Funds
Fund focus: Sky9 seeks early-stage differentiation
Having raised two VC funds with Lightspeed China Partners, Ron Cao has closed his first at Sky9 Capital with $200 million in commitments. The industry dynamics have changed, but Cao is sticking to his early-stage roots
India's Zodius hires executive from Providence
Varun Laul (pictured), the sole remaining India-based representative of Providence Equity Partners, has left the GP to join technology-focused venture capital firm Zodius Capital.
HQ raises $250m for Asia secondaries fund
HQ Capital has closed an Asia-focused secondaries fund at the hard cap of $250 million as part of an oversubscribed global fundraising drive that has received $674 million in third-party commitments.
Fund focus: Pencarrow underlines New Zealand interest
Pencarrow Private Equity closed its fifth fund at $176 million without the support of long-time backer New Zealand Superannuation Fund. Other LPs were happy to come in for a piece of the country's lucrative middle market
India's Unitus reaches $15m first close on second impact fund
Indian VC firm Unitus Ventures (formerly Unitus Seed Fund) has reached a first close of INR1 billion ($15 million) for its second early-stage impact investment fund.
China's Decheng targets $450m for third fund
Chinese healthcare and life sciences-focused GP Decheng Capital is targeting $450 million for its third US dollar-denominated fund.
Singapore's Dymon closes Fund II at $450m
Singapore-based Dymon Asia Private Equity (DAPE) has closed its second fund targeting lower middle-market companies in Southeast Asia with $450 million in commitments. It had initially targeted a corpus of $350 million.
PennSERS to invest $75m in Hahn & Co's Korea fund
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (PennSERS) has agreed to commit up to $75 million to Hahn & Company’s third Korea-focused fund.
New Zealand's Pencarrow closes Fund V at $176m
New Zealand-based Pencarrow Private Equity has reached a first and final close of NZ$250 million ($176 million) for its fifth fund after eight weeks on the market. It had targeted a corpus of NZ$200 million.
NSI goes independent, rebrands as Openspace Ventures
NSI Ventures, a Southeast Asian early-stage investor affiliated to Northstar Group, is to become fully independent and rebrand itself as Openspace Ventures.
Sinovation confirms Fund IV close at $500m
Chinese VC firm Sinovation Ventures has confirmed a final close for its fourth fund at the targeted corpus of $500 million.
Fund focus: Qiming sees growing opportunity set
Qiming has chosen to stick to its successful formula with its sixth US dollar-denominated vehicle, which recently closed at $935 million
Singapore accelerators: Corporate orientation
The rise of corporate-backed innovation programs in Singapore suggests the emergence of a new model for start-up development. Stakeholders are monitoring the pros and cons of the phenomenon
Valuation standards: Counting their blessings
Asian GPs’ portfolio valuation practices remain largely opaque, despite the value of standard frameworks. LP demand will be key to moving the industry in a more transparent direction
Ron Cao's Sky9 raises $200m for China VC fund
Sky9 Capital, a venture capital firm established by Ron Cao (pictured), formerly of Lightspeed China, has closed its debut US dollar-denominated fund at $200 million.
Shenzhen government launches $79m blockchain fund
The government of Shenzhen has launched a VC fund with an initial corpus of RMB500 million ($79 million) to invest in blockchain start-ups in the city.
Singapore's RE Lee Capital launches alternatives program
Singapore-based RE Lee Capital has confirmed it will launch a series of alternative asset investment products across the next three months and commit up to $60 million to pre-seed technology start-ups.
Everstone to co-manage $710m India green infra fund
Everstone Capital has been chosen by the governments of India and the UK as a co-manager of the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), a PE vehicle set up to invest in sustainable infrastructure projects in India with a target of GBP500 million ($710 million)....
China-Indonesia VC: Biding their time
Investments by China's tech giants becoming more prominent in Indonesia's tech space, but Chinese VC investors continue to tread cautiously in the country for the most part
Q&A: 500 Startups' Khailee Ng
Khailee Ng, a managing partner with 500 Startups in Southeast Asia, discusses the rising demand for start-up exposure in Indonesia, the prospects for the country’s four unicorns, and exit opportunities
BBVA backs China Sinovation Ventures' fourth fund
Spanish bank BBVA has committed $50 million to Chinese VC firm Sinovation Ventures’ latest US-dollar denominated fund.
Sequoia seeks up to $3.1b for China, India
Sequoia Capital plans to raise up to $3.1 billion for deployment in China and India across seed, venture and growth strategies.
China's Qiming raises $1.39b across three VC funds
Qiming Venture Partners has closed two China-focused VC funds – including its sixth US dollar-denominated vehicle and fifth renminbi-denominated vehicle – and a newly-established US healthcare fund, with $1.39 billion in aggregate commitments.
Australia's Archer abandons plans for new fund
Archer Capital, one of Australia’s largest private equity players, has abandoned plans to raise a sixth fund, with founding partner and CEO Peter Wiggs (pictured) set to retire from the firm.