Region
AVCJ at 25: Ta-Lin Hsu of H&Q Asia Pacific
Ta-Lin Hsu, founder and chairman of H&Q Asia Pacific, brought venture capital to Taiwan as part of efforts to develop the tech sector. It was a launching pad for private equity across the region
AVCJ at 25: Lewis Rutherfurd of Inter-Asia Venture Management
Lewis Rutherfurd, co-founder of Inter-Asia Venture Management, has been active in the industry for 40 years. During that time he brought McDonald’s and Ikea to Hong Kong – and set up Asian Venture Capital Journal
New Zealand's Pencarrow reaches final close of $101m on Fund IV
New Zealand-based GP Pencarrow Private Equity has reached a final close on its latest fund at NZ$124 million ($101 million).
Carlyle-backed Repco Home Finance launches IPO
Repco Home Finance (RHF), which is backed by The Carlyle Group, Wolfensohn Capital Partners and Creador, launched its IPO on Wednesday, seeking to raise INR2.7 billion ($49 million).
NEA, Headland-backed ValueFirst acquires mobile video service
ValueFirst Digital Media, a digital media company backed by Headland Capital Partners and New Enterprise Associates, has acquired clk2c.com, a unit of Samadhan Systems.
Helion, Nexus commit $10m to Indian e-commerce player ShopClues
Helion Venture Partners and Nexus Venture Partners have invested INR540 million ($10 million) in e-commerce firm Shopclue.com. Netprice.com CEO Teruhide Sato also participated in the funding round.
Australia's Blackbird Ventures reaches first close on VC fund
Sydney-based VC firm Blackbird Ventures has reached a first close of A$20 million on its A$30 million ($31 million) internet-focused venture capital fund.
Unitas to complete $800m Exego exit to Genuine Parts
Unitas Capital will complete its exit from Australian car parts supplier Exego in April through an $800 million sale, including debt, to Genuine Parts.
Morgan Creek to deploy over half of Fund II in China – report
Morgan Creek Capital reportedly plans to deploy at least 60% of its next Asian fund-of-funds in China. The vehicle, the firm’s second dedicated to the region, has a target of $300 million.
Temasek's Vertex leads Series B round for Clearbridge BioMedics
Vertex Ventures, a VC unit of Temasek Holdings, has led a Series B round of financing for Singapore-based Clearbridge BioMedics worth S$9 million ($7.2 million). Other participants include existing investor BioVeda, Spring Seeds Capital, Biosensors International...
CX Partners targets May first close for India mezz fund
India’s CX Partners is aiming to raise the first round of capital for its new mezzanine fund by May.
Capital International primed for exit from India's MSM
Capital International is expected to exit its minority stake in India's Multi Screen Media (MSM) to Sony as the Japanese conglomerate's TV production subsidiary assumes full ownership of the business.
Life sciences VC investor Domain creates China partnership
US-based venture capital firm Domain Associates has teamed up with Chinese financial advisor Elite Consulting to support Western healthcare companies entering China. Several global VC investors and related service providers have been bulking up their...
Australia's Advent hires ex-PwC man as investment manager
Advent Private Capital, a mid-market Australian private equity firm, has hired Rob Hooke as an investment manager. He was most recently CFO and COO at coffee machines supplier MAP Coffee and before that spent five years at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)....
Olympus Capital launches Asia structured credit business
Olympus Capital Asia is entering the structured credit space, with a particular focus on Southeast Asia, India and Australia. Daniel Mintz, the private equity firm’s founding managing director, believes the pullback by commercial banks combined with entrepreneurs’...
PE, strategics bid for Thai Life Insurance stake – report
A clutch of private equity firms and strategic investors have reportedly entered the bidding for a 20% stake in Thai Life Insurance, with the deal expected to reach around $500 million.
Kotak Mahindra reaches $90m first close on India infra fund
Kotak Mahindra has reached a first close on its infrastructure fund with commitments of $90 million. Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and Brookfield Asset Management have come in as cornerstone investors.
MBK appoints advisor for ING South Korea bid - report
North Asia-focused buyout firm MBK Partners is said to have hired Barclays to advise on a bid for ING's South Korean life insurance business.
Li Ka-Shing's Horizon Ventures leads Nipendo round
Horizons Ventures, which manages VC investments for Hong Kong magnate Li Ka-Shing, has led an $8 million series B round of funding in Nipendo, a cloud-based trading community platform.
Development Bank of Japan launches $1.5b fund
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) has launched a JPY150 billion ($1.5 billion) growth fund for investing in domestic companies.
Asia has more than one third of global sovereign assets – study
Asia accounts for 39% of the $5.2 trillion in sovereign wealth fund (SWF) assets globally, with China alone holding $1.49 trillion, according to a new study.
Bamboo Finance, DFIs back Philippines financial services start-up
Bamboo Finance has teamed up with a group of non-profit investors to commit $24 million to Bridge, a Philippines-based financial services start-up dedicated to improving rural banking. The participants include microfinance pioneer Accion and two development...
DCM, Sequoia to reduce holdings in China's Vipshop
DCM and Sequoia Capital will trim their holdings in Vipshop as the US-listed Chinese e-commerce site raises around $181 million through a share issue.
Q&A: Ancora Capital's Veronica Lukito
Veronica Lukito, co-founder and managing director of Ancora Capital, discusses Indonesian growth, hype and myriad challenges in capitalizing on Asia's latest success story