Sectors
Anchorage-backed Dick Smith closes flat after $311m IPO
Shares in Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, which is backed by Anchorage Capital Partners, gained 3.6% on their trading debut on Wednesday before settling back to A$2.20, the same as the IPO price. The offering earlier raised A$344.5...
Japan's Ride On Express raises $23m in Tokyo IPO
Ride On Express, a Japanese food delivery franchise operator backed by Jafco Ventures, saw its stock open at JPY3105 per share - a 55% premium on the offering price - on its first day of trading. The company earlier raised JPY2.3 billion ($22 million)...
SDCL launches $200m UK-China energy efficiency fund
UK-based Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL) has teamed up with with Hong Kong private equity infrastructure firm First Eastern Investment Group to launch a $200 million fund that will invest in energy efficiency projects in the UK and China.
Portfolio: EQT Partners and Japan Home Centre
In 2010 Japan Home Centre was already a successful domestic brand but to realize its IPO ambitions it needed the right partner to guide it through a period of rapid expansion – EQT Partners
VCs to take Kingsoft across borders, platforms
Hong Kong-listed software developer Kingsoft is not in desperate need of capital. It posted a net profit of RMB466.4 million ($76.6 million) in 2012, up 39% year-on-year, and its cash reserves stood at RMB2.4 billion for the year. Furthermore, in July...
KKR agrees capital injection
Before agreeing to invest $200 million in India's Gland Pharma, KKR looked at a couple of opportunities in the injectable drugs space in the US and another in India over a period of several years. The PE firm has a long-standing interest in the industry...
Asia Awards: VC Professional of the Year – Richard Liu
Richard Liu has spent 14 years investing in tech, media and telecom for Morningside Technologies. He has witnessed increasing competition, ups and downs in e-commerce, and the rise of the domestic super angel
Asia Awards: VC Deal of the Year – Tujia
Lightspeed China likes disruptive business models that build up traction online and then use the momentum to gain a foothold offline as well. This has worked to good effect with Meilele, an online furniture retailer that now has a network of 200 offline...
Asia Awards: Exit of the Year – Matahari Department Store
Two substantial partial exits that can be seen to justify the Indonesia investment thesis for global PE firms were among those nominated for Exit of the Year: TPG Capital and Northstar Group’s agreed sale of more than 30% of Bank Tabungan PensiunanNasional...
Asia Awards: Operational Value Add – Yonghui Superstores
Headland Capital Partners invested in Chinese supermarket chain Yonghui Superstores in 2007 and helped turn the regional player into a sector outperformer with a national footprint
China Huace Media buys stakes in VC-backed Herun Media
Shenzhen-listed film and television producer Huace Media has picked up a 20% stake in Herun Media, a Beijing-based marketing specialist backed by several domestic VCs, for RMB104 million ($17 million).
Crescent-owned travel insurer to raise $475m in Australia IPO
Crescent Capital Partners-owned travel insurer Cover-More Group is targeting a A$521.2 million ($475 million) IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange.
MBK consortium bids for Woori NPL unit - report
MBK Partners is said to have teamed up with BS Financial Group to place a final bid for Woori Finance Holdings’ non-performing loans business. This is the second part of a three-phase auction intended to finally dispose of the Korean government’s interest...
Advantage to exit Japan's Nissen for $22.8 million
Advantage Partners, the Japanese mid-market buyout firm, is to exit its stake in catalogue and web-based retailer Nissen Holdings to Seven & i Holdings, the Japanese parent of 7-Eleven and the Ito Yakado supermarket chain, for JPY2.36 billion ($22.8 million)....
Portea Medical raises $7.6m from Accel, Ventureast
Accel Partners and Ventureast have contributed INR480 million ($7.69 million) in Series A funding for Indian home healthcare provider Portea Medical.
Itochu, Mizuho back Japan restaurant finder app
Itochu Ventures and Mizuho Capital have led a JPY330 million ($3.2 million) Series B round of funding for Retty, the Japanese start-up behind the restaurant app of the same name.
Singapore's Coda Payments gets Series A round
Carrier billing provider Coda Payments has raised $2.3 million in Series A funding from GMO Global Payment Fund, Rakuten Ventures, CyberAgent Ventures, and return backers Golden Gate Ventures and Skype co-founder Toivo Annus.
ICICI Venture invests $22.4m in BTI Payments
ICICI Venture has committed INR1.4 billion ($22.4 million) to BTI Payments for a significant stake in the ATM and point-of-sales (POS) services contractor.
PE firms bid for CVCI-owned BPO firm SourceHOV - report
Apax Partners, The Carlyle Group and Baring Private Equity Asia are said to be among bidders for SourceHOV, a business process outsourcing (BPO) firm jointly owned by Citigroup Venture Capital International (CVCI) and Mumbai-listed HOV Services.
MBK Partners sells Japan-based Invoice to Lone Star
MBK Partners has fully exited Invoice, Japan’s largest telecom bill aggregation service provider, to Lone Star Funds. The sale price was not disclosed but sources close to the deal said the North Asia-focused private equity firm had generated a 2.5x money...
L Capital acquire 40% of 2XU, Lazard sees 2x multiple
L Capital, the private equity firm backed by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has acquired a 40% stake of 2XU, an Australian sports apparel brand, for a reported A$75 million ($68.3 million). The transaction represents a partial exit for previous backers...
Blackbird leads round for Australian bitcoin start-up
Blackbird Ventures has invested A$250,000 ($227,645) to lead a A$500,000 round of funding for Melbourne-based CoinJar, a bitcoin wallet and exchange provider. Angel investors in the round include RetailMeNot founders Guy King and Bevan Clark and game...
Canada's CPPIB targets India office market with $200m JV deal
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) will commit $200 million to its first real estate venture in India. In partnership with the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, it will acquire income-producing office buildings in Indian cities. CPPIB has an 80% stake...
Archer consortium scraps bid for NZ's Abano Healthcare
A consortium of investors including Archer Capital has scrapped its bid for New Zealand's Abano Healthcare Group. The group, which also featured Healthcare Industry Limited (HIL) and Steamboat Capital, cited a downgrade in the company's forecast profit...