Australia
Australian VC firm Square Peg plans global push
Square Peg Capital, the Australia-based venture capital firm founded by the co-founder of job search site Seek is looking to expand overseas, with plans to invest up to A$100 million a year in Israel and the US.
SAI Global process ends with no full buyout offer
SAI Global, the Australian risk management and standards compliance business that launched a sale process after receiving a A$1.1 billion ($1 billion) buyout offer from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP), has received no final bids for the entire company.
Anchorage fully exits Dick Smith Electronics with 4x return
Anchorage Capital Partners has exited the remainder of its stake in Australian electronics retailer Dick Smith Holdings, generating a more than 4x return on its investment after a two-year holding period.
PEP, KKR target SAI Global extends bid deadline
Australian risk management and standards compliance business SAI Global – which is subject to a takeover bid from Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and KKR – has extended the deadline for other offers.
Australia’s Looop raises $2m
Looop, an Australian online learning platform for employees, has raised a $2 million seed round from an undisclosed education investor.
Navis returns for Dome Coffees refill
Having built a strong relationship with the management team at Dome Coffees Australia, Navis Capital Partners was comfortable with the notion of buying the specialty coffee and dining restaurant chain for a second time, 11 years after the first acquisition.
Partners Group acquires $648m MLC portfolio
MLC, the private wealth unit of National Australia Bank(NAB), has sold a A$750 million ($648 million) portfolio of private equity investments to Partners Group.
OPTrust, Catalyst consortium acquires Australia's SkyBus
A private equity consortium including Canada's OPTrust Private Markets Group (OPTrust PMG) and Catalyst Direct Capital Management has acquired Australian bus route operator SkyBus.
Australia's Future Fund promotes infrastructure head to CIO
Australia’s Future Fund has appointed Raphael Arndt as chief investment officer. He was previously head of infrastructure and timberlands with the sovereign wealth fund.
Navis completes buyouts in Australia, Singapore
Navis Capital Partners has completed two buyouts, acquiring Singapore-based pipe cladding manufacturer Cladtek and Australian casual dining chain operator and franchisor Dôme Coffees Australia.
Affinity invests $314m in Virgin Australia frequent flyer business
Affinity Equity Partners will pay A$336 million ($314 million) for a 35% interest in Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program in a move that allows the airline to shore up its balance sheet.
Australia's UOW launches $9m seed fund
Australia's University of Wollongong (UOW) has launched a A$10 million ($9 million) seed fund to support domestic start-ups.
Real assets not overpriced, if you know where to look - AVCJ Forum
There is no shortage of high-quality real assets available to private markets investors despite rising prices in certain areas, industry participants told the AVCJ Real Assets Forum. The onus is on investors to look beyond the obvious.
Australia's PEP in $541m partial exit from Veda
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has exited half its stake in credit-checking firm Veda Group in a deal worth around A$580 million ($541 million).
Resource Capital invests $3m in Australia's MZI Resources
Mining-focused private equity firm Resource Capital Funds (RCF) has invested $3 million in Australian Securities Exchange-listed mineral sands explorer MZI Resources after agreeing to add to an existing short-term loan facility of $4.5 million.
Advent supports Australia radiology merger
Advent Private Capital has created the fourth-largest radiology group in Australia by bringing together two independent diagnostics businesses, Lake Imaging and South Coast Radiology.
Australia infrastructure: Ideal owners
Australian pension funds are keen to invest in a raft of infrastructure privatizations, with some of the proceeds earmarked for new projects. But more can be done to get long-term capital into greenfield infrastructure
Pension funds in infrastructure: Ideal owners
Australian pension funds are keen to invest in a raft of infrastructure privatizations, with some of the proceeds earmarked for new projects. But more can be done to get long-term capital into greenfield infrastructure
KKR enters Australia real estate market
KKR and Australia Securities Exchange-listed Abacus Property Group have together agreed to buy a majority stake in three office towers that form part of Melbourne’s World Trade Centre (WTC) for A$120.4 million ($112.3 million).
TA makes partial exit as Speedcast IPO raises $139m
Satellite telecom provider SpeedCast is trading at a modest premium to its IPO price following an offering that raised A$150 million ($139 million) on the Australian Securities Exchange and facilitated a partial exit for TA Associates.
Australian agri information service gets Series C round
Agworld, an Australia-based information exchange platform for farmers, has raised A$6 million ($5.6 million) in a Series C round of funding led by Reed Elsevier Ventures. Existing investor Yuuwa Capital also participated.
Next Capital exits NZ bus operator to Maori funds
Next Capital has agreed to sell New Zealand bus operator Go Bus to Maori investment funds Ngai Tahu Holdings Corporation (NTHC) and Tainui Group Holdings (TGH).
Australia's Treasury Wines receives competing buyout offer
Australia’s Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has received a buyout offer from TPG Capital that values the company at A$3.37 billion ($3.15 billion), matching a revised bid submitted by KKR and Rhône Capital last week.
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.