Australasia
Paine Schwartz pursues take-private of Australia's Costa
Paine Schwartz Partners has submitted a AUD 1.6bn (USD 1.07bn) buyout offer for listed Australian fresh fruit and vegetables supplier Costa Group – eight years after it took the business public.
Allegro buys PwC's Australia government consulting business
Turnaround specialist Allegro Funds has agreed to acquire PwC’s public consulting business in Australia, which is dealing with the fallout from a tax leak scandal. The sale price is AUD 1 (USD 0.66).
Australia's Adamantem hits first close on environment fund
Australian middle market GP Adamantem Capital has reached a first close of AUD 150m (USD 100m) on its debut environmental opportunities fund (EOF) and made a first investment from the vehicle in food packaging business PAC Trading.
Advanced computing: Niche or indispensable?
Investors are wary of rising data processing challenges in a rapidly digitising world. They must make do with the imperfect solutions of today without failing to embrace frontier technologies
Australia's Challenger Funds acquires stake in Proterra Asia
Challenger Funds Management, one of the largest active asset managers in Australia, has acquired a stake in Singapore-based PE firm Proterra Investment Partners Asia from Australia’s Pacific Current Group.
Australia's Blackbird backs virtual football league
Blackbird Ventures has led a AUD 3m (USD 2m) pre-seed round for One Future Football (1FF), a Melbourne-based start-up that has launched an entirely virtual global football league.
Australia battery technology supplier raises $15m
Australian VC firm Artesian, Canadian GP Waratah Capital, and India's Himadri Speciality Chemical have co-led a AUD 22m (USD 15m) Series A round for Australia’s Sicona Battery Technologies.
Australia's Wesfarmers buys VC-backed Instascripts for $91m
InstantScripts, an Australia-based telehealth business backed by listed VC firm Bailador Technology Investments, has agreed to be acquired by Wesfarmers for approximately AUD 135m (USD 91m).
Deal focus: Allegro reheats the pie
Allegro Funds has exited Pizza Hut Australia to a US trade buyer, having won over a franchisee network that had turned on Yum Brands, upgraded the digital offering, and doubled network sales
Australia's CPE Capital set to lose managing director
Graham Brooke, a managing director at Australia-based CPE Capital, will retire from the firm at the end of September.
Bain boosts take-private offer for Australia's Estia
Bain Capital has increased its take-private offer for Australia-listed aged care provider Estia Health – to a point where the business is valued at about AUD 826.8m (USD 550m) – after an earlier bid was rejected.
Quadrant scales up Australia growth equity fund to $397m
Australia’s Quadrant Private Equity upsized the debut fund under its new growth-stage strategy to AUD 600m (USD 397m), having originally targeted AUD 300m.
Australia's PE-backed Silk Laser set for take-private
Australia-listed Silk Laser Clinics, a non-surgical aesthetics business backed by local PE firm Advent Partners, has signalled it intends to accept a take-private offer from Hong Kong’s EC Healthcare.
Australia's GenesisCare files for US bankruptcy protection
GenesisCare, an Australia-headquartered cancer care provider in which KKR holds a minority stake, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and announced a restructuring that will separate US operations from those in Australia, Spain, and the UK.
Australia’s Real Pet Food taps investors for equity injection
Hosen Capital, New Hope Group, and Temasek Holdings have led a AUD 248m (USD 161.2m) equity injection into Australia-based chilled pet food supplier Real Pet Food to pay down debt and support growth.
LP interview: Escala Partners
Escala Partners is one of a cluster of Australia-based wealth management platforms attracting more attention from private equity fundraisers. Getting on its approved list requires push as well as pull
Australian satellite provider Fleet gets $33m Series C
Australian satellite maker and services provider Fleet has closed a AUD 50m (USD 33m) Series C round led by Blackbird Ventures following an aggressive foray into mining.
Energy transition: An emerging speciality
Kerogen Capital is trying to plot a more nuanced course into energy transition than building renewables. It is one of a growing number of nascent specialists in the space.
Australia's Giant Leap closes second impact fund with $30m
Australian impact VC investor Giant Leap has closed its second fund with about AUD 45m (USD 30m) in commitments. The firm raised AUD 15m for Fund I in 2016.
Potentia withdraws from talks to buy Australia-listed Tyro
Australia-based specialist B2B technology investor Potentia Capital has withdrawn from talks to acquire listed payments software provider Tyro Payments – marking the second time attempts to reach an agreement have failed.
Australia, US carbon reporting start-up raises $9m
Understory Ventures, an Australian environmental impact investor, has led a USD 9m Series A round for Australia and US-based carbon reporting technology provider Flintpro.
CPE sells Australia used car business to Japan's Sojitz
CPE Capital has sold part of Dutton Group, an Australia-based used car dealer it has owned since 2016, to Japan’s Sojitz Corporation for an undisclosed sum.
Constantinople raises Australia's largest-ever seed round
Australia’s Square Peg Capital has led a AUD 32m (USD 21.3m) seed round for local banking software provider Constantinople. It is being called the largest-ever seed investment in Australia.
TPG re-engages with improved offer for Australia's Invocare
TPG Capital has been granted due diligence access to Invocare, a listed Australian provider of funeral services and operator of memorial parks and crematoria, after making an improved offer that values the business at approximately AUD 2.2bn (USD 1.5bn).