India
Advent to acquire Indian pharma player
Advent International has agreed to buy a controlling stake in Indian pharmaceutical company RA Chem Pharma.
Oyo founder establishes VC firm in Singapore
Ritesh Agarwal (pictured), the founder of Indian hotel booking platform Oyo, has launched a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm called Aroa Ventures.
India's Toppr raises $50m from Foundation Holdings
Indian educational technology startup Toppr has raised $50 million (INR3.5 billion) in a Series D funding round led by United Arab Emirates-based investment firm Foundation Holdings.
India online education: Learning process
With millions of Indian students facing the possibility of an academic year conducted entirely online, educational technology start-ups have an opportunity for business model validation
Deal focus: Vedantu adds to war chest as rivals encroach
India's Vedantu has raised $100 million in funding to support its ongoing diversification into non-test preparation services. Other players in the online education space have similar plans
Asia online gaming: Game on
Videogaming has outgrown entertainment and media to become a sector unto itself, with new angles for exposure multiplying rapidly. E-sports is an area to watch
India looks to expand scope of Chinese app ban
India has banned 47 more Chinese apps - saying they are clones of earlier outlawed products - and there are expectations that the crackdown could extend even further.
Probe into death of Indian founder reveals PE link
An investigation into the apparent suicide of V.G. Siddhartha, founder of Indian coffee chain Café Coffee Day, has revealed that a promise of guaranteed returns to private equity investors might have contributed to the entrepreneur's untimely demise....
Steadview backs India SaaS player Freshworks
Steadview Capital has invested $85 million in India and US-based cloud business software developer Freshworks through the purchase of shares from existing investors.
Indian agritech VeGrow secures seed funding
Indian agricultural technology start-up VeGrow raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Ankur Capital and Matrix Partners India.
India's True North closes sixth fund below target
Indian private equity firm True North closed its sixth fund last year at about $600 million, falling short of a revised target.
Asia VC: Vertex's evolving early-stage network
Vertex Holdings’ Chua Kee-Lock likens his network of VC funds seeded by the Temasek-owned entity as a distributed computer system. It will draw down more power as it grows
Walmart leads $1.2b round for India's Flipkart
Walmart has led a $1.2 billion funding round for Flipkart, the Indian e-commerce business in which it acquired a majority stake at a valuation of $24 billion in 2018.
Google joins Facebook on Jio Platforms investor roster
Google has agreed to invest INR337.3 billion ($4.5 billion) in India’s Jio Platforms and outlined plans to build a low-cost smart phone aimed at the mass-market.
2Q analysis: Numbers that deceive
Asia has seen remarkable revivals in private equity investment and fundraising – though not in exits – over the past three months. A handful of large-cap situations mask a weak environment
Google commits $10b for India digitization effort
Google will launch a INR750 billion ($10 billion) fund to make equity, operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments that seek to increase the pace of digitization in India.
Large-cap vehicles support PE fundraising revival in second quarter
Asia private equity fundraising rebounded from a seven-year low in the first quarter of the year to reach $24 billion for April through June, but commitments were concentrated on a handful of managers.
Qualcomm Ventures invests $97m in India's Jio Platforms
Qualcomm Ventures has agreed to invest INR7.3 billion ($97 million) in India’s Jio Platforms, the holding company for various internet and telecom assets owned by Reliance Industries.
Ashva raises $60m for India SME, start-up fund
Singapore-headquartered investment firm Blue Ashva Capital has secured a first close of INR4.5 billion ($60 million) for an India-domiciled fund that will invest in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.
Investcorp leads $56m round for India co-living operator
Investcorp has led a $56 million Series C round for Indian managed co-living accommodation platform operator Zolo.
BP commits $70m to Everstone-managed India energy fund
Energy giant BP has agreed to invest $70 million in Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF), a PE vehicle co-managed by Everstone Group that invests in sustainable infrastructure projects in India.
Sequoia raises $1.35b for India, Southeast Asia
Sequoia Capital closed its latest set of funds for deployment in India and Southeast Asia with $1.35 billion in commitments.
Intel Capital to invest $250m in India's Jio Platforms
Intel Capital has agreed to invest INR18.9 billion ($250 million) in India’s Jio Platforms marking the company’s 12th investment in 11 weeks.
KKR to buy control of Indian pharma player
KKR has agreed to buy a 54% stake in Indian drug maker J.B. Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals for INR31.1 billion ($416 million) and made an open offer for an additional 26% of the company.