Region
Rocket, Kinnevik to form emerging market fashion e-commerce giant
German start-up incubator Rocket Internet and Investment AB Kinnevik, Rocket's biggest backer, are to consolidate five emerging market fashion e-commerce brands into a single global company with a combined valuation of EUR2.7 billion ($3.5 billion).
UOB, Orix launch $200m SE Asia-focused mezz fund
Singapore-based United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) and Japan's ORIX Corp. (ORIX) have launched a mezzanine fund providing expansion capital to mid-sized companies in Southeast Asia.
Shunwei, Angelvest back English evaluation firm Vericant
Shunwei Capital Partners and Anglevest have led a Series A round of funding for Vericant, a Chinese company that provides a third-party English evaluation services to North American universities.
VCs take part in $2.1m round for Japan's Innova
Nippon Venture Capital, Draper Nexus and strategic investor Salesforce.com have together invested JPY220 million ($2.1 million) on Tokyo-based search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing agency Innova.
Singapore Red Dot Payment complete Series A round
Wavemaker Pacific and GMO Global Payment Fund have taken part in a Series A round of funding for Singapore's Red Dot Payment, an online payment solutions provider. The financial details were not disclosed.
Carlyle, FountainVest pull out of China Shanda Games take-private
The Carlyle Group and FountainVest Partners have pulled out of the consortium backing a $1.9 billion bid to acquire US-listed Chinese games developer Shanda Games.
Asian media giants form China-focused film and TV fund
Taiwan’s Fubon Group, Hong Kong's Media Asia and South Korean music giant SM Entertainment have established a media-focused fund to jointly invest in Chinese film and TV production.
IFC invests $27.5m in Indian food additives producer
World Bank investment arm International Finance Corporation (IFC) has invested $27.5 million in Lucid Colloids, one of the top four producers of food additive guar gum.
H&Q leads $16.7m round for cloud insurance software firm
H&Q Asia Pacific has led a $16.7 million Series A round for US cloud insurance software provider One Inc.; Camp One Ventures and AGI Partners also took part in the round.
Tencent invests $20m in Korea's PATI Games
China’s Tencent Holdings has invested KRW20 billion ($20 million) in Korean mobile game developer PATI Games.
Japanese mobility firm Whill closes $11m Series A round
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has led an $11 million Series A round for Whill, a Japanese startup which has designed a type of electronic mobility chair.
Korean LPs: A targeted market
From the National Pension Service downwards, Korean institutions are increasingly courted by international GPs on the fundraising trail. Building ties with these groups, formally or informally, can be difficult
Korea VC: Seoul-searching
The South Korean start-up community is flourishing as early-stage investors flock to the country in search of opportunities. What is driving this renewed interest and can it last?
Korean outbound M&A: Satisfied partners?
Korea’s National Pension Service wants private equity to help local corporates expand overseas. Three years after its inception, the Corporate Partnership Fund has yet to prove it is the answer
Q&A: Morgan Stanley PE Asia's Michael Chung
Michael Chung, Seoul-based managing director with Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), discusses the intricacies of buying businesses from local conglomerates – and the prospects for exits via trade sales and IPOs.
China stem cell storage firm launches $813m M&A fund
Zhongyuan Union Stem Cell Bio-engineering, a Chinese stem cell storage service operator, has partnered with China Yinhong Capital to launch an industry M&A fund with a target of RMB5 billion ($813 million).
China caliper maker Guilin Guanglu raises $115m from PE
Guilin Guanglu Measuring Instrument, a Chinese electronic digital caliper maker, plans to raise RMB710 million ($115 million) from four domestic private equity firms.
VC-backed Xunlei to buy storage business from Kingsoft
Xunlei, a Chinese file-sharing service backed by a string of VC firms, will pay $33 million to acquire a personal storage business unit owned by Kingsoft Corporation.
OrbiMed commits $15m to China's GC-Rise Pharma
OrbiMed has committed $15 million in Series B funding to GC-Rise Pharmaceutical, a Chinese healthcare services provider.
Tencent pumps $70m into China healthcare networking site
Tencent Holdings has invested $70 million into dxy.com, a Chinese networking and information-sharing site for healthcare professionals
China Exim Bank fund agrees $406m Poland wind farm JV
The China-CEE Fund, a $500 million vehicle backed by China Exim Bank that invests in Central and Eastern Europe, will partner Israel’s Enlight Renewable Energy to buy a controlling interest in two Polish wind projects for up to PLN1.3 billion ($406 million)....
China's Baidu backs Finland-based indoor mapping start-up
Chinese internet giant Baidu has agreed to invest $10 million in IndoorAtlas, a VC-backed Finnish software developer that specializes in indoor mapping.
KKR loses India private equity head
Heramb Hajarnavis, a director and leader of KKR’s private equity business in India, is leaving the firm to pursue other opportunities.
KKR completes full exit from China Modern Dairy
KKR has fully exited China Modern Dairy after a six-year holding period. The PE firm only held a small minority stake in the business, having made a substantial exit to China Mengniu Dairy last year.