Australasia
Corporate VC: Appetite for disruption
Banks across Asia are leveraging their capital and domain expertise to stay ahead of the curve on financial technology. Each aspect of the corporate VC ecosystem engages with start-ups in different ways
Q&A: Airwallex’s Jack Zhang
Hong Kong-headquartered Airwallex has grown from nothing to a $2.6 billion valuation in the space of six years. Co-founder and CEO Jack Zhang details his plans to build a global financial technology stack
Australia's Advent buys VR gaming business
Australian lower middle-market private equity firm Advent Partners has agreed to take a majority stake in Melbourne-based virtual reality gaming company Zero Latency VR.
Australia's V2Food gets $53m Series B extension
Australian vegetarian meat brand V2Food has raised A$72 million ($53 million) in a Series B extension featuring Belgium-based impact investor Astanor Ventures.
Affinity exits Australia healthcare software business
Affinity Equity Partners has agreed to sell MedicalDirector, an Australia-based clinic management software developer, to Telstra Health for an enterprise valuation of A$350 million ($257 million).
Accel-KKR buys majority stake in New Zealand's Unimarket
Accel-KKR, a PE firm created by Accel Partners and KKR, has acquired a majority stake in New Zealand’s Unimarket, a diversified procurement marketplace, for an undisclosed sum.
EQT pursues $2.2b Australia software take-private
Iress, an Australia-listed software developer that serves the financial services sector, has invited EQT to conduct further due diligence following receipt of a take-private offer worth up to A$3 billion ($2.2 billion).
Navis raises $900m for Fund VIII, closes Fund VI continuation
Navis Capital Partners has closed its eighth regional fund at $900 million, while also securing $450 million for a continuation vehicle that features five companies from its sixth fund.
TDM, Sequoia lead Series F for Australia's Culture Amp
Culture Amp, an Australia-headquartered enterprise technology provider specializing in human resources (HR), has $100 million in Series F funding at a valuation of $1.5 billion.
Deal focus: Go1 adds layers to booming HR services niche
Australia’s Go1 gains traction with a B2B approach to a rapidly expanding human resources and workforce management software industry. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is among the believers
Allegro-owned retailer completes $44m Australia IPO
Best & Less Group (BLG), an Australian baby, kids and womenswear retailer, has raised A$60 million ($44 million) through a domestic IPO, facilitating a partial exit for majority owner Allegro Funds Group.
Insight leads Series E for Australia's Employment Hero
Insight Partners has led a $140 million Series E round for Australian human resources services start-up Employment Hero at a valuation of $800 million.
Australia's Go1 raises $200m Series D at $1b valuation
SoftBank Vision Fund 2, AirTree Ventures, and Salesforce Ventures have led a $200 million Series D round for Australian workforce training start-up Go1 at a valuation of $1 billion.
Australia LPs: Revert to the mean
Engagement, efficiency, and accountability are the driving forces behind reforms to Australia’s superannuation system. But could private equity lose out in a race to the middle on returns?
NewView leads Series B for Australia's Eucalyptus
Silicon Valley-based NewView Capital has led a A$30 million ($22.4 million) Series B round for Australia telehealth platform Eucalyptus.
Australia's PEP to exit investor services business AST
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) is poised to exit American Stock Transfer & Trust (AST), its longest-held portfolio company, following an agreement to sell the business to US-based Siris Capital.
Australia institutional investors buy 49% in Telstra's towers unit
Future Fund, Commonwealth Superannuation Corporation, and Sunsuper have agreed to buy a 49% interest in Telstra’s Australian mobile tower network at a valuation of A$5.9 billion ($4.4 billion).
Australian rocket developer gets $45m Series C
Australian rocket developer Gilmour Space Technologies has raised a A$61 million ($45 million) Series C round featuring local investors Blackbird Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures.
PE & gambling: Ante up
Private equity has exhibited consistent appetite for gambling-related assets amid pandemic-fueled uncertainty. Regulation remains a significant wildcard in Asia. Reputational risk, not so much
VC-backed Australia cloud business sold to US strategic
Panviva, an Australian cloud-based enterprise software provider backed by a number of venture capital investors, has been acquired by US counterpart Upland Software for about $23.3 million.
Australia carbon neutral courier raises $35m Series C
Sendle, an Australia-based package delivery provider for small businesses that claims to be 100% carbon neutral, has raised a $35 million Series C round led by local investor AP Ventures.
KKR impact fund backs Australasian edtech player
KKR’s global impact investment fund has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Australia and New Zealand-based Education Perfect, a provider of digital teaching and learning toolkits for schools, at a valuation of NZ$455 million ($320 million).
Deal focus: Australia’s ENA hits COVID-19 in the nose
Australian investors see hope in ENA Respiratory, a nasal spray specialist aiming to complement global COVID-19 vaccine programs with an immune system-boosting product
Quadrant buys Australia's Affinity Education from Anchorage
Quadrant Private Equity has acquired Australia-based childcare business Affinity Education from Anchorage Capital Partners for A$650 million ($490 million).