Industry
India's AppsDaily raises 16m Series C from Zodius, others
Zodius Capital has led a $16 million Series C round for Indian mobile app developer and distributor AppsDaily, with participation by current investors Kalaari Capital, ru-Net Ventures and Qualcomm Ventures.
India microfinance: Acorns to oaks
Several large funding rounds – plus the birth of a new bank – have shown how far India’s microfinance institutions have come in just four years. But more is to come, and more VC backing will be required
China's middle market: Small is beautiful
What has become of China's middle-market GPs? Twelve managers reached final closes in 2014 of $301-750 million. All bar two of them were raising venture capital funds.
Baring branches into real estate
BPE Asia Real Estate, the property-focused affiliate of Baring Private Equity Asia, picks its markets based on entry price per square foot. When investing in property developments, this is inextricably tied to land costs.
LP interview: PGGM
Following the decision to sell AlpInvest Partners, Dutch pension fund PGGM set up its own PE division. There is a preference for buyouts in Asia’s developed markets and a growing appetite for co-investment
Baring Asia closes debut real estate fund
Baring Private Equity Asia’s real estate affiliate has closed its debut fund with $365 million in commitments. The first two investments have also been completed in South Korea and the Philippines, respectively.
Magma Fincorp raises $80m from KKR, Leapfrog, IVFA
Magma Fincorp, an Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC), has raised INR5 billion ($80 million) from KKR, LeapFrog Investments, and India Value Fund Advisors' (IVFA) Indium V.
Mercurius Capital launches $80m PE fund with Chinese firm
Mercury Capital Investment, a subsidiary of Singapore-listed Mercurius Capital Investment, has teamed up with a Chinese real estate developer to launch a RMB500 million ($80 million) PE fund targeting urbanization projects in China.
India's IL&FS divests stake in Maharashtra Natural Gas
IL&FS Investment Managers has fully divested its stake in Maharashtra Natural Gas (MNGL) to Indraprastha Gas (IGL), securing a cash multiple of 4.1x.
Peesh Venture Capital launches $50m fund, India accelerator
Early-stage investor Peesh Venture Capital (PVC) has launched a $50 million fund and accelerator targeting Indian start-ups.
Indian condiments maker to back PE fund
Indian condiment maker Eastern Group will back a INR1.25 billion ($19.9 million) private equity fund in partnership with venture capital firm CapAleph Advisors.
Australia revises employee share scheme law
The Australian government has given start-ups a boost with the much-anticipated introduction of a bill that means employees can defer paying tax on share options until they are actually converted into shares.
GGV boosts China internet of things exposure
GGV Capital has added three Chinese firms to its internet of things (IoT) portfolio, increasing its total holdings in the sector to eight companies.
TA sees promise in YeePay's offline offering
China's third-party online market hit RMB8.08 trillion ($1.3 trillion) by gross merchandise volume (GMV) last year. Alipay, Alibaba Group's payment platform, is the dominant player with a 49.6% share, according to consultancy iResearch. Tencent Holdings'...
India's Premji and China's Tencent back US mobile OS start-up
Premji Invest, the family office of Wipro Enterprises chairman Azim Premji, led an $80 million Series C round for US mobile operating system developer Cyanogen.
Indian online tea seller raises $6m
Indian tea retailer Teabox has raised $6 million in a Series A round led by JAFCO Asia, with participation from Keystone Group and Dragoneer Investment Group, and existing investor Accel.
CDH bets on Aver Asia's diversity
Southeast Asia-based equipment leasing business Aver Asia Corporation has no revenues or supplier relationships in China there is no desire to expand into the country. Yet when the company required capital, it turned to CDH Investments, a long-standing...
Vivo boosts fund for cross-border play
Healthcare-focused Vivo Capital has attracted increasing attention from LPs for its hybrid focus on the US and China. As testament to this, its latest fund - Vivo Capital Fund VIII - closed at $750 million after nine months in the market, with demand...
Portfolio: CHAMP Private Equity and Accolade
For a long time the UK and Australia operations of US wine giant Constellation Brands had been a drain on the parent company. Nevertheless, CHAMP Private Equity saw the potential for a category leader
Accel raises $305m for India fund
Venture capital firm Accel Partners has raised $305 million for its fourth country-focused fund to invest in Indian start-ups.
Secondaries: A ticking clock
All the talk of a swath of GP restructurings in Asia has yet to become reality. As India and China funds raised during the heady times inch closer to the 10-year mark, are we about to see a breakthrough?
Saratoga's Uno sees long-term benefits for Indonesian PE - AVCJ Forum
Private equity investors in Indonesia will see slow growth in the immediate future but the economy is showing signs for growth, in part due to reforms introduced by the new government, according to Sandiaga Uno, co-founder of Saratoga Capital.
China's Alibaba backs Israeli venture fund
Alibaba Group has made an LP commitment to the latest fund being raised by Israel-based VC firm Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). It comes two months after the Chinese e-commerce giant made its first director investment in Israel.
Weil recruits HK PE partner from Latham
Law firm Weil has hired Tim Gardner, formerly a private equity partner at Latham & Watkins, to join its Hong Kong office.

