Southeast Asia
Profile: Venturra’s John Riady
A millennial member of one of Indonesia’s most prominent family business groups, John Riady became a VC investor in 2011. He has witnessed a nascent digital economy begin to fulfil its promise
Novo Tellus hits $375m first close on third Indo-Pacific fund
Novo Tellus Capital Partners, an investor in industrial technology assets across the Indo-Pacific region, has reached a first close of approximately USD 375m on its third fund – matching the overall target for the vehicle.
Leapfrog invests $50m in Singapore's Bolttech
LeapFrog Investments has invested USD 50m in Singapore’s Bolttech, the insurance technology business of Pacific Century Group.
Family offices: A role for Hong Kong?
Hong Kong’s package of incentives for family offices is intended to redress a balance that has swung in favour of Singapore. Geopolitics is dampening its competitive advantages
Cybersecurity: PE urged to go post-quantum
Private equity firms with masses of information, long histories, and long futures will be vulnerable to code-cracking quantum computers perceived as lurking on an inevitable near-term horizon
Fund focus: Vertex emphasizes realisations
Growth rounds for cashflow positive companies have facilitated most of Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India’s exits – and laid the ground for its recent USD 541m fundraise
Growtheum backs Indonesia's Kin Dairy
Southeast Asia-focused Growtheum Capital Partners has announced its second dairy deal in five months, with an investment in Indonesia-based ABC Kogen Dairy, commonly known as Kin Dairy.
KKR buys stake in Singtel's Asia data centre business
KKR has agreed to acquire a 20% stake in Singtel’s Asia data centre business for SGD 1.1bn (USD 800m) via its infrastructure strategy.
Lion X, Vickers lead Series B for Singapore's Awak
Lion X Ventures and Vickers Venture Partners have led a Series B round of approximately USD 20m for Awak Technologies, a Singaporean start-up that makes wearable dialysis treatment devices.
MDI merges SE Asia programmes, launches $200m fund
MDI Ventures, an investment firm supported by Telkom Indonesia, has merged two existing programmes to form Ascent Venture Group, which is looking to raise USD 200m for deployment in Southeast Asia.
Jungle, Openspace back Singapore e-commerce services player
Singapore-based e-commerce services provider Amp, which was founded by the team behind inventory and order management platform TradeGecko, has raised USD 18.5m in Series A funding.
Japanese insurer ups stake in PE-backed Singapore Life
Sumitomo Life will become the largest shareholder in Singapore Life (Singlife) – an insurer also backed by TPG Capital – having agreed to acquire Aviva’s 25.9% stake in the business for GBP 800m (USD 999m).
Vertex raises $541m for Southeast Asia, India
Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India (VVSEAI), an early-stage investor affiliated with Temasek Holdings-owned Vertex Holdings, has closed its fifth fund with USD 541m in commitments.
Fund focus: 500 Global scales up in Southeast Asia
By investing early and building a diversified portfolio, 500 Global emerged from the technology valuation corrections somewhat unscathed. This gave the firm impetus when raising its third Southeast Asia fund
Deal focus: ShawKwei delivers US deal flow
ShawKwei & Partners found its niche in Asia-based industrials businesses with relative cost advantages. Thanks to geopolitics and shifting growth patterns, the GP is now targeting assets in North America
Singapore student-run VC programme launches new fund
Protégé Ventures (PV), a student-run venture fund programme set up by the Singapore Management University Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SMU IIE) has launched a second fund of SGD 500,000 (USD 367,000).
ShawKwei completes duo of US acquisitions
Asia-focused industrials specialist ShawKwei & Partners has completed two investments in the US spanning packaging manufacturing and environmental chemicals.
GP profile: Quona Capital
Financial innovation-focused Quona Capital operates across global developing markets with a compact team and a strict returns-focused impact agenda. Asia dominates the growth narrative
500 Global raises $143m for Southeast Asia
500 Global has raised USD 100m for its third Southeast Asia-focused early-stage fund and USD 43m for a vehicle that will target growth-stage start-ups in the region.
CP Group, LDA Capital launch $2b Southeast Asia fund
Thailand-based conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group (CP Group) has launched a USD 2bn fund that will focus on high-growth middle-market companies in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia VC: Institutional upgrade?
Having won early support from as assortment of local conglomerates, Indonesian venture capital firms must now demonstrate their independence when pitching international LPs
Templewater buys Singapore precision engineering player
Templewater, a Hong Kong-headquartered investment firm that spun out from Investec Group’s principal investments division, has acquired Singapore-based precision engineering business Knight Auto Precision Engineering.
Dymon exits Singapore's AMES via trade sale
Dymon Asia Private Equity has sold 100% of Singapore-based biohazardous waste disposal business Asia Medical Enviro Services (AMES) to Indonesia-listed coal miner TBS Energi Utama.
Indonesia's Venturra teams up with Dasym for next fundraise
Indonesian venture capital firm Venturra has teamed up with Netherlands-based investment group Dasym to institutionalise operations ahead of the launch of its next fund.