Region
KDDI Fund participates in $2m round for Japanese game developer
KDDI Open Innovation Fund has joined CyberAgent Ventures and Japanese entertainment company FuRyu in committing a total JPY230 million ($2.2 million) to Japanese game developer Mutations Studio.
Actis exits Chinese kitchen equipment maker to US trade buyer
Actis has sold its stakes in Chinese commercial kitchen equipment maker Vesta to Illinois Tool Works (ITW), a US industrial equipment manufacturer. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
AMP Capital pays $409m for Powerco NZ stake
AMP Capital has agreed to buy 42% of Powerco NZ Holdings, New Zealand’s second largest electricity and gas distribution company, from Brookfield Infrastructure Partners for NZ$525 million ($409 million). It is investing on behalf of several clients and...
Samsung Electronics buys VC-backed Boxee
Samsung Electronics has acquired Boxee, a VC-backed Israeli start-up that manufactures digital video recorders (DVRs). The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
India's ShopClues eyes $50m growth round
Online marketplace ShopClues.com is looking to raise a further $30-50 million from investors, after January’s $10 million round from Helion Venture Partners, Nexus Venture Partners and Japan’s Netprice, which is backed by CyberAgent and Dentsu.
Credit China, jeweler Chow Tai Fook form RQFLP fund
Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook has teamed up with financial services provider Credit China and private equity firm VMS Investment to form a closed-end Renminbi Qualified Foreign Limited Partnership (RQFLP) fund. The vehicle, named Chongqing Run Ke Equity...
CSRC to regulate Chinese PE, NDRC to promote it – State Council
China’s State Council appears to have resolved the regulatory spat over domestic private equity, designating the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) as the single agency responsible for the asset class. The National Development and Reform Commission...
South Asian impact fundraising platform gets Series A round
Singapore’s Jungle Ventures has led a $1.1 million round of funding for Milaap Social Ventures, an impact-focused fundraising platform in South Asia. Lion Rock Capital and two angel investors also participated, as did existing investor Unitus Seed Fund....
India Value Fund invests $40m in spice firm VKL
India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA) has committed $40 million to Vallabhdas Kanji Limited (VKL), a seasonings and spices producer, based on expectations of growth in the quick service restaurants segment (QSR) and processed foods industry.
India's Robosoft Technologies gets $3m from Kalaari Capital
India-focused Kalaari Capital has invested INR220 million ($3.69 million) for a minority stake in mobile apps and games developer Robosoft Technologies. Kalaari Managing Director Kumar Shiralagi and Vice President Sumit Jain will join the Robosoft board....
NZ Super allocates $31m to Pioneer Capital
The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has committed NZ$40 million ($31 million) to the second fund of Auckland-based private equity firm Pioneer Capital Partners.
Japan, Canada pension fund consortium makes first investment
A consortium of Canada's Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement Scheme (OMERS) and a group of Japanese pension funds led by Mistubishi Corp. has made its first investment in Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV), a gas power plant in the US. The details...
Anacacia exits Rafferty's to PZ Cussons for 10x return - Update
Anacacia Capital has sold baby-food producer Rafferty’s Garden to London-listed PZ Cussons for GBP42.2 million ($64 million). The Australia GP is understood to have generated a 10x return on an investment made three years ago.
VIDEO: David Grayce of Pacific Equity Partners
Take-private opportunities emerge at certain points in a market cycle, driven by the cost of funding a deal – in debt and equity terms – versus the market valuation of the asset. In Australia another factor as also come to the fore in recent years: shareholder...
Q&A: Clearwater Capital Partners' Rob Petty
Clearwater Capital Partners is currently investing is $575 million fourth fund. CEO Rob Petty identifies the opportunities in Asia – offshore, onshore in China and India, and a generous helping of restructuring
Angels in Asia: Exporting Silicon Valley
Early-stage investors in the US are casting their eyes eastwards as they seek out new partnerships in Asia. But what can these angels offer the region’s start-up community?
Asia PE: Taking the temperature
AVCJ assembled a group of private equity industry leaders to share their views on the prospects for exits in Asia, changing expectations and approaches to China, and how to address LP interest in co-investment
Friend or foe? Chinese M&A in the US
Chinese companies are keen to acquire assets overseas and the US is a popular target. Success hinges on satisfying regulators, appeasing politicians and persuading sellers of their ability to execute transactions
Regional update: A time to invest?
Is now the time to invest in Asia? This is a question that keeps popping up in my conversations with limited partners. Obviously, the simple answer can always be “yes.” That is if these LPs are able to locate and gain access to the fund managers that...
Ironbridge targets full buyout of Australia's Bravura
Ironbridge Capital has made an offer to acquire a further one-third stake in listed Australian life insurance and wealth management provider Bravura Solutions. The offer values the company at A$172.7 million ($158.3 million).
Blackstone set for partial exit as Emcure Pharma files for IPO
The Blackstone Group will make a partial exit from its 2006 investment in India's Emcure Pharmaceuticals as the company targets a INR3 billion ($50.4 million) IPO.
Sun Capital exits US-based ASB to Japan's Lixil
Sun Capital Partners has exited its stake in American Standard Brands (ASB), a US maker of bathroom and kitchen fixtures, to Japanese toilet manufacturer Lixil Corp. for $542 million. The deal values the 138 year-old firm at around $342 million and includes...
China's Boyu targets $1.5b for second fund – report
Boyu Capital is reportedly planning to raise $1.5 billion for its second fund, a 50% increase on Fund I. The China-focused vehicle is expected to launch in the second half of the year.
Australia's Advent raises $184m for Fund VI
Australian GP Advent Private Capital has reached a final close of approximately A$200 million ($184 million) on its sixth fund. The corpus is smaller than Fund V, which raised A$300 million in 2006, but the new fund will rely on co-investment from LPs...

