Australasia
Australia FIRB head to join Carlyle's Asia buyout team
The Carlyle Group has appointed Brian Wilson, currently chairman of Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), as a senior advisor to its Asia buyout team.
PE exposure vital in weak global economy - Future Fund
Exposure to private equity and venture capital – where it is driven by true value creation rather than financial leverage or strong economic growth – has never been more important, according to Raphael Arndt, CIO of Australia’s Future Fund.
Australia's Crescent exits Breezway to US trade buyer
Crescent Capital Partners sold Breezway, an Australian manufacturer of louvre windows for residential and commercial buildings, to US-based industry counterpart Jeld-Wen Holding.
Deal focus: Mr Vitamins gets deal-by-deal treatment
Executives from Ironbridge Capital and Catalyst Investment Managers team up with retail veteran Brett Blundy to take Australia's Mr Vitamins into its next stage of growth
Carlyle exits Australia's Qube Logistics
The Carlyle Group has fully exited its remaining stake in Australian ports operator Qube Logistics for a reported A$350 million ($263 million).
LP interview: QIC
Australia-based QIC is one of a handful of LPs able to co-underwrite investments alongside GPs. While there have been a few domestic solo deals, the group still sees itself more as partner than rival
Deal focus: Navis leaves its mark on auto services
Navis Capital Partners has completed the second part of its exit from Australia's WorldMark Group, generating proceeds of $300 million across both transactions. For one executive, it marks the end of near 20-year journey
New Zealand's Spotlight Reporting gets $3.6m Series A
New Zealand’s Spotlight Reporting, a cloud-based accounting services provider, has received NZ$5 million ($3.6 million) in Series A funding from investors including the Global from Day One (GD1) Fund II.
Navis exits Australia's Worldmark to Quadrant
Navis Capital Partners will complete its exit from WorldMark Group after agreeing to sell the Australia-based after-market car services provider to Quadrant Private Equity. Following the earlier sale of WorldMark’s consulting business, total proceeds...
Quadrant buys Australian occupational health specialist
Quadrant Private Equity has acquired a majority stake in Injury Treatment, an Australia-based provider of injury prevention and rehabilitation services to employers and insurers, for an undisclosed sum.
Australia's Quadrant buys Goodlife Health Clubs for $198m
Quadrant Private Equity, which recently closed its eighth Australia mid-market fund at $980 million ($754 million), has agreed to buy Ardent Leisure’s Goodlife Health Clubs business for A$260 million.
Blue Sky founder Mark Sowerby to step back
Mark Sowerby, founder and managing director of Australia-based Blue Sky Alternative Investments, will retire from the firm.
Bridgeport takes full ownership of fellow Australia GP Hawkesbridge
Bridgeport Capital has taken full ownership of Hawkesbridge Private Equity and will integrate the latter’s portfolio into its own. This follows a management buyout of Hawkesbridge’s property unit at the end of last year.
New Zealand's Oriens Capital raises $21.8m
New Zealand private equity firm Oriens Capital has received commitments for its debut fund in excess of the vehicle’s first-close target of NZ$30 million ($21.8 million).
Profile: Blackbird Ventures' Rick Baker
Blackbird Ventures’ Rick Baker sees his unplanned career path as essential to helping build the strengths needed to help revive Australia’s venture capital scene
Quadrant raises $754m for Australia mid-market fund
Australian GP Quadrant Private Equity has closed its eighth fund - and fifth as a fully independent entity - at A$980 million ($754 million). As with the previous fundraise in early 2014, the process was completed in approximately one month.
Australia's Atomo gets $3.5m from Bill Gates-backed fund
A US-based healthcare fund backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates has led a A$4.5 million ($3.5 million) investment round in Australian medical technology company Atomo Diagnostics.
Australia’s Square Peg in $17m round for UpGuard
Australian VC firm Square Peg Capital has contributed to a $17 million Series B round for UpGuard, a Sydney-founded cybersecurity start-up now headquartered in the US.
Australia’s Bigstone receives $2.3m seed round
Australia-listed investment firm CVC has backed a A$3 million ($2.3 million) seed round of funding for Bigstone, a domestic online platform operator that connects investors with start-ups.
Fund focus: Reinventure seeks disruptive fintech
Leveraging its synergies with Westpac, Reinventure Group will invest in start-ups through which the bank can access innovations that complement its business model or integrate technology solutions directly into its systems
CDPQ buys 20% stake in Plenary's Australia business
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) has agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Plenary Group Holdings, which controls the Australian operations of the global specialist infrastructure investor Plenary Group.
Australia's Future Fund leads round for US-based MapR
Australia’s Future Fund has led a $50 million round of funding for US-based big data services company MapR Technologies.
EVP, Microequities launch $15.4m Australian VC fund
Equity Venture Partners (EVP) and Microequities Asset Management have launched a A$20 million ($15.4 million) venture capital fund to focus on Australian technology start-ups.
Drones: High-flying tech
The exponential rise in drone technology investment during the past few years is now expected to level off into slower growth as venture capitalists discover a galaxy of more nuanced opportunities