Taiwan (China)
Taiwan fitness site iFit receives angel funding
Cherubic Ventures, an early-stage VC investor, has provided NT$25 million ($818,000) in seed funding for iFit, a Taiwanese online fitness information provider.
Zoyi takes controlling stake in niche Chinese apparel brand
Zoyi Capital, the PE firm set up by Andrew Kuo, formerly of The Blackstone Group, has made its debut investment in Pink Mary, a Chinese manufacturer and distributor of high-end women’s apparel.
L Capital Asia invests $25m in Taiwan skincare brand
L Capital Asia, a private equity firm backed by luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, has invested NTD750 million ($25 million) for a significant minority stake in Dr. Wu, a Taiwanese clinical skincare brand.
Tencent leads round for Chinese rural e-commerce site
Tencent Holdings and Taiwan-based semiconductor manufacturer MediaTek have led a round of funding - reportedly worth more than $200 million - for Mmb.cn, a Chinese mobile e-commerce platform catering to rural consumers and urban migrants. Existing investor...
GE, SAC exit Taiwan’s Cosmos Bank
GE Capital and SAC Capital will exit Taiwan’s Cosmos Bank to domestic financial services conglomerate China Development Financial Holding Corp. The announcement of the NT$23.1 billion ($762.4 million) deal, which was priced below market value, saw Cosmos...
Microsoft Ventures backs 19 Asian start-ups
Microsoft Ventures, a corporate VC arm of Microsoft, has selected 19 Asian companies for the fourth batch of start-ups entering its Beijing-based accelerator program.
Intel connects to car tech with SanJet
"The way things are evolving, there is more and more technology getting into the car - the functionality and electronics components are increasing," says Sudheer Kuppam, Intel Capital's managing director for Asia Pacific.
Intel Capital backs Sanjet's wearable video technology
Intel Capital has committed an undisclosed sum to Sanjet Technology Corp, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of portable multi-purpose video cameras. The funding will be used to support the development of cameras that can be worn on the body or placed inside...
Cautious optimism in Taiwan
“We have prepared a statement if you want it.” Within minutes of a panel concluding at the AVCJ Taiwan Forum in September, a piece of paper landed in my lap from the American Chamber of Commerce In Taipei’s (AmCham) private equity committee, which...
Taiwan proposes changes to M&A regulations
Taiwan’s cabinet has approved the first amendments to the territory’s Business Mergers and Acquisitions Act in nearly a decade, including a provision that raises the level of shareholder support required for a take-private transaction to go through....
Taiwan's Chinatrust to buy Tokyo Star Bank for $530m
CTBC Financial, the parent company of Taiwan's Chinatrust Commercial Bank, is to buy a 98.16% stake in Tokyo Star Bank for JPY52 billion ($530 million) from US private equity firm Lone Star and other creditors-turned-shareholders. It will be the first...
Intel Capital unveils seven new Asia investments
Intel Capital, a corporate VC arm of chipmaker Intel Corporation, has invested in seven Asia-based companies as part of a batch of 16 global commitments totaling $65 million. The Asian firms, coming from China, India, Singapore, Japan and Taiwan, account...
Taiwan's CID Group raises $100m for Greater China fund
Taiwanese private equity firm CID Group closed its fourth fund - which focuses on Greater China investments - at $100 million, with half the corpus coming from the GP itself.
Taiwan regulators stress commitment to PE – AVCJ Taiwan
Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs stressed that the government sees private equity as an important contributor to local economic development, highlighting draft legislation that promises to ease the deal approvals process. However, PE investors...
Taiwan’s Zoyi Capital targets $300m fund – update
Zoyi Capital is seeking to raise $300 million for its debut fund, which will target deals in Greater China that have a Taiwanese connection.
Q&A: FCC Partners' C.Y. Huang
C.Y. Huang, president of FCC Partners and chairman of the Taiwan M&A and PE Council (MAPE), explains why he sees the tide turning for foreign private equity in Taiwan and where the opportunities lie
Taiwan IPOs: An alternative exit
With the nascent T-shares program plus a string of incentives, Taiwan wants to establish itself as a hub for China IPOs. Can it pare down the regulatory detritus and make this dream come true?
Taiwan GPs: Cross-strait strategies
Taiwanese GPs are looking for investments in the higher growth markets of mainland China. But how do they differentiate themselves from Chinese private equity firms chasing similar deals?
Tech giants and VC: When the chips are down
Taiwan has a long history as a tech manufacturing powerhouse, but with the decline of the PC times have changed. Can the wavering tech giants re-invest themselves and what can VC do to help?
Taiwan buyouts: Back from the brink?
After a spike in buyouts in the mid-2000s, Taiwan sank from view due to private equity firms’ concerns about unpredictable deal approvals. Regulators are now trying to tempt them back with promises of reforms
Foreign PE in Taiwan: Engagement issues
Taiwan has a lot to offer private equity: it is one of relatively few classic buyout markets in Asia, with control positions, the ability to put in new management, and banks that are willing leveraged lenders. Japan and Australia are the only markets...
New Zealand's Pan Pacific, Taiwan to set up $40m cross-border fund
Taiwan’s state-run Institute for Information Industry (III) and New Zealand-based Pan Pacific Capital have formed a $40 million venture capital fund, with a view to promoting cross-border deals and expanding bilateral cooperation.
Taiwan’s Chinatrust buys Tokyo Star Bank – report
Chinatrust Commercial Bank, one of Taiwan’s largest commercial lenders, has reportedly agreed to buy Tokyo Star Bank for JPY52 billion ($519 million) from Lone Star and other creditors-turned-shareholders. It would be the first full buyout of a Japanese...
Google buys stake in VC-backed Taiwan glass supplier
Google has taken a 6.3% stake in Himax Display, a subsidiary of Taiwanese company Himax Technologies, which manufactures liquid crystal silicon (LCOS) chips used in Google Glass and other products. The company also counts KPCB Holdings, Khosla Ventures...