South Asia
Chiratae reaches $93m first close on debut India growth fund
India-based venture capital firm Chiratae Ventures has achieved a first close of INR 7.59bn (USD 93m) on its debut growth fund, announcing that it was substantially oversubscribed.
Q&A: BlackRock’s Michael Dennis
Michael Dennis, managing director and head of alternatives strategy and capital markets for Asia Pacific at BlackRock, on co-investment, customisation, and what Asian investors want from alternatives
GEF Capital backs India EV components supplier Electra EV
GEF Capital Partners, a spinout from Global Environment Fund, has invested USD 25m in Electra EV, an India-based electric vehicle (EV) components manufacturer controlled by Ratan Tata.
India's 8i Ventures hits first close on Fund II
8i Ventures, an India-based early-stage venture capital firm, has achieved a first close of approximately USD 25m on its second fund. The overall target is USD 50m.
P&G establishes $24m India innovation fund
Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) India unit has established a INR 2bn (USD 24.1m) fund that will invest in technologies that help address challenges within its core business.
Sport investment: Into the value chain
Investors are increasingly drawn to the structural nuances, sticky customer bases, and long tail of ancillary opportunities that exist around professional sports. Asia’s role is small but growing
Bain makes $179m partial exit from India's Axis Bank
Bain Capital has generated proceeds of INR 14.9bn (USD 179.7m) through a partial exit from Axis Bank, a listed Indian lender it first backed five years ago.
BII leads $25m round for India's Kinara Capital
British International Investment (BII), a UK development finance institution, has led a USD 25m equity funding round for Kinara Capital, an Indian non-banking financial company (NBFC) that lends to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Warburg Pincus, Malabar commit $60m to India wearables brand
Warburg Pincus and Malabar Investments have injected USD 60m into boAT, an India-based manufacturer of wearables and other electronic devices that was previously on track for an IPO.
Fund focus: BPEA Credit spins out, closes Fund III on $475m
Baring Private Equity Asia's credit unit has entered a new phase as an independent manager with a fund more than three times larger than the previous vintage
India's Jashvik Capital reaches first close on debut PE fund
India’s Jashvik Capital, a private equity firm set up by Naresh Patawari, formerly a partner at TA Associates, has achieved a first close of undisclosed size on its debut fund. The target is USD 350m.
KKR buys Next Digital Engineering from Rohatyn
KKR has agreed to buy Ness Digital Engineering, a US-based provider of digital transformation services that has a significant back-end service delivery presence in India, for an undisclosed sum.
US GP buys India’s Acqueon from Everstone
US-based Long Ridge Equity Partners has acquired a majority stake in Indian customer engagement software provider Acqueon from Everstone Capital for an undisclosed sum.
Sofina leads $46m round for India agtech player DeHaat
Sofina, a Belgium-headquartered holding company and an active investor in Asia-based start-ups, has led a INR 3.66bn (USD 45.8m) Series E round for Indian agricultural technology platform DeHaat at a valuation of USD 695m.
PE investors commit $500m to India agribusiness giant UPL
India-headquartered UPL, which claims to be the world’s fifth-largest agrochemicals company, has announced a restructuring that will see KKR, TPG, Brookfield Asset Management, and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) invest INR 40.4bn (USD 500m) across...
Permira recruits India head from Warburg Pincus
Permira has established a presence in India and recruited Siddharth Narayan, who previously spent a decade at Warburg Pincus, as country head.
India's Ather Energy adds $50m to Series E
India’s Ather Energy, a two-wheel electric vehicle (EV) brand, has raised about USD 50m from existing investors, extending its Series E round to around USD 178m.
Korea pizza chain raises $25m for India push
Korea-headquartered pizza chain Gopizza has raised USD 25m in Series C funding from new and existing backers to drive an India expansion.
Fund focus: Local LPs lift Fireside to new heights
India’s Fireside Ventures has soaked up rising domestic investor appetite for start-ups with an outsized third vintage, claiming that its consumer brands thesis is beginning to bear fruit
India’s Byju’s raises $250m, ramps up overseas
Indian education technology provider Byju’s has raised USD 250m from existing investors with plans to expand its international business. Funding raised this year alone now tops USD 1bn.
Alteria hits $125m first close on India venture debt fund
India-based venture debt investor Alteria Capital has announced a first close of INR 10bn (USD 125m) on its third fund, noting there is plenty of room for growth in a local VC ecosystem where debt accounts for less than 5% of all investments, compared...
Avataar hits first close on second India growth-stage tech fund
Avataar Venture Partners, an India-based investor in growth-stage B2B technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, has reached a first close of USD 130m on its second fund. The overall target is USD 350m.
Asia PE investment sees significant drop-off in third quarter
PE investment in Asia reached USD 36.8bn in the third quarter of 2022, its lowest level since activity seized up in the early stages of COVID-19, with notable declines in India and Southeast Asia.
Google backs India edtech player Adda247
Google has joined a INR 2.7bn (USD 35m) round for Adda247, an education technology start-up that claims to be India’s largest vernacular language exam preparation platform.
