Sectors
South Korea mobile loyalty platform raises $3.9m
Daesung Private Equity and Bokwang Investments have invested $3.9 million in Spoqa, the South Korean start-up behind mobile loyalty platform Dodo Points.
CVC to sell down another stake in Indonesia's Matahari - report
CVC Capital Partners is expected to raise as much as $300m as it further cuts its stake in Indonesian retailer Matahari Department Store.
SingTel Innov8 leads $25m Series B round for Bitglass
SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of Singapore telecoms giant SingTel, has led a $25 million Series B round of investment for US-based Bitglass, a provider of mobile cloud security solutions. Norwest Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates...
China pork giant WH Group gains 10.6% on HK debut
Shares in WH Group, the Chinese pork producer backed by investors such as CDH Investments and Goldman Sachs, gained as much as 10.6% on its first day trading today after the company raised HK$15.3 billion ($2 billion) on its second attempted IPO.
ADB, Orix, Robeco form $400m Asia climate-change fund
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan's ORIX Corp. and Netherland-based Robeco Institutional Asset Management have together formed a private equity fund that will focus on investments in climate-friendly industries such as cleantech and renewable energy....
Thai fashion e-commerce site raises $1.5m Series A round
Digital Media Partners has led a $1.5 million Series A of investment for Thai fashion e-commerce start-up WearYouWant. IMG Investment Partners and Japanese e-marketing firm OPT SEA also took part in the round.
KKR, Rhône make renewed $3.15b offer for Australia wine-maker
KKR, together with Rhône Capital, has made a revised A$3.37 billion ($3.15 billion) offer to acquire Australia Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Treasury Wine Estates.
IDG leads $100m Series B round for China online grocery
IDG Capital has led a $100 million Series B round of investment for Chinese online grocery store Womai.com. Existing investor SAIF Partners also participated.
Japan's REVIC invests $10m in restaurant chain
The Regional Vitalization Corporation of Japan (REVIC) has invested JPY1 billion ($10 million) in Tokyo-listed restaurant chain Friendly.
Hong Kong's 8 Securities raises $9m Series B
Hong Kong-based stock trading and financial management platform 8 Securities has raised a $9 million Series B round of funding. The round included unnamed US and Chinese investors and existing backers Velocity Capital and Leitmotiv Private Equity.
Japan VCs invest $3m in Tokyo tech boot camp
Life is Tech, a Tokyo-based IT boot camp program for elementary and junior high school students, has raised JPY310 million (about $3 million) from Japanese investors Jafco, Mistletoe, KCJ Group, DeNA and Recruit Holdings.
INCJ to form LED business with Japan Display, corporates
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is forming a new company with Japan Display, Sony Corp. and Panasonic. The new company will be engaged in the development and commercialization of organic light-emitting diode (OLED)...
US game firm Kabam attracts $120m from Alibaba
China e-commrce giant Alibaba Group is investing $120 million in US venture capital-backed gaming company Kabam. The investment is understood to value the company at over $1 billion.
Qualcomm backs India's Portea Medical
Qualcomm Ventures, the venture investment unit of US chip-maker Qualcomm, has invested in India's Portea Medical, a provider of in-home healthcare services. The financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
PE-backed Metro Glass gains 5.9% on NZ debut
Shares in Metro Performance Glass - the New Zealand glassmaker whose backers include Crescent Capital, Anchorage Capital and Sankaty Advisors - gained 5.9% on its first day of trading following its NZ$244.2 million ($227 million) IPO.
KKR-backed Rundong Auto launches $138 HK IPO
Rundong Automobile Group, a Chinese car dealership company backed by KKR, has launched its Hong Kong IPO today with a view to raising up to HK$1.07 billion ($138.1 million).
China's JinkoSolar raises $225m from PE investors
China Development Bank International (CDBI), New Horizon Capital and Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets - via the Macquarie Greater China Infrastructure Fund (MGCIF) - have invested $225 million in the downstream solar power project subsidiary of...
Japan game publisher 3rdKind raises $1m from VCs
Nippon Venture Capital (NVCC), early stage investor Global Brain Corp., and Japanese internet firm Adways have together invested $1 million in mobile games publisher 3rdKind.
Asian Venture Capital: Not yet bubble territory
Is Asian venture capital back in favor? Based on what has been happening in the last year or so, the answer would be a resounding yes. Like their peers in Silicon Valley, the Asian VC community is certainly seeing more activity than say three years ago....
China logisitcs: Cool customers
Private equity investors see chilled supply chains as a proxy for the greater value Chinese consumers place on food safety and quality. However, for now the industry is still more niche than mass market
Baidu turns to Wanxue for education content
When Chinese search engine Baidu originally reached out to Wanxue Education Technology, it didn't envisage becoming a financial investor in the company. Rather, Baidu was looking for quality content to improve its existing education platform Jiaoyu Baidu...
EQT taps mobile professional growth
As wealth among the Gulf states has has grown so has the demand for better healthcare. According to a recent report by Dubai-based Alpen Capital, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) healthcare market will be worth $69.4 billion by 2018 - up from $39.4...
PEP sees sweet exit on Griffin's Foods
When Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) first came to acquire New Zealand-based snacks producer Griffin's Food in 2006 at an enterprise valuation of NZ$385 million (then $240 million), it represented the classic carve-out opportunity. The company - famous...
Blackstone to invest up to $800m in Tamarind Energy
Blackstone has made a commitment to invest up to $800 million in Malaysia-based oil and gas exploration and production start-up, Tamarind Energy, alongside management. The investment is being made via the GP's energy investment unit, Blackstone Energy...