Agriculture
Japan's Integral agrees strategic exit for fertiliser maker Nitto FC
Japanese GP Integral Corporation has agreed to sell fertiliser maker Nitto FC to Ichinen Holdings, a listed automotive supplier with interests in industrial chemicals, for an undisclosed sum.
Trustar, Bain, BPEA EQT target Tyson Foods' China poultry business
US-based meat and processed food maker Tyson Foods has received preliminary bids from private equity firms including Trustar Capital, Bain Capital and BPEA EQT for its China poultry business, according to two sources familiar with the matter.
Matrix, HongShan back China's Qihan Biotech
Matrix Partners China and HongShan (formerly Sequioa Capital China) have joined a USD 16m pre-Series B round for Qihan Biotech, a genome editing player active in human and agricultural therapies.
Paine Schwartz to buy Australia's Costa Group
Paine Schwartz Partners has reached an agreement to acquire Australian fresh fruit and vegetables supplier Costa Group for an enterprise value of approximately AUD 2.46bn (USD 1.58bn).
KKR exits Australia's GreenCollar to OTPP
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) will take full ownership of GreenCollar, an environmental services provider that helped establish Australia’s carbon credit market. This will facilitate an exit for KKR and other unnamed shareholders.
Japan's Miyako targets $140m for third VC fund
Japan’s Miyako Capital, an independent VC firm affiliated with Kyoto University, has launched its third deep tech fund with a target of JPY 20bn (USD 140.2m).
FMO invests $24m in Suminter India Organics
Netherlands-based development finance institution FMO has agreed to invest USD 24.3m in Suminter India Organics, a company that helps farmers grow and process organic foods with ethical practices.
Deal focus: Change at the margins for Proterra Asia
Proterra Asia has been investing in food and agriculture across the region for 13 years. This will continue, regardless of tweaks in management entity ownership and fund structure
New Zealand supply chain traceability player gets $57m
New Zealand’s Oritain, a supply chain traceability and authentication company with a presence in the US, Europe, and Australia, has raised USD 57m led by UK-based VC firm Highland Europe.
Indonesia's eFishery closes $200m Series D
Indonesian aquaculture start-up eFishery has closed a USD 200m Series D round led by Abu Dhabi-based 42XFund and featuring Northstar Group and 500 Global.
Paine Schwartz pursues take-private of Australia's Costa
Paine Schwartz Partners has submitted a AUD 1.6bn (USD 1.07bn) buyout offer for listed Australian fresh fruit and vegetables supplier Costa Group – eight years after it took the business public.
India's Omnivore hits $150m first close on third fund
India agricultural technology-focused impact investor Omnivore has reached a first close of USD 150m on its third fund, beating the overall target of USD 130m. The hard cap is USD 200m.
ResponsAbility raises $106m for climate-agri debt fund
Swiss impact investor ResponsAbility has raised USD 106m for a global climate-smart agriculture and food private debt fund that will be 40% deployed in Asia.
Australia's Challenger Funds acquires stake in Proterra Asia
Challenger Funds Management, one of the largest active asset managers in Australia, has acquired a stake in Singapore-based PE firm Proterra Investment Partners Asia from Australia’s Pacific Current Group.
India's Lok seeks $200m for Fund IV, gets AIIB support
Indian impact investor Lok Capital has secured USD 25m from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for its fourth private equity fund. The target is USD 200m.
Bain buys Indian industrial chemicals business
Bain Capital has acquired India’s Porus Labs, a manufacturer of agricultural and speciality chemicals, including pharmaceutical industry ingredients.
DCP agrees carve-out of Cargill's China poultry unit
DCP Capital has agreed to buy the China-based poultry business of US-headquartered food and agriculture corporation Cargill for an undisclosed sum.
Australia, US carbon reporting start-up raises $9m
Understory Ventures, an Australian environmental impact investor, has led a USD 9m Series A round for Australia and US-based carbon reporting technology provider Flintpro.
Profile: Mandala Capital’s Uday Garg
Uday Garg realised an unlikely career arc from tennis to private equity with the establishment of India’s Mandala Capital. This was guided by a passion for achieving impact in food and agriculture
ResponsAbility sets $450m hard cap for second Asia food fund
Swiss impact investor ResponsAbility has set the hard cap for its second South and Southeast Asia-focused sustainable food fund at USD 450m, having fully deployed Fund I across five investments.
Bessemer leads Series C for New Zealand’s Halter
Bessemer Venture Partners has led a NZD 85m (USD 53.3m) Series C round for New Zealand’s Halter, a start-up that makes solar-powered collars for managing cow herds with an app.
Deal focus: Indian drone maker takes flight
Recently launched Indian VC firm SphitiCap is making a high-conviction investment in local industrial drone maker Garuda Aerospace. It hopes a sizeable debut fund will help carry the start-up to IPO
Deal focus: Loam Bio’s agri-climate offering resonates with investors
Soil carbon sequestration specialist Loam Bio’s Series B is the largest ever seen in Australian agricultural technology. The company’s backers expect it to go big and go global
Australia's Loam Bio raises $73m Series B
Loam Bio, an Australia-based agricultural technology start-up that uses microbes to sequester carbon in farm soils, has received AUD 105m (USD 73m) in Series B funding.