USA
Korean PE investors set for partial exits in Acushnet IPO
Several Korean private equity investors are poised to make a partial exit as Acushnet Holdings, owner of the Titleist and FootJoy golf brands, set a target of $463.9 million for its US IPO.
Chinese investors in $30m round for US genetic testing firm
Trustbridge Partners has led a $30 million Series B round for US-based genetic testing company Veritas Genetics.
China boutique investment bank CEC buys Siemer & Associates
Chinese boutique investment bank and advisory firm CEC Capital Group – formerly known as China eCapital – has agreed to buy US-based counterpart Siemer & Associates (S&A).
Thai strategic buys stake in PE-backed US restaurant chain Red Lobster
Thailand-based seafood supplier Thai Union Group has invested $575 million in Red Lobster, a US-based seafood restaurant chain majority-owned by Golden Gate Private Equity.
ESG: Digging deeper
Comprehensive adoption of responsible investment protocols in private equity is being driven by a handful of players within the global LP community. They must continue to establish industry best practice
KKR platform Emerald Media commits $50m to Indian streaming site
Emerald Media, a pan-Asian media and entertainment investment platform founded by KKR, has committed $50 million to India and US-based video-streaming provider YuppTV.
Everstone buys US-based CRM firm to support India expansion
Everstone Group has agreed to buy US-based customer relationship management (CRM) solutions provider CustomerContactChannels (C3) with a view to helping the company expand in India.
Genuine Startups, Ideo launch Japanese VC fund
Japan’s Genuine Startups and US design company Ideo have launched a Tokyo-based venture capital unit that will invest in domestic early-stage companies with plans for international expansion.
PE-backed ZTO Express files for US IPO
China-based logistics operator ZTO Express has filed for an IPO in the US. Sequoia Capital and Warburg Pincus are the most significant private equity backers with stakes of 7.2% and 6.1%, respectively.
SBCVC invests in listed visual effects business Digital Domain - update
SBCVC and the Hong Kong-listed unit of Chinese conglomerate CITIC Group have agreed to invest as much as HK$368 million ($47 million) investment in Digital Domain, which has interests in media and entertainment.
EDBI in $40m round for US-based Shape
EDBI, the corporate VCs arm of Singapore's Economic Development Board, has joined a $40 million Series D round for Shape Security, a US-based provider of online security technology.
Deal focus: H&Q backs flexible EV player
Efficient Drivetrains produces powertrain systems suitable for electric vehicles and hybrids, leveraging automakers desire to meet emissions requirements without building costly in-house operations. H&A Asia Pacific is financing a wider geographic roll-out...
Jafco in $408m first close for new flagship fund
Japan’s Jafco has achieved a first close on its fifth global venture capital and buyout fund with JPY41 billion ($408 million) in commitments.
Sino-US bio-pharma firm raises $55m Series C
MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, a Sino-US bio-pharmaceutical company, has raised a $55 million Series C round of funding led by Shanghai-based GP Healthcare Capital.
China's Orient Hontai to buy US mobile marketing platform
Chinese private equity firm Orient Hontai Capital has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in US-based mobile marketing platform provider AppLovin in a transaction valued at $1.4 billion.
Asia-IO, Redview buy Source Photonics from US GP
Asia-IO Advisors – a PE firm set up by Denis Tse, formerly of Lockheed Martin Investment Management, and Michael Prahl, a professor at business school INSEAD – has teamed up with New Horizon Capital spin-out Redview Capital to buy US communications technology...
Shanhai Capital to acquire US VC-backed Analogix
Beijing Shanhai Capital Management has led a consortium of investors to acquire US-based microchip manufacturer Analogix Semiconductor for more than $500 million.
Malaysian pension fund KWAP invests in Uber
Malaysia’s public sector pension fund, KWAP, has invested in US-based ride hailing app operator Uber Technologies. This is its first direct investment in a foreign company.
Sino-US shopping app Operator raises $15m Series B
Operator, a US-based conversational shopping app, has closed a $15 million Series B round led by GGV Capital, which is intended to help accelerate its expansion in China.
H&Q backs US, China-based EV player
H&Q Asia Pacific has led a $7.8 million investment in Efficient Drivetrains (EDI), a US and China-based developer of electric vehicle (EV) systems and technologies.
Singapore's ViSenze raises $10.5m Series B
ViSenze, an e-commerce-focused artificial intelligence (AI) company based in Singapore, India and the US, has completed a $10.5 million Series B funding round led by Rakuten Ventures, WI Harper and Enspire Capital.
MLS, 1955 Capital back US agrochemicals specialist
Crop Enhancement, a US-based company that develops sustainable agrochemicals, has received an $8.5 million Series B round led by the Asia and Americas-focused MLS Capital Fund II and 1955 Capital, a cross-border PE firm set by former Khosla Ventures partner...
Wanda-lust: Chinese investment in the US movie industry
Jianlin Wang, chairman of Dalian Wanda Group, has set his sights on buying one of Hollywood's six major studios. The rationale is sound but a strategy of incremental acquisitions might work better
Japan's Taiho Ventures backs US cancer drug developer
Taiho Ventures, the newly established VC arm of Japan’s Taiho Pharmaceutical, has participated in a $70 million Series B round of funding for Arcus Biosciences, a US-based start-up that develops cancer drugs.