleaguered business failed.
China's LightInTheBox raises $79m through US IPO
VC-backed Chinese online retailer LightInTheBox saw its stock jump 22% on its first day of trading in New York, following an IPO that raised $79 million. It is the first Chinese company to go public in the US this year, and only the second to make the...
Snapdeal partners with eBay, closes $50m funding round
Indian online retailer Snapdeal has raised $50 million from lead investor eBay, Intel Capital, Saama Capital, Russian VC ru-Net and Japan’s Recruit Holdings. Existing investors Bessemer Venture, Nexus Venture Partners and Kalaari Capital also participated...
Clearstone-backed Games2Win acquires Indian start-up
Games2Win, an Indian online gaming business backed by Clearstone Ventures, has acquired Backyard Game FactoRy (BGF) - a New Dehli-based game developer.
FLAG Squadron Asia sees exodus of senior professionals - Update
David Pierce, a partner at FLAG Squadron Asia and formerly head of the Squadron Capital team that merged with FLAG Capital last year, has resigned from the firm. Jacob Chiu, another partner, has also handed in his notice.
JAIC, CyberAgent-backed dating site in Taiwan IPO
Sunfun Info, an online dating platform backed by Japan Asia Investment (JAIC) and CyberAgent Ventures, has debuted on the Taiwan over-the-counter Gre Tai Securities Market.
Nexus invests $2.5m in Housing.co.in
Nexus Venture Partners will back Indian real estate search portal Housing.co.in with $2.5 million in funding to help expand its technology and data teams.
Shinsei Bank backs Series B for Japan's Smart Education
Shinsei Corporate Investment (SCI), a unit of Japan's Shinsei Bank, has committed JPY75.3 million ($748,000) to educational smartphone app developer Smart Education. This brings the start-up's Series B round to a total of JPY350 million.
KDDI, Yahoo, CyberAgent invest $3m in online language service
KDDI Open Innovation Fund, CyberAgent Ventures and YJ Capital - the investment arm of Yahoo Japan - have taken part in JPY330 million ($3.2 million) round of funding for RareJob, an English-language learning website.
City e-Solutions commits $25m in China property fund
CES Capital, a private equity arm of Hong Kong-listed City e-Solutions (CES), has committed $25 million to BEA Blue Sky Real Estate Fund, a vehicle operated by Bank of East Asia. The CES Capital contribution represents about half of the target fund size....
China Haitong Securities PE arm eyes buyout funds – report
Haitong Capital Investment, the PE arm of China Haitong Securities, is expected to launch its first renminbi- and US dollar- denominated buyout funds, targeting at least $526 million.
Australia's PEP eyes US debt financing market
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is considering US refinancing options for several of its portfolio companies after a well received debt offering for movie theater chain Hoyts in May. The Australian GP is one of several to opt for US over domestic debt markets,...