Funds
Asia Awards: VC Deal of the Year – Xiaomi
The hugely successful launch of Xiaomi’s smart phone, and the subsequent $216 million Series C round, justified Morningside Technologies and Qiming Venture Partners’ early faith in the Chinese company
Asia Awards: Special Achievement – Lewis Rutherfurd
In AVCJ's 25th year, the Special Achievement Award – which recognizes an individual who has distinguished himself or herself over a long period of time in developing the industry – went to a man who can claim more credit than most for getting the...
Asia Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Sanjeev Aggarwal
SanjeevAggarwal, managing partner at Helion Venture Partners, reflects on a successful fundraise, the popularity of Indian venture capital, and a portfolio that is becoming increasingly international
Indiareit completes property exits, targets new fund
Indiareit Fund Advisors, the real estate PE arm of Piramal Enterprises, has raised INR4.4 billion ($80 million) on exiting three of its investments and is now preparing to raise another offshore fund worth up to $350 million.
Golden Gate, JFDI form Asian start-up alliance
Golden Gate Ventures and JFDI.Asia will form a strategic alliance to support early-stage digital start-ups in Asia as they move from concept to pre-Series A funding.
Helion, Footprint invest $6m in restaurant chain Mast Kalandar
Helion Venture Partners is leading a third round of investment in quick service restaurant (QSR) chain Mast Kalandar, which is run by Bangalore-based Spring Leaf Retail.
Hamilton Lane targets $400m FOF, 15% for emerging markets
Hamilton Lane is targeting $400 million for its latest fund-of-funds vehicle, with 15% of the capital earmarked for emerging markets. According to a document sent to prospective investors, Fund VIII promises a fairly even distribution between US and European...
Chrysalix network targets global cleantech investments
A new cleantech venture investor alliance, the Chrysalix Global Network (CGN), has been formed to target investment opportunities throughout the world.
New Zealand’s Xero raises $49m from Valar, Matrix
New Zealand-based online accounting software company Xero has raised NZ$60 million ($49 million) in new capital from US VC firms Valar Ventures and Matrix Capital Management. Valar is backed by Peter Thiel, best known for his early investments in PayPal...
VCs back $8m Series B round for Shubham HDFC
Accion and Saama Capital have jointly invested $4 million in India's Shubham Housing Development Finance Company. The venture capital firms join existing investors Elevar Equity and Helion Venture Capital in a second round of funding worth $8 million...
Iris Capital opens offices in Tokyo and Beijing
Iris Capital has opened offices in Tokyo and Beijing as part of an international expansion which also sees the French venture capital firm open three offices in North America.
Maine PERS commits $30m to Affinity’s fourth Asia fund
Affinity Equity Partners has secured a $30 million commitment for its fourth pan-Asia fund from the Maine Public Employees’ Retirement Systems (Maine PERS). It was one of four investments, each of the $30 million that the $11 billion pension plan announced...
Beyond banks: Alternative financing in India
Recognizing India’s demand for financial products that involve more than just equity, traditional PE firms are targeting structured credit, joining distressed players that used to call the territory their own.
HarbourVest raises more than $3b for secondaries fund
HarbourVest Partners has exceeded the $3 billion target for its latest global secondary fund after about one year in the market. According to regulatory filings, Dover Street VIII has accumulated LP commitments of about $3.1 billion, slightly larger than...
CITIC Captial to acquire Japan’s Polymatech
CITIC Capital Partners has agreed to acquire 100% of Polymatech, a manufacturer of polymer parts for the electronics industry, based in Fukushima.
Shanghai Private Equity Association to launch fund-of-funds
Shanghai Private Equity Association will partner with CITIC Securities and Bank of Shanghai to establish a RMB3 billion ($482 million) fund-of-funds.
China Life to support Suzhou infrastructure fund
China Life has partnered with the government of Suzhou to roll out a RMB10 billion ($1.6 billion) infrastructure fund. It said to be the first private equity infrastructure fund launched by a domestic insurer.
Korean start-up accelerator appoints new GPs
Korean start-up accelerator SparkLabs has appointed Jay McCarthy and Awy Julianto as general partners. They are managing partner and general partner, respectively, at Singapore-based boutique M&A and financial advisory firm Pacific Advisors.
Patni brothers buy stake in Grameen Capital India
Amit and Arihant Patni, the brothers who set up internet-focused VC firm Nirvana Venture Advisors, have acquired a stake in Grameen Capital India (GCI) from its original investor IFMR Trust. The transaction is said to represent a first-of-its-kind exit...
Bain-owned MYOB to cut debt through notes offer
Accounting software firm MYOB plans to issue A$125 million ($131 million) in subordinated notes to pay down debt used to finance its acquisition by Bain Capital and also to return capital to the private equity investor. The notes will be issued on the...
India Infoline fund invests $20m in Gurgaon, Mumbai projects
India Infoline (IIFL) has invested INR1.1billion ($20 million) in two residential projects in Mumbai and Gurgaon, through its IIFL Domestic Series I fund.
Gen2, China Private Equity in partnership agreement
Gen2, a Hong Kong-based asset management firm that focuses on Greater China private equity opportunities, has formed an alliance with China Private Equity Investments Holdings (CPE), an AIM-listed vehicle that claims to offer European investors to Chinese...
VC-backed China tech firm YY jumps 7% on NASDAQ debut
Shares in venture capital-backed social networking platform YY climbed 7.7% on their NASDAQ trading debut after the company completed the first IPO by a Chinese firm in the US in seven months.
IncuCapital backs genetic diagnostic start-up
IncuCapital, an incubation and early-stage investment firm, has invested an undisclosed amount in Mumbai-based genetic diagnostics and research start-up Navigene Genetic Science. IncuCapital’s Surojit Nandy will join the Navigene board.