Regions
Japan's Softbank invests $100m in Cybereason
SoftBank Corp. has agreed to invest $100 million in a Series D funding round for Cybereason, a US-headquartered cybersecurity platform provider targeting expansion in Japan.
Matrix, Falcon Edge join $31m round for India's Mswipe
Indian mobile point-of-service (POS) developer Mswipe has raised a $31 million funding round led by RNT Capital Advisors, with participation by existing investors Matrix Capital Partners, Falcon Edge Capital and DSG Consumer Partners.
Lightspeed leads $4m Series A for India's Darwinbox
Lightspeed India Partners has led a $4 million Series A round for Indian human resources (HR) services platform operator Darwinbox.
Crescent Point backs Philippines-based LBC Express
Singapore-based private equity and special situations firm Crescent Point has agreed to invest $50 million in Philippines-listed logistics services company LBC Express.
KKR hires Blackstone MD to lead Japan capital markets team
KKR has selected Go Yamashita, a former managing director with The Blackstone Group, to head the KKR Capital Markets (KCM) team in Japan.
CITIC Capital raises $1.57b for US dollar tranche of China fund
CITIC Capital Partners has closed the US dollar-denominated portion of its latest China fund at the hard cap of $1.57 billion after about one year in the market. The renminbi tranche is still being raised, with a target of RMB3 billion ($439 million).
Southeast Asia tourism: Thinking small
Travel start-ups in Southeast Asia are attracting scattered but enthusiastic interest from venture capital investors. Success in navigating the sector’s early days will be a matter of niche targeting
China dating app Tantan raises $70m Series D
Chinese mobile dating app Tantan has raised $70 million in a Series D round of funding led by US-listed live video streaming firm YY and Genesis Capital, with participation from SAIF Partners China and Zhongwei Capital.
Fund focus: Thailand gets serious about fintech
Expara Thailand and Premier Advisory Group have been appointed to manage two funds with a combined corpus of $44 million that are intended to push forward the country's financial technology agenda
Deal focus: Seven Dreamers makes laundry robot a reality
KKR co-founders Henry Kravis and George Roberts and Fosun International have joined a $22.8 million Series C round for Seven Dreamers, which will use the capital to accelerate production of its Laundroid
Bain, INCJ consortium named preferred bidder for Toshiba chip unit
Japanese conglomerate Toshiba has selected a consortium led by the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and including Bain Capital as the preferred bidder in the sale of its Nand flash memory unit, Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC).
CLSA Capital invests in Japan beauty contact lenses maker
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has invested an undisclosed sum in El Dorado Group, a beauty contact lenses manufacturer based in Japan and Hong Kong.
EMIA invests Cambodia unit of iCare Benefits
Emerging Markets Investment Advisers (EMIA) has acquired a significant minority stake in the Cambodia division of iCare Benefits, a Singapore-based company that provides employers with worker benefit programs.
Portfolio: Partners Group and Guardian Early Learning
Now on its third PE owner, Guardian Early Learning Group is building its unique brand identity in Australia’s busy childcare sector. The key has been for each party to respect the strengths and needs of the other
IFC set to back Morgan Stanley's $300m Thailand fund
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is considering an investment of up to $25 million in a Thailand-focused fund launched by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA).
PE-backed IEX files for India IPO
Online energy trading platform India Energy Exchange (IEX) has filed for an IPO, providing a partial exit for several private equity backers.
Chinese VC-backed co-working space Bigger raises $18m
Bigger, a Beijing-based co-working space operator established by Hong Kong-listed property developer Modern Land, has completed a $18 million Series A round led by an investment unit of real estate company Hongfu Group.
Fund focus: Intudo targets SE Asia’s sea turtles
Intudo has raised $10 million for a venture capital fund that will bring fast-growing start-ups from Silicon Valley and China to Southeast Asia
Bolt-on acquisitions: Buying growth
Bolt-on acquisitions enable private equity firms to bring down the cost of investments through multiple arbitrage and leveraging synergies. But in a climate of heady valuations, are GPs thinking too big?
MBK completes exit from Japan's Komeda with 5x return - update
MBK Partners has sold the remainder of its stake in Japan-based coffee shop chain Komeda Holdings JPY24.3 billion ($217 million), securing a 5x return on the overall investment.
CITIC Capital, FountainVest to exit China's Focus Media
CITIC Capital Partners and FountainVest Partners plan to exit their entire stakes in Focus Media - the Chinese outdoor advertising business they helped take private in the US and then re-list in Shenzhen two years ago - within six months.
Eight Roads leads $12.5m Series C for India's Unbxd
Eight Roads Ventures has led a $12.5 million Series C funding round for Unbxd, an India-founded e-commerce services company now headquartered in the US.
Co-founders depart India VC debt provider InnoVen
Ajay Hattangdi (pictured), co-founder, group CEO and COO for India at venture debt firm InnoVen Capital, has left the firm along with co-founder and deputy CEO Vinod Murali. They plan to launch a fund of their own.
Nippon Mirai to sell Takasago stake back to NEC
Japanese GP Nippon Mirai Capital has agreed to sell its entire 51% stake in Takasago Machinery, an electronic equipment manufacturer, to its previous owner NEC Corporation for an undisclosed sum.