South Asia
Contrarians bullish on India investment opportunities
Private equity players are upbeat on investment prospects in India, arguing that those looking to commit capital now will benefit when the country's weak economy eventually rebounds.
Helion backs India language localization firm
Pune-based LinguaNext has raised a Series A round of funding from Helion Venture Partners to expand its international business. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
India's ASK Group reaches first close on offshore real estate fund
ASK Group has reached a first close of $50 million on its debut offshore real estate fund. The full target for the vehicle, which will invest in middle income residential projects in Mumbai, Bangalore, the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Pune and...
India Awards: Firm of the Year - Baring PE Asia
Baring Private Equity Asia’s efforts in India paid off last year with $650 million invested in Lafarge India and Hexaware Technologies. Jimmy Mahtani, the firm’s country head, tells AVCJ how it was done
India Awards: Exit of the Year – Apollo Hospitals
When Apax Partners first invested in Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, in 2007, “healthcare was a relatively undiscovered space for PE in India, even for the public markets for that matter,” says Shashank Singh, who heads the PE firm’s India office.
India Awards: PE Deal of the Year – Alliance Tire Group
Sanjay Nayar, head of India at KKR, is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for private equity in the country. On one hand, there is belief in a long-term story driven by solid demographics and a clear need for strategic growth capital in key areas....
India Awards: Venture Capital Deal of the Year – Snapdeal
Having brought in eBay as a financial and a strategic partner for its Series C round, online marketplace Snapdeal continues to invest in its technology with one eye on profitability and ultimately a US IPO
India Awards: PE Professional of the Year – Ravi Adusumalli
SAIF India defied a challenging exit market by taking Just Dial public and selling CSS Corp via a trade sale in 2013. Ravi Adusumalli, the firm’s managing partner, sees the weak IPO market as a mixed blessing for PE
India Awards: Fundraising of the Year – Kedaara Capital
In India's challenging fundraising environment, GPs – especially first-time fund managers – should expect the marketing process to be difficult and protracted. In 2013, LPs committed just $2.2 billion to domestic managers, down from $2.4 billion the previous...
Facebook buys VC-backed Little Eye Labs
Within 19 months of starting-up, Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs was snapped up by Facebook to take the social network’s mobile development to the next level. Little Eye Labs was also in talks with Twitter, but Facebook ended up offering a better deal....
Toshiba partners with IVFA-owned UEM Group
After expanding its water supply and treatment business into markets such as China and Indonesia, Toshiba Corporation went looking for a strategic partner in India. It zeroed in on UEM Group, one of the top three domestic players in the sector. UEM needed...
Canara Bank targets $81m for sixth India VC fund
Canbank Venture, a subsidiary of India’s Canara Bank, plans to start fundraising in April for its sixth VC fund, with a target of INR5 billion ($81.6 million).
Sequoia leads $13m investment in India's BankBazaar.com
Sequoia Capital has led a $13 million round of investment in Indian financial services portal BankBazaar.com. Walden International, which invested $6 million in the company in 2011, also participated in the round.
Creador takes minority stake in India's Somany Ceramics
India and Southeast Asia-focused GP Creador will buy about 11% of listed tile and sanitary ware maker Somany Ceramics for INR499.9 million ($8.1 million).
Cloud billing platform ChargeBee gets Series A backing from Accel
Accel Partners has led an $800,000 Series A round of investment in ChargeBee, an Indian start-up that helps companies manage their subscription billings.
Japan and India to launch joint investment fund
Japan and India are to launch a joint investment fund to help finance Japanese companies operating in India.
Accel, Cisco invest $2m in MobStac Series B round
Bangalore-based start-up MobStac has raised $2 million in Series B funding from Cisco and existing investor Accel Partners.
Indiareit raises $160m domestic property fund
Piramal Enterprises’ Indiareit Fund Advisors has reached a final close of INR10 billion ($160.5 million) on its fifth domestic fund.
India's Milestone Capital gets new real estate CEO
India's Milestone Capital Advisors has named Alok Aggarwal as managing partner and chief executive officer of its real estate business.
Facebook buys VC-backed Indian start-up Little Eye Labs
Facebook has acquired Ventureast and GSF Superangels-backed start-up Little Eye Labs, reportedly paying around $15 million for the Android app optimizer.
Asian Healthcare Fund leads Series B for Forus Health
Asian Healthcare Fund (AHF) has led a INR500 million ($8 million) Series B round of investment in Forus Health, a Bangalore-based firm that develops affordable medical technology for eye treatment.
Carlyle exits India's Tirumala Milk Products to trade buyer
French dairy group Groupe Lactalis has acquired Tirumala Milk Products for a reported sum of $250–300 million, allowing The Carlyle Group to exit its 26.38% holding in the South Indian dairy producer.
Value Creation: Shock and awe?
Asian GPs are building up their operational resources to support portfolio companies, but the true value of expertise is knowing when and where to make influence count
TA promotes Sippel, Wadhera to lead Asia operations
TA Associates has promoted Edward Sippel and Naveen Wadhera to co-heads of its Asia business. The changes were effective January 1.