Consumer
Profile: Lunar Capital's Derek Sulger
In 1999, Derek Sulger turned his back on a career with Goldman Sachs to start a company in China. Fifteen years on, having founded mid-market consumer buyout firm Lunar Capital, he has no regrets.
Lightbox leads $20m round for India QSR chain
Lightbox Ventures has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Faaso's Food Service, a tech-enabled quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain based in India.
Renren backs China used car platform Cheyipai
Chinese social networking platform Renren has led $110 million Series D round of funding for Cheyipai, a Chinese second-hand car trading platform.
Rocket Internet buys up Asia food delivery platforms
Online food delivery provider Foodpanda has acquired peers in seven Asian markets and become part of a global platform created by its parent, Rocket Internet.
VC-backed WoWo sets terms for $66m NASDAQ IPO
Chinese entertainment and lifestyle-focused e-commerce platform WoWo – which started out as operator of group-buying site 55tuan – plans to raise up to $66 million through its IPO on NASDAQ.
CDIB invests $55m across two China deals
CDIB Capital, a private equity arm of Taiwan's China Development Financial, has invested a total of $55 million in two Chinese companies.
Cowin Capital exits China department store via trade sale
Shenzhen Cowin Capital is set to make a full exit from Guangxi Nancheng Department Store as Better Life Commercial Chain Share won approval to buy its rival.
Shunwei commits $9.6m to China interior decorating platform
Shunwei Capital Partners has led a RMB60 million ($9.6 million) Series A round of funding for Ikongjian.com, a Chinese interior finishings site, with participation from H Capital and DST Advisors.
Fortune backs Huimin’s B2C-B2B switch
Huimin started out in 2012 as an online B2C platform, enabling Chinese consumers to order daily household items from small-scale supermarkets in their neighborhood. The supermarkets took care of the delivery and Huimin got a commission on each transaction....
Longreach puts a ring on it
Is the spirit of romance ebbing away in Japan? Naoki Sawano, president of bridal jewelry specialist Primo Japan, suggested as much a couple of years ago. He held a trend among young people “to think of the proposal and the engagement ring as two separate...
Valiant leads $26m Series D for India's FirstCry
Valiant Capital Partners has led a $26 million Series D round for Brainbees Solutions, the Indian start-up behind babies and children-focused retailer FirstCry.com.
L Capital Asia exits India's PVR Leisure via share buyback
L Capital Asia has exited its stake in PVR Leisure, a unit of India multiplex operator PVR, via a share buyback arrangement with the parent.
Longreach buys jeweler Primo Japan from Baring Asia
North Asia-focused GP The Longreach Group has acquired Primo Japan from Baring Private Equity Asia, with a view to expanding the bridal jewelry specialist into mainland China.
Lakeshore Capital invests $4.5m in Thailand steakhouse chain
Thailand-focused GP Lakeshore Capital Partners has invested $4.5 million in KT Restaurant, the Bangkok-based operator of mid-market steakhouse chain Santa Fe.
L Capital Asia backs Saudi Arabia gourmet confectioner
L Capital Asia - a PE firm sponsored by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH - has secured its first Middle East investment with the acquisition of a minority stake in Bateel, a luxury confectioner based in Saudi Arabia.
Hillhouse leads Series B for India auto portal CarDekho
Hillhouse Capital has led a Series B round of funding worth $50 million for GirnarSoft, owner and operator of India-based automobile trading platform and information portal CarDekho.
YJ Capital launches Fund II, backs Indonesia fashion site
YJ Capital - the corporate VC arm of Yahoo! Japan - has announced the launch of its second fund, which has made its first investment in Indonesia fashion flash sale site VIP Plaza.
CVC makes another partial exit from Matahari - report
CVC Capital Partners has reportedly reduced its stake in Indonesia’s Matahari Department Store from 14% to around 2% after making two separate sales.
China food-ordering platform Ele.me raises $350m
Ele.me, a Chinese online food-ordering platform, has received $350 million in a Series E round of funding from CITIC Private Equity and Sequoia Capital as well as strategic investors Tencent Holdings, JD.com and Dianping.
Sailing invests $100m in China cross-border e-commerce site
Sailing Capital, a PE firm backed by Shanghai International Group, has committed $100 million in Series B funding to Ymatou, an e-commerce site that connects global retailers to Chinese consumers.
Chinese local supermarket O2O player gets $100m
CITIC Private Equity, Fortune Capital, GP Capital and Zhejiang Zheshang Investment Management have invested $100 million in Huimin, a Chinese B2B and B2C e-commerce platform that focuses on small-scale supermarkets.
ClearVue’s cross-border cosmetic play
Beauty is a big business for ClearVue Partners. Sales of cosmetic products in China grew 10% year-on-year between 2008 and 2013. The market is thought to be worth $80 billion with plenty of room for further growth.
China's Meituan enters the big league
Asked whether, two years ago, he could have envisaged Chinese group-buying site Meituan achieving a $7 billion valuation Feng Deng, founding managing director of Northern Light Venture Capital, gives a swift no.
Kaizen backs India's Impartus Innovations
Education-focused Indian GP Kaizen Private Equity has made a $4.1 million Series A investment in video learning platform Impartus Innovations.