South Asia
Everstone hires former Wipro co-head for IT investments
India’s Everstone Group has hired Suresh Vaswani (pictured), a former executive at Wipro, Dell, and IBM, as a senior director focused on investments in information technology (IT).
ADV to buy heavy vehicles unit from India's Tata
ADV Partners has agreed to acquire heavy vehicles producer Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers (DLT), a Sri Lanka-based subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Tata Group, for INR3.05 billion ($43.7 million).
GIC, Tata to invest $573m in India hotels
Singapore’s GIC Private has partnered with the Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), a hospitality unit of India’s Tata Group, for an Indian hotel platform that will invest INR40 billion ($573 million) over the next three years.
Vertex raises $230m for India, Southeast Asia fund
Vertex Venture Holdings (VVH), the VC arm of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, has reached the initial $230 million target for its fourth Southeast Asia and India fund in a single closing.
GA, Värde cancel planned investment in India's PNB
General Atlantic and Värde Partners have terminated a planned INR18.5 billion ($267 million) investment in PNB Housing Finance, the publicly listed mortgage subsidiary of India’s Punjab National Bank (PNB).
SoftBank leads $200m round for India's Grofers
Indian online grocer Grofers has raised more than $200 million in a Series F funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund.
Matrix exits India eye care chain
Matrix Partners India has made a full exit from Centre for Sight, operator of a chain of eye clinics in India, to Mahindra Partners after a holding period of nearly 10 years.
L Catterton's Asia team to spin-out, raise growth fund
The bulk of the L Capital Asia team that merged with Catterton in 2016 to form L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm, is spinning out to raise a $750 million Asia growth fund.
CDC anchors Global Environment Fund spin-out
UK development finance institution CDC Group has anchored a $130 million first close for a fund managed by a South Asian spin-out of US-based Global Environmental Fund Capital Advisors.
India's Kinara raises $14m funding round
Indian non-banking finance company (NBFC) Kinara Capital has raised INR1 billion ($14.3 million) from a group of investors including Gaja Capital, Gawa Capital, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and US-based VC firm Patamar Capital (formerly Unitus...
LeapFrog raises $700m for third impact fund
LeapFrog Investments has raised $700 million for its third fund with a view to investing in healthcare and financial services companies in emerging Asia and Africa. It initially targeted a corpus of $600 million.
Deal focus: BlackBuck in it for the long haul
India's Blackbuck has gained traction with a digital platform that connects truckers with shippers. Achieving greater scale means convincing veteran fleet owners that the model can work for them
Emerging Asia healthcare: Pilot programs
Buy-and-build strategies, a mainstay of the PE toolkit in developed markets, are gaining exposure in emerging Asia’s healthcare sector. Proving a viable exit path will be the key to widespread adoption
Accel, Kalaari, Chiratae invest in India's CureFit
Indian health and fitness start-up CureFit has raised $75 million from a group of investors including Accel Partners, Kalaari Capital, and Chiratae Ventures.
Lighthouse closes third India fund at $230m
Lighthouse Funds has closed its third India-focused middle-market growth capital vehicle at $230 million.
TA closes global growth fund at $8.5b hard cap
Global growth equity investor TA Associates has reached a first and final close on its latest fund – TA XIII – at the hard cap of $8.5 billion.
India NBFC raises $14m Series E round
Dvara KGFS, a non-banking finance company (NBFC) backed by Indian financial inclusion investor Dvara Trust, has raised INR970 million ($14 million) in Series E funding led by Stakeboat Capital.
LPs ramp up emerging markets due diligence efforts - survey
Private equity investors in emerging markets are expanding the scope of their manager due diligence, driven by the weaknesses exposed in the demise of Abraaj Group as well as by increasing emphasis on environment, social, and governance (ESG) protocols.
Pakistan ride hailing and courier app secures Series A
Bykea, a Pakistan-based online platform for on-demand transport and logistics, has raised a $5.7 million Series A round led by Sarmayacar, a European venture capital investor focused exclusively on Pakistan.
Investcorp: Into Asia
Investcorp entered the region last year through a fund commitment in China and the acquisition of an alternative investment platform in India. The firm’s top executives explain the rationale
Goldman, Accel lead Series D for India’s BlackBuck
Indian online long-distance trucking marketplace BlackBuck has raised a $150 million Series D round led by Goldman Sachs and existing investor Accel Partners.
TPG-backed Asia Healthcare acquires India fertility clinic
Asia Healthcare Holdings (AHH), a healthcare-focused operating and investment platform managed by TPG Growth, has agreed to acquire Nova IVI Fertility, an operator of in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics based in India.
KKR, GIC invest in Indian power grid operator
KKR and GIC have agreed to invest a combined INR20.6 billion ($295 million) for minority stakes in India-listed infrastructure investment trust India Grid.
True North exits India seasoning business
Switzerland-based perfume and flavorings manufacturer Firmenich has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Indian seasonings business VKL Flavors, providing a full exit for True North.
