Funds
Apollo reaches $6.8b first close on global fund – report
Apollo Global Management has reportedly reached a first close of about $6.8 billion on its latest global fund. Apollo Investment Fund VIII set out with a target of $12 billion and has since introduced a hard cap of $15 billion.
Microsoft Ventures enters China market
Microsoft has launched Microsoft Ventures in China to provide seed funding and other resources to local start-ups.
Japanese software testing service in $4m VC round
Shift, a Japanese software testing service, has raised JPY400 million ($4 million) from VC investors Simplex Holdings and Movida Capital as well as strategic investor Bit-isle, a cloud data service provider.
DBJ, SMBC, Mitsubishi UFJ back Japan's Adinnovation
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) , SMBC Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital have together invested JPY160 million ($1.5 million) in marketing specialist Adinnovation.
Nissay Capital invests $2m in display component maker Cerebrex
Nissay Capital has invested JPY250 million ($2.4 million) in Cerebrex, a semiconductor start-up that produces components for liquid crystal displays.
KDDI Fund participates in $2m round for Japanese game developer
KDDI Open Innovation Fund has joined CyberAgent Ventures and Japanese entertainment company FuRyu in committing a total JPY230 million ($2.2 million) to Japanese game developer Mutations Studio.
Samsung Electronics buys VC-backed Boxee
Samsung Electronics has acquired Boxee, a VC-backed Israeli start-up that manufactures digital video recorders (DVRs). The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
India’s ShopClues eyes $50m growth round
Online marketplace ShopClues.com is looking to raise a further $30-50 million from investors, after January’s $10 million round from Helion Venture Partners, Nexus Venture Partners and Japan’s Netprice, which is backed by CyberAgent and Dentsu.
Credit China, jeweler Chow Tai Fook form RQFLP fund
Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook has teamed up with financial services provider Credit China and private equity firm VMS Investment to form a closed-end Renminbi Qualified Foreign Limited Partnership (RQFLP) fund. The vehicle, named Chongqing Run Ke Equity...
CSRC to regulate Chinese PE, NDRC to promote it – State Council
China’s State Council appears to have resolved the regulatory spat over domestic private equity, designating the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) as the single agency responsible for the asset class. The National Development and Reform...
South Asian impact fundraising platform gets Series A round
Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has led a $1.1 million round of funding for Milaap Social Ventures, an impact-focused fundraising platform in South Asia. Lion Rock Capital and two angel investors also participated, as did existing investor Unitus Seed Fund.
India's Robosoft Technologies gets $3m from Kalaari Capital
India-focused Kalaari Capital has invested INR220 million ($3.69 million) for a minority stake in mobile apps and games developer Robosoft Technologies. Kalaari Managing Director Kumar Shiralagi and Vice President Sumit Jain will join the Robosoft board.
Q&A: Clearwater Capital Partners' Rob Petty
Clearwater Capital Partners is currently investing is $575 million fourth fund. CEO Rob Petty identifies the opportunities in Asia – offshore, onshore in China and India, and a generous helping of restructuring
Angels in Asia: Exporting Silicon Valley
Early-stage investors in the US are casting their eyes eastwards as they seek out new partnerships in Asia. But what can these angels offer the region’s start-up community?
Sun Capital exits US-based ASB to Japan's Lixil
Sun Capital Partners has exited its stake in American Standard Brands (ASB), a US maker of bathroom and kitchen fixtures, to Japanese toilet manufacturer Lixil Corp. for $542 million. The deal values the 138 year-old firm at around $342 million and includes...
Untapped Japan VC market targets mobile space - AVCJ Japan
Japanese venture capital is still being overlooked by LPs despite the untapped potential of Asia's fastest growing mobile internet space, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
CITIC Capital closes VC fund on $113m
CITIC Capital has reached a final close of on $113 million on its debut venture capital fund, short of the $150 million target.
Gray Matters invests in social banker Unitus Capital
Bangalore-based social investment bank Unitus Capital (UC) has received an undisclosed commitment from Gray Matters Capital (GMC)-owned First Light Ventures fund. The vehicle acts as an incubator and investment partner to seed-stage, for-profit social...
Success of Abenomics hinges on deregulation – Orix
The success of economic reforms introduced by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ultimately depend on his ability to deliver on structural reform, the third of his “three arrows” policy, according to Yoshihiko Miyauchi, CEO of Orix Corp. This observation...
Telstra Ventures provides Series D funding for Kony Solutions
Telstra Ventures, the VC arm of Australian telecom operator Telstra, has committed $18.3 million in a Series D round of funding for Kony Solutions, a US-based mobile applications developer. The size of its stake was not disclosed.
Reebonz receives $39m from MediaCorp, VCs
Southeast Asia-focused online retailer Reebonz has received a S$50 million ($39 million) round of funding led by Singapore multimedia group MediaCorp. Existing investors Vertex Ventures, GGV Capital, Intel Capital and Matrix Partners China also participated.
AVCJ China Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Lei Jun
Twenty years ago, Lei Jun joined Chinese software company Kingsoft and dedicated himself to developing its flagship product, WAP Office, a word processing system primed to challenge Microsoft’s mid-1990s offering. It lost.
AVCJ China Awards: RMB fundraise of the Year – CDH Investments
CDH Investments did not get into the renminbi fund space as part of the mad rush for heady exit multiples on Chinext. The private equity firm’s involvement dates back to several years earlier and it owes much to China’s regulators restricting offshore...
Yonyou Software sells RayooTech stake to Shenzhen Fortune ahead of IPO
China’s Yonyou Software will sell its entire 18.73% stake in Beijing RayooTech company for RMB75.37 million ($12.26 million) to Shenzhen Fortune Venture Capital. This comes ahead of an expected IPO for RayooTech.