Australasia
Anchorage buys Australian department store chain David Jones
Anchorage Capital Partners has agreed to buy Australian department store chain David Jones from South Africa-listed Woolworths Holdings (WHL).
Australia’s Heal Partners closes debut fund on $137m
Australia’s Heal Partners, a health, education, and lifestyle-focused venture capital firm, has closed its first fund on AUD 200m (USD 137m). The target was AUD 100m.
2023 preview: Australia PE
Market pressures on Australian businesses, including an increasingly serious labour shortage, are a challenge and opportunity for domestic private equity. So is China, but in less discernible ways
2022 in review: End of the party?
Fundraising favours the few; deployment becomes progressively slower as investors agonise about valuations, macro prospects, and financing costs; sponsor-to-sponsor deals prop up exits
New Zealand's Partly gets $21m Series A
New Zealand’s Partly, a company that uses big data to source replacement parts for the global automotive industry, has raised a NZD 37m (USD 21m) Series A round led by UK-based Octopus Ventures.
Australia's Potentia pursues two technology take-privates
Australia-based specialist B2B technology investor Potentia Capital appears to be continuing its pursuit of two listed companies – Nitro Software and Tyro Payments – despite several rejections.
Hillhouse buys Australia CRO George Clinical
Hillhouse Capital has agreed to buy George Clinical, an Australia-based clinical research organisation (CRO) with a global footprint, for an undisclosed sum.
Square Peg, Wellington back Australia's Rokt at $2.4b valuation
Square Peg Capital and Wellington Management have led a AUD 750m (USD 501m) investment in Australian e-commerce marketing technology provider Rokt at a valuation of USD 2.4bn.
Thoma Bravo raises $32b for deployment in software
Thoma Bravo, a specialist investor in software companies, has closed its latest set of buyout funds with more than USD 32.4bn in commitments. This compares to USD 22.8bn in the previous vintage.
Australian needle-free vaccine start-up raises $23m
OneVentures and UniQuest have led a AUD 34m (USD 23m) funding round for Vaxxas, an Australia-based biotechnology company running clinical programmes that include a needle-free COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Deal focus: Prosperity7 widens mandate with Australia’s Vow
Prosperity7 Ventures has well and truly escaped its energy sector roots, leading a hefty early-stage round for Australia’s Vow, a company making cell-cultured meat with a twist
Superfunds top-up Series B for Australia's Morse Micro
Five Australian superannuation funds have backed a AUD 30m (USD 20.4m) investment in local Wi-Fi chipmaker Morse Micro, extending a recent Series B round to AUD 170m.
AirTree, Greycroft back Australia's FrankieOne
Australia’s AirTree Ventures and US-based Greycroft have led a AUD 23m (USD 15.5m) investment in Melbourne-based fraud prevention platform FrankieOne, lifting its Series A round to AUD 45.7m.
Vistara, QIC back Australian sports-tech player Vald
US-based growth-stage technology investor Vistara Growth has joined Queensland Investment Corporation in an AUD 36m (USD 25m) round for Vald, an Australian start-up that supplies performance-tracking technology to a host of professional sports teams.
Deal focus: IFM secures debut long-term capital deal
Targeting PRP Diagnostic Imaging through its long-hold fund meant IFM Investors could offer the company stability and partnership. It expects to generate dividend yield and capital growth
Australia's ABGF invests $10m in local tourism player
Australia Business Growth Fund (ABGF), a partially government-backed investor that backs small to medium-sized companies, has invested AUD 15m (USD 10m) in local tourism company HMC Group.
ESG: The case for convergence
With ISSB pursuing pre-eminence in sustainability-related financial disclosures and TCFD emerging as a preferred climate framework, investors and investees will have to get more serious about reporting
Deal focus: KKR agrees first Australia growth tech deal
KKR has led a USD 68m Series B round for Australia’s Advanced Navigation, an autonomous systems developer for robots and vehicles used everywhere from the freeway to orbit
Australia cultured meat start-up gets $49m Series A
Blackbird and Prosperity7 Ventures, a unit of Saudi Arabian oil company Aramco, have led a USD 49.2m Series A round for Australian cell-cultured meat company Vow.
BPEA EQT, Blackstone, PEP claim top prizes at AVCJ Awards
Baring Private Equity Asia – now BPEA EQT – retained the large-cap firm of the year prize at the 2022 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards as it, Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), and The Blackstone Group claimed two victories apiece.
Australia's Perpetual rejects improved BPEA EQT, Regal bid
BPEA EQT – formerly Baring Private Equity Asia – and Regal Partners have increased their offer for Australia-based asset manager Perpetual only for the target company’s board to reject them once again.
Q&A: BlackRock’s Michael Dennis
Michael Dennis, managing director and head of alternatives strategy and capital markets for Asia Pacific at BlackRock, on co-investment, customisation, and what Asian investors want from alternatives
Australia's Perpetual rejects $1.1b bid from BPEA EQT, Regal
Australia-based asset manager Perpetual has rejected a buyout offer from BPEA EQT – formerly Baring Private Equity Asia – and listed alternatives manager Regal Partners that values the company at approximately AUD 1.7bn (USD 1.07bn).
Australia VC player Blackbird closes $647m fund
Blackbird Ventures has raised AUD 1bn (USD 647m) for its latest fund, which will invest in “generational” technology companies in Australia and New Zealand. It is the largest ever VC fund raised by an Australia-based manager.