Southeast Asia
OMERS names new Asia infrastructure head
Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) has appointed Prateek Maheshwari, an existing managing director at the firm, as its head of infrastructure in Asia.
Southern Capital secures Malaysia creamer carve-out
Southern Capital Group has completed the MYR1 billion ($240 million) acquisition of F&B Nutrition – a producer of sweetened creamer, an oil-based equivalent of condensed milk – from Malaysian food packaging player Can-One International.
Indonesia's MDI Ventures raises $500m fund
MDI Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of state-controlled Telkom Indonesia, has closed its latest fund at $500 million.
Sequoia backs Indonesia MSME app
Sequoia Capital India has joined a $9 million pre-Series A round for Indonesia’s BukuKas, a bookkeeping app for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Singapore's Anchanto raises $12m funding round
Anchanto, a Singapore-headquartered technology provider that helps with e-commerce enablement, raised S$16.6 million ($12 million) in a Series C round.
Duo of Indonesia fishery start-ups attracts funding
Northstar Group and Go-Ventures have led a Series B round of undisclosed size for Indonesia’s eFishery, while East Ventures has backed a $5.5 million Series A for fishing industry app Aruna.
Australia's Taronga Ventures launches in Singapore
Taronga Ventures, the venture arm of Australian real estate investment firm Taronga Group, has set up Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore.
Start-up profiles: Sustainability agendas
Early-stage innovators across the region are leveraging both enterprise and consumer-facing models to address sustainability challenges with one eye on rapid commercialization
Sequoia leads $20m Series A for Singapore's Incomlend
Sequoia Capital India has led a $20 million Series A round for Incomlend, a Singapore-based invoice trading platform that aims to democratize access to trade finance.
Q&A: Circulate Capital's Rob Kaplan
Rob Kaplan is CEO of Singapore’s Circulate Capital, which is dedicated to reducing oceanic plastic pollution. Its $150 million debut fund is backed by the likes of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Unilever
MUFG launches Singapore venture debt business
Japan’s MUFG Bank has set up a Singapore-based venture debt business alongside Israeli financial technology start-up Liquidity Capital. Its debut fund has been set up with an initial $80 million.
VinaCapital completes exit from Vietnam dairy producer
Vietnam’s VinaCapital and Japan’s Daiwa PI Partners have sold the remainder of their interest in Vietnamese dairy producer International Dairy Products (IDP).
Sustainable food: Forces of nature
Environmental considerations are intrinsic to food innovation investment strategy, not a public relations bonus. Science, society, and myriad motivations color a range of perspectives
GPs & climate change risk: Material matters
Climate change risk is becoming a broader debate within private equity, taking in the long-term impact of floods, droughts, and fires on portfolios. Most GPs have yet to turn thought into action
Gobi backs Singapore e-commerce acquisition
China’s Gobi Partners is leading a consortium that will acquire the e-commerce services business of Singapore-based Synagie for S$61.6 million ($44.8 million).
BRI invests Indonesia fintech player Ayoconnect
BRI Ventures, the newly launched VC unit of Bank Rakyat Indonesia, has joined a $5 million pre-Series B round for local financial technology provider Ayoconnect.
Intudo leads Series A for Indonesia restaurant app
Wahyoo, a digital solutions provider for Indonesian eateries, has raised $5 million in a Series A round led by Intudo Ventures.
Navis exits Malaysian business solutions player
Navis Capital Partners has sold its controlling stake in Malaysian IT firm Strateq to a local subsidiary of Singapore telecommunications company StarHub.
EDBI backs US cybersecurity player's Asia push
EDBI, the investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, has invested in Vesta, a US-based fraud and payment technology start-up with ambitions to expand into Asia.
Deal focus: Fave wins endorsement for ecosystem pivot
Having found online-to-offline services and mobile payments too crowded, Malaysia's Fave turned itself into a digitization guide for small businesses. Collaboration with India's Pine Labs should strengthen its offering
BRV Capital invests $110m in Line's Thailand delivery app
Line Man, a parcel-to-food delivery app launched in Thailand by Japan’s Line Corporation, has raised $110 million from BRV Capital, an affiliate of BlueRun Ventures.
Sistema Asia Capital appoints CEO
Sistema Asia Capital, a corporate VC arm of Russian conglomerate Sistema that focuses on India and Southeast Asia, has named Edward Tay (pictured) as CEO.
Navis acquires Cambodia international school
Navis Capital Partners has acquired CIA First International School in Cambodia for an undisclosed sum.
Deal focus: KKR's Vietnam macro proxy - update
KKR - working alongside Temasek Holdings - is using Vinhomes as a means to get exposure to Vietnam's booming property market. Mergermarket and AVCJ offer some additional industry context