USA
China’s Toutiao acquires US VC-backed video app Flipagram
Chinese mobile news reading app Toutiao has acquired Flipagram, a US-based video sharing app backed by several VC investors, for an undisclosed amount.
Japan’s Advantage exits GTA TeleGuam to US investor
Japan-based Advantage Partners has agreed to sell its controlling stake in GTA TeleGuam, the principal telecommunications provider on the US island of Guam, to US-based family office Huntsman Family Investments (HFI).
Alibaba’s Ant Financial to buy THL-backed MoneyGram
Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL) will exit US-listed MoneyGram following an agreement to merge the money-transfer services provider with Ant Financial, a PE-backed online financial services affiliate of Alibaba Group, in a deal that values the business at...
New Zealand's VC-backed Phitek Systems sold to US tech player
New Zealand-based audio equipment and technology developer Phitek Systems has been sold to a US strategic buyer, providing an exit for a number of domestic VC investors.
Ex-HarbourVest Asia head nominated for US navy secretary
President Donald Trump has announced that Philip Bilden, who previously led the Asia operation of HarbourVest Partners, will be his nominee for US navy secretary.
Deal focus: Innotech realizes global ad tech ambitions
Chinese captive private equity unit Innotech Capitals has secured its first acquisition in the US, picking up data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to supporting its expansion in China
China Everbright reaches second close on global fund
China Everbright has reached a second close of $294 million on its cross-border investment fund.
Horizons invests $23m in US auto group's China push
Horizons Ventures - an investment firm controlled by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing - has led a $23 million round for a Chinese business development effort by US-based automotive technology company Divergent 3D.
India's Muthoot Microfin raises $19m from US-based GP
US private equity firm Creation Investments has committed about INR1.3 billion ($19 million) for an 11% stake in Indian microfinance services provider Muthoot Microfin.
Bridgepoint agrees sale of Nordic Cinema to Chinese strategic
AMC Entertainment, the US theatre chain controlled by China’s Dalian Wanda Group, will acquire Stockholm-based Nordic Cinema Group from PE firm Bridgepoint and Swedish media group Bonnier Holding for SEK8.25 billion ($929 million).
Australian analytics start-up Local Measure raises $3.4m
Local Measure, an Australian analytics technology provider servicing the tourism industry, has raised $3.4 million for an expansion effort that will include opening new offices in Los Angeles and Dubai.
LP interview: The Dietrich Foundation
The Dietrich Foundation has an unusually large allocation to PE and VC, and to China venture capital in particular. CIO Edward J. Grefenstette discusses the considerations that underpin this exposure
Australia SaaS start-up Deputy gets $25m from OpenView
US-based VC investor OpenView has committed $25 million in Series A funding to Australian workforce management software developer Deputy.
LPs must address staffing constraints as Asian opportunities multiply
Global LPs targeting increasingly complex opportunity sets in Asia must streamline their activity and employ a range of techniques to reconcile shortages in investment team resources, panelists told the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's...
Innotech targets Asia with US marketing acquisition
Shanghai-based Innotech Capitals, a PE arm of Innotech International Group specializing in advertising technology, has acquired US data aggregation platform Ad-Juster with a view to helping the company expand into Asia.
Bain, China's Yonghui pay $413m for US retailer services player
Bain Capital Private Equity has teamed up with Chinese supermarket chain Yonghui Superstores to buy Daymon Worldwide, a global retailer services company that specializes in areas such as branding, sourcing and marketing, for $413 million including debt.
China's Shiji acquires VC-backed analytics start-up
Beijing Shiji Information Technology, a big data services provider for hotels, has acquired a majority stake in US-based ReviewPro, a VC-backed company with a suite of complementary products.
Apax sells 48% stake in GlobalLogic to CPPIB
Apax Partners has sold a 48% stake in GlobalLogic, an IT outsourcing company founded by several Indian entrepreneurs and which continues to have a sizeable presence in the country, to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).
Sun Capital sells US-based Lexington Home Brands to Chinese buyers
Sun Capital Partners has exited Lexington Home Brands, a US-based manufacturer of residential and contract furnishings, to Shenzhen-listed Luolai Lifestyle Technology and Chinese PE firm Yixing Capital.
Australia's Atlassian to buy VC-backed Trello
Atlassian, an enterprise software company founded in Sydney and now listed on NASDAQ, has acquired Trello, a VC-backed US start-up that develops software intended to facilitate collaboration and teamwork.
Australia's Future Fund backs US data protection start-up
Australia’s Future Fund has participated in a $45 million Series C round of funding for US-based data protection company Bitglass, joining existing investors such as Singapore’s Singtel Innov8.
Samsung launches $150m global VC fund
Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics has launched a $150 million global venture capital fund via its US-based incubation and acceleration unit.
China-US: Outbound angst
Controls on capital outflows imposed by Beijing and concerns about a more aggressive trade policy out of Washington mean Chinese investment in the US is unlikely to match 2016's highs, but this is not necessarily bad for Chinese PE investors
AEA-backed ThreeSixty Group buys US lifestyle brand
AEA Investors-owned ThreeSixty Group, a China and US-based business that designs, sources and distributes consumer products for US retailers, has acquired lifestyle brand The Sharper Image from Iconix Brand Group for $100 million.