Sectors
India’s HomeShop18 targets $100m IPO in the US – report
HomeShop18, the online retail arm of Indian media group Network 18, is said to be readying a US IPO that could raise about $100 million. The company raised $26 million from SAIF Partners in two tranches between 2007 and 2008.
VC firms support Japan-US drug development alliance
Drais Pharmaceuticals, a US-based firm backed by InterWest Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures, will form a partnership with Japan’s Astellas Pharma to jointly develop a new line of drugs. Astellas has agreed to transfer assets to Drais-operated Telsar...
Taiwan's GVT Fund leads Series E round in LED Engin
Taiwan-based GVT Fund, which is sponsored by Industrial Technology Investment Company, has led a Series E funding round in LED Engin, a California-based solid-state lighting company specializing in LED components and optics.
India’s VRL Logistics gets $33m from New Silk Route
VRL Logistics, a Karnataka-based logistics and transport company, has received an INR1.75 billion ($33 million) capital injection from New Silk Route (NSR). The investment comprises INR1.25 billion in new equity and INR500 million for a stake held by...
KKR, Goldman back Indian logistics provider
Ford Motors sold nearly 100,000 cars in India last year and a further 22,000 units manufactured in the country were exported overseas. Every single component that went into each vehicle was handled by TVS Logistics.
CDIB sees 3x return on game developer deal
Online gaming is one of the fastest-growing segments in the tech sector. Global revenues reached $15.7 billion in 2010 and are expected to top $29 billion within four years. CDIB Capital is one of many private equity players to profit from this growth.
Tan-EU Capital acquires Chinese retail site
SOTAN China Real Estate I, the $400 million fund co-managed by Hong Kong-based real estate private equity firm Tan-EU Capital, has made its first China investment.
Thai hotels retain their charm
Foreign private equity firms are seeking opportunities in Thailand’s hotel industry, looking to leverage rising tourist numbers, an improving investment environment, and attractive entry prices
China’s Bright Food denies Weetabix acquisition talks
China’s Bright Food Group has denied reports that it is in talks to buy Weetabix from private equity firm Lion Capital. Several media outlets have claimed that negotiations began several weeks ago over a deal that would value the UK-based cereal company...
New Silk Route invests in Vasudev Adiga’s Fast Food
New Silk Route (NSR) has made its second investment in India’s food and beverage sector, picking up a minority stake in Vasudev Adiga’s Fast Food, which runs a chain of south Indian restaurants. The capital comes from a $100 million allocation NSR...
Comply or die? GPs, technology and reporting standards
Fund managers are dealing with the challenges of an increasingly demanding LP base. Asian GPs looking for institutional money must invest in compliance or rely on their track records to carry them through
Creating cross border opportunities
Venture capital and private equity has always played an important role in the transfer of technology, talent and brands names from developed Western markets into Asia. This is perhaps best illustrated by the spate of “me-too” companies that mimicked...
PE-backed 1st Holdings sells stake to Salesforce.com
Advantage Partners-owned Japanese software maker 1st Holdings has received an investment from US-based enterprise cloud computing company Salesforce.com.
Spotless suspends shares ahead of news on PEP buyout bid
Spotless Group has suspended trading of its shares ahead of an announcement regarding Pacific Equity Partners’ (PEP) buyout offer for the cleaning services company. The private equity firm has reportedly improved its bid to A$745 million ($766.7 million)...
Global Environment Fund hires ex-IDFC PE chief Luis Miranda
Luis Miranda, founder of Infrastructure Development Finance Co’s (IDFC) private equity business, has joined Global Environment Fund (GEF) as a senior advisor. Based in Mumbai, Miranda will contribute to GEF’s private equity investments in India and...
CapVest exits United Coffee to Japan’s UCC
CapVest has sold United Coffee, one of Europe’s largest coffee companies, to Japanese trade buyer UCC Holdings for EUR500 million ($617 million).
Edelweiss-backed CSB to float
Catholic Syrian Bank (CSB), the Indian institution backed by Edelweiss Capital, AIF Capital, Gartmore Private Equity and Siguler Guff, plans to launch an IPO by September.
Carlyle in mix for $1.8b Kyobo Life stake
The Carlyle Group appears to be one of several private equity firms vying for a $1.8 billion stake in South Korea’s Kyobo Life Insurance.
Thakral board likely to reject Brookfield’s $424m buyout offer
The board of Thakral Holdings, the Australian hotel, retail and commercial property investor, is expected to reject a A$409.8 million ($424.2 million) takeover bid from Brookfield Asset Management. The Canadian private equity firm already owns a substantial...
Bright Food, Lion Capital in talks over Weetabix sale – report
China’s Bright Food Group is being lined up as a potential buyer for Weetabix, the UK-based cereal company currently owned by Lion Capital. The private equity firm has reportedly been in talks with Bright Food for several weeks over a deal that would...
SAIF, Accel invest $5m in PropTiger
Venture capital firms SAIF Partners and Accel Partners have invested INR250 million ($5 million) in PropTiger Realty, an Indian online property marketing firm.
PE-backed Haitong Securities raises $1.7b in Hong Kong IPO
Shanghai-listed brokerage Haitong Securities, China's second-biggest brokerage by assets, has raised HK$13 billion ($1.7 billion) in Hong Kong’s biggest IPO since December of last year.
KKR, Goldman invest $53m in India’s TVS Logistics
KKR has agreed to invest $47 million in TVS Logistics, an Indian supply chain manager that services the auto, distribution, electronics and component manufacturing industries. As part of the transaction, existing investor Goldman Sachs will inject a further...
Navis’ Adampak takeover offer now unconditional
Navis Capital Partners has announced that its S$110.7 million ($87.9 million) takeover offer for Singapore-listed Adampak has become unconditional, making its proposed acquisition of the label company almost guaranteed.