Funds
Australia's PushStart closes accelerator program
PushStart, an Australian firm that offers mentoring to early stage Australian tech startups, has shut down its accelerator program.
HomeAway acquires VC-backed vacation rental startup Travelmob
US-based vacation rentals site HomeAway has bought a controlling stake in Singapore-based Travelmob in a bid to boost its online rental accommodations business in Asia. Early investors of the start-up include Accel Partners and Jungle Ventures, alongside...
Baidu pays $1.9b for VC-backed 91 Wireless
Chinese search engine giant Baidu is to acquire 91 Wireless - the mobile app store business of online gaming company NetDragon Websoft - for $1.9 billion.
Leopard Capital spins out public equities division
Frontier investor Leopard Capital’s long-only PIPE deals fund, the Leopard Asia Frontier Fund (LAFF) and the rest of its public equities division has been bought out by the fund manager, Thomas Hugger.
Japanese mobility chair firm raises $1m VC round
Whill, a Japanese startup which has designed a type of electronic mobility chair, has received JPY100 million ($1 million) in funding from a group of venture capital investors including Itochu Technology Venture, 500 Startups and Sun Bridge Global Ventures....
J-Star reaches $205m final close in Fund II
Japanese mid-market buyout firm J-Star has reached at JPY20.4billion ($205 million) final close on its second buyout fund.
India’s FlipKart shops a $200m round
Indian e-commerce is in a state flux. While penetration is still relatively low compared to developed nations - just one in 10 Indians has access to the internet - the industry was worth $14 billion last year and growing rapidly. Competition for wallet...
China medical devices: Climbing the value chain
Driven by government policy, China's medical devices industry is growing rapidly and VC capital is flowing in. Picking winners requires a keen eye for new technology and potential distribution obstacles
Indian infrastructure: Bargain basement
Indian infrastructure has fallen out of favor with investors as the fallout from pre-2009 excesses lingers. However, new opportunities in old deals have some private equity players thinking twice about the sector
Century Bridge makes first investment via China fund
Century Bridge Capital has invested $44.4 million in a joint venture with Coastal Greenland for the development of a residential project in Wuhan, Hubei province. It is the first investment from the firm's China fund.
Ant Global Partners' $150m secondary fund targets Greater China, Japan
Ant Global Partners (AGP) - the international investment arm of Japanese PE firm Ant Capital Partners - is targeting $150 million for a new secondary fund focused on Greater China and Japan.
EXS Capital leads $37m investment in Vietnam RE developer
EXS Capital has led a $37 million investment in Vietnamese real estate developer Son Kim Land (SKL). Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Fatfish acquires 65% of Indonesian auto insurance portal RajaPremi
Singapore-based tech investor Fatfish Internet has acquired Indonesian car insurance price comparison site RajaPremi.com, marking its first foray into the country. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Toho Bank, Yamada Business Consulting establish $10m VC fund
Japan's Fukushima-headquartered Toho Bank has established a JPY1 billion ($10 million) venture capital fund, along with Tokyo-based Yamada Business Consulting, to provide early-stage capital to Japanese businesses.
India’s Flipkart raises $200m from VC backers
Online retailer Flipkart has raised $200 million (INR12 billion) from existing investors Accel Partners, Tiger Global, Iconiq Capital and Naspers, in one of the largest fundraising rounds for an Indian e-commerce player. This fifth round brings the total...
Fidelity Japan leads $3m round for e-ticketing start-up PeaTiX
Fidelity Japan has led a $3 million Series A round for Japanese e-ticketing startup PeaTiX. The company provides an online platform for event organizers, allowing them to manage ticket sales.
Investors commit another $26m to Australia fashion site The Iconic
Australian fashion online retailer The Iconic has picked up A$28 million ($26 million) through a new round of funding led by Verlinvest, a Belgium-based investment firm set up by the founding families of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Existing shareholders Investment...
HarbourVest raises $3.6b for global secondaries fund
HarbourVest Partners has reached a final close of $3.6 billion on its latest global secondaries fund, exceeding the $3 billion target, on the back of strong investor demand. The fund, Dover Street VIII, is also larger than its predecessor, which reached...
Southeast Asia’s unloved
Southeast Asia is in vogue, seen by many as an increasingly credible alternative to China and India. Indonesia, as the region’s only market of scale, has naturally attracted the most interest. Virtually every regional and global private equity firm...
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.
Hong Kong launches start-up program
Hong Kong has launched a start-up program intended to attract local and global entrepreneurs to set up or expand their businesses in the city.
KKR raises largest-ever pan-Asia private equity fund
KKR has announced a final close of $6 billion on its second pan-Asian fund. Coming in 50% larger than its 2007 vintage predecessor, the fund is the largest regional private equity pool ever accumulated.
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.
China’s Sailing Capital supports $400m round for Mobileye
China’s Sailing Capital participated in a $400 million round of funding round for Mobileye, a Netherlands-based operator of driver assistance systems, valuing the company at about $1.5 billion. It is one of five investors that will between them own...