Australasia
Quadrant-backed APN Outdoor to raise $289m in IPO
Quadrant Private Equity will make a partial exit from ANP Outdoor as the Australian advertising business raises A$329.3 million ($289 million) through an IPO.
Navis makes Modern Star education play
Just over a year ago, Navis Capital Partners bought Australian childcare services provider Guardian Early Learning from fellow PE investor Wolseley Private Equity for A$120 million ($110 million). The idea then was to anticipate the rise in the demand...
Navis acquires Australian early education business
Navis Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in Modern Star, an Australian B2B distributor of education resources to early childhood centres and schools, for an undisclosed amount.
NZ regulator targets Archer consortium over aborted Abano deal
A consortium of investors including Archer Capital is subject to a civil action launched by New Zealand’s Financial Markets Authority (FMA) over an unsuccessful bid for Abano Healthcare Group.
Australia's Treasury Wines ends PE buyout talks
Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has ended talks with two private equity suitors, TPG Capital and a consortium comprising KKR and Rhône Capital, after deciding the offer was too low.
VC-backed iMoney gets funding from Australia's iSelect
IMoney Group, a Malaysia-based financial comparison start-up backed by Jungle Ventures, has received approximately MYR13 million ($4 million) from iSelect, an Australia Securities Exchange-listed online comparison service.
Accel, Ribbit lead $35m round for Australian invoice app
Australia-based invoicing app Invoice2go has received $35 million in a Series A round of funding led by Accel Partners and Ribbit Capital. The company was founded in 2002 but this is its first external funding.
New Zealand's Nuplex in asset sale talks with CHAMP PE
CHAMP Private Equity is in talks with New Zealand-based chemicals manufacturer Nuplex Industries over the potential acquisition of its distribution and plastics additives businesses.
KKR restructures Asia leadership team
David Liu and Ming Lu have been appointed co-heads of Asia private equity at KKR as several members of the firm’s leadership team across the region assume additional responsibilities. Joe Bae remains head of KKR Asia and chairman of the regional investment...
Archer seeks Asian partner to boost Brownes Dairy – report
Archer Capital is said to be seeking an Asian partner to invest in Brownes Dairy and help the milk producer market its products overseas, particularly in China.
Partners Group consortium seals Australia PPP rail project
A consortium featuring Partners Group and a string of strategic investors has won the tender to operate Sydney’s North West Rail Link, Australia’s largest public transport infrastructure project and one of the biggest public-private partnerships (PPP)...
Lazard PE buys majority stake in Australia's Skybridge
Lazard Australia Private Equity has acquired a majority interest in Skybridge, an Australian satellite broadband services provider, for an undisclosed sum.
New Zealand's Shuttlerock raises $2.35m Series A
Shuttlerock, a New Zealand-based visual marketing software company, has raised $2.35 million in a Series A round of funding.
Australian VC firm Square Peg plans global push
Square Peg Capital, the Australia-based venture capital firm founded by the co-founder of job search site Seek is looking to expand overseas, with plans to invest up to A$100 million a year in Israel and the US.
SAI Global process ends with no full buyout offer
SAI Global, the Australian risk management and standards compliance business that launched a sale process after receiving a A$1.1 billion ($1 billion) buyout offer from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), has received no final bids for the entire company....
Crowdfunding: Herd dynamics
More start-ups are tapping crowdfunding platforms for capital. How well prepared are Asian markets to accommodate the phenomenon and what does its emergence mean for venture capital investors?
Anchorage fully exits Dick Smith Electronics with 4x return
Anchorage Capital Partners has exited the remainder of its stake in Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, generating a more than 4x return on its investment after a two-year holding period.
PEP, KKR target SAI Global extends bid deadline
Australian risk management and standards compliance business SAI Global – which is subject to a takeover bid from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and KKR – has extended the deadline for other offers.
Australia's Looop raises $2m
Looop, an Australian online learning platform for employees, has raised a $2 million seed round from an undisclosed education investor.
Navis returns for Dome Coffees refill
Having built a strong relationship with the management team at Dome Coffees Australia, Navis Capital Partners was comfortable with the notion of buying the specialty coffee and dining restaurant chain for a second time, 11 years after the first acquisition....
Partners Group acquires $648m MLC portfolio
MLC, the private wealth unit of National Australia Bank(NAB), has sold a A$750 million ($648 million) portfolio of private equity investments to Partners Group.
OPTrust, Catalyst consortium acquires Australia's SkyBus
A private equity consortium including Canada's OPTrust Private Markets Group (OPTrust PMG) and Catalyst Direct Capital Management has acquired Australian bus route operator SkyBus.
Australia's Future Fund promotes infrastructure head to CIO
Australia’s Future Fund has appointed Raphael Arndt as chief investment officer. He was previously head of infrastructure and timberlands with the sovereign wealth fund.
Navis completes buyouts in Australia, Singapore
Navis Capital Partners has completed two buyouts, acquiring Singapore-based pipe cladding manufacturer Cladtek and Australian casual dining chain operator and franchisor Dôme Coffees Australia.