News
PE-backed Jones the Grocer folds in Australia again
The Australian operation of Jones the Grocer, a gourmet food retailer backed by L Capital Asia, has entered voluntary administration for the second time in two years.
China's Tang Media Partners acquires US-based IM Global
Tang Media Partners, a Sino-US media investment firm, has acquired a majority stake in Hollywood film and TV studio IM Global from India’s Reliance Group.
Brookfield closes $4b global fund
Brookfield Asset Management has reached a final close of $4 billion on its fourth global private equity fund.
PEP agrees buyout of Australia's Patties
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) has made a formal offer to buy Australian snack maker Patties Foods for A$230 million ($166 million).
Korea’s NPS boosts overseas PE exposure
The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) has pledged to more than double the Asian allocation of its KRW19.5 trillion ($16.4 billion) allotment for global private equity investment.
China crowdfunding site Qingsongchou raises $20m
Beijing Qingsongchou Network Technology, a Chinese online crowdfunding operator, has raised a $20 million Series B+ round of funding from Tencent Holdings, IDG Capital Partners, DT Capital and Tongdaoo Capital.
Australia's ALS rejects Advent, Bain buyout offer
Australian testing services company ALS has rejected a buyout offer from Advent International and Bain Capital that valued the company at about A$2.7 billion ($1.9 billion).
GIC, Temasek buy $1b of Alibaba shares from SoftBank
Singapore’s GIC Private and Temasek Holdings have bought a combined $1 billion of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group’s shares, as part of an $8.9 billion share sale by Japan’s SoftBank Group.
Edelweiss invests in India's Bridgei2i
Edelweiss Private Equity has invested an undisclosed amount of Series A growth capital in India’s Bridgei2i Analytics Solutions, an enterprise services company focused on big data.
China VCs in $20m round for VR developer uSens
Fosun Kinzon Capital, the VC arm of Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, has led a $20 million Series A round for uSens, a US-based developer of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) tools.
Rabo invests $15m in India's Cremica
Rabo Equity Advisors has committed $15 million for a minority stake in Indian condiment and snack maker Cremica Food Industries.
Longreach acquires Wendy's Japan
Longreach Group has acquired a majority stake in Wendy’s Japan as part of a growth strategy that will see the hamburger restaurant chain combined with fellow domestic operator, First Kitchen.
Beenext, Digital Garage lead Series B for India’s Droom
Droom, an Indian used automobiles trading marketplace, has raised about INR2 billion ($30 million) in a Series B round of funding led by Singapore-based early stage investor Beenext and Japanese incubator Digital Garage.
China's Blued completes Series C round
Vision Knight Capital has led a Series C+ round for Chinese gay-oriented social network and community app Blued.
VCs commit $50m to China’s Codoon
A sport industry-focused fund launched by FountainVest Partners and its portfolio company Focus Media has led a $50 million Series C round for Codoon, a Chinese wearable electronic devices manufacturer.
Australia's CapitalPitch launches $7m early-stage fund
Australia-based start-up networking platform CapitalPitch has launched a fund focused on early stage investments, with a target size of at least A$10 million ($7.3 million).
Japan’s Whill closes $17.5m Series B
Eight Roads Ventures has led a $17.5 million Series B round for Japanese wheelchair and personal mobility device developer Whill.
Macquarie invests $29m in Japanese logistics business
Macquarie Asia Infrastructure Fund (MAIF) has invested EUR26 million ($28.9 million) for a 40% interest in Japanese logistics company Nippon Vopak.
China announces new rules for GPs listing on New Third Board
China’s securities regulator said it would resume its approval of qualified private equity firms listing on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), while imposing tighter listing requirements.
Blackstone invests $134m in New Zealand's Partners Life
The Blackstone Group’s tactical opportunities division has made a NZ$200 million ($134.5 million) investment in New Zealand insurance provider Partners Life.
Tencent invests $40m in VC-backed Chinese education site
Tencent Holdings has committed $40 million for a minority stake in VC-backed Yuanfudao - the largest single investment made by the internet company in the K-12 online learning and teaching space.
PE investors see value in forward planning on operational improvement
Operational strategies should be defined in detail well before any financial commitment is made, according to industry participants at the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's (HKVCA) China summit.
Chengwei backs China electronics recycling platform
China-focused Chengwei Capital has led a Series A round of funding worth about RMB100 million ($15 million) for Huishoubao, a Chinese electronic devices recycling platform.
Hong Kong's Lalamove raises $10m round led by MindWorks
MindWorks Ventures has led a $10 million funding round for Hong Kong-based van rental app developer Lalamove.