News
Quvat-backed Blitzmegaplex targets Indonesia IPO
Blitzmegaplex, an Indonesian movie theater chain backed by Quvat Management, is targeting an IPO in the first quarter of 2014 as it seeks to raise capital for expansion.
Korea sovereign fund's CIO resigns
Dong-Ik Lee, the CIO of Korea Investment Corporation (KIC), has resigned. This comes less than three months after Chong-Suk Choi, president and CEO of the sovereign wealth fund, resigned for personal reasons.
OCBC launches $100m QFLP fund in Shanghai
OCBC Bank has launched a $100 million private equity fund under the Shanghai Qualified Foreign Limited Partner (QFLP) pilot program. The vehicle should make it easier for Singaporean lender to invest in domestic Chinese companies as it aims to develop...
Facebook buys VC-backed Indian start-up Little Eye Labs
Facebook has acquired Ventureast and GSF Superangels-backed start-up Little Eye Labs, reportedly paying around $15 million for the Android app optimizer.
Omaha Capital leads $30m round for China jewelry maker
Hong Kong-based Omaha Capital has led a $30 million Series C round of funding for Bloves, a Shenzhen-based manufacturer of customized wedding rings.
Lightspeed leads Series B for China cloud services provider
Lightspeed China has led a $20 million Series B round of funding for Chinese cloud services provider QingCloud. Matrix Partners and existing investor BlueRun Ventures also participated.
Asian Healthcare Fund leads Series B for Forus Health
Asian Healthcare Fund (AHF) has led a INR500 million ($8 million) Series B round of investment in Forus Health, a Bangalore-based firm that develops affordable medical technology for eye treatment.
Carlyle exits India's Tirumala Milk Products to trade buyer
French dairy group Groupe Lactalis has acquired Tirumala Milk Products for a reported sum of $250–300 million, allowing The Carlyle Group to exit its 26.38% holding in the South Indian dairy producer.
JAIC spin out WM Partners reaches first close on maiden secondaries fund
WM Partners, a venture capital secondaries fund launched last year by former JAIC CEO Moriyoshi Matsumoto, has reached a first close on its JPY5.25 billion ($50.1 million) first fund.
Blackstone passes $3b mark on Asia real estate fund
The Blackstone Group has received more than $3 billion in capital commitments for its first Asia real estate fund, which is targeting $4 billion.
Bull Capital, Sequoia back China online steel trading platform
Zhaogang.com, a Chinese B2B steel trading platform, has received a $34.8 million Series C round of funding led by Bull Capital Partners and Sequoia Capital. Previous investors Matrix Partners and China Renaissance K2 Ventures also participated.
BVCF leads $7.5m Series A for Quark Pharma China JV
China-focused life sciences and healthcare investor BVCF has led a RMB45 million ($7.5 million) Series A round of funding for Kunshan RiboQuark Pharmaceutical Technology, a joint venture established by Quark Pharmaceuticals and Suzhou Ribo Life Science.
LightInTheBox to buy VC-backed e-commerce player Ador
LightInTheBox, the venture capital-backed Chinese online retailer that went public in the US last year, has acquired US social e-commerce site Ador for an undisclosed sum.
CNEI ups takes in China’s Juxin International Leasing
China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI) has committed additional $16.3 million in Juxin International Leasing, increasing its stakes in the Chinese specialty leasing company to 19.08%.
TA promotes Sippel, Wadhera to lead Asia operations
TA Associates has promoted Edward Sippel and Naveen Wadhera to co-heads of its Asia business. The changes were effective January 1.
Blackstone names Carnegie Australia PE head
The Blackstone Group has appointed James Carnegie as a senior managing director in its Sydney office from where he is expected to lead private equity activities in Australia.
IVFA to exit UEM India as Toshiba buys 26% stake - report
Japanese electronics giant Toshiba Corp. is looking acquire a 26% stake in Indian water treatment specialist UEM Group from existing shareholders, including private equity investor India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA).
SAIF leads $30m round for battery maker Amprius
SAIF Partners has led a Series C round of funding worth $30 million for Amprius, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer headquartered in the US but with production lines in China. All of the company’s existing investors also participated.
IMM PE invests $190m in Korean cable TV operator T-Broad
IMM Private Equity has acquired an approximately 21% stake in T-Broad Holdings, South Korea’s second-largest cable operator by subscriber numbers, for KRW200 billion ($190 million).
Aspada invests in Indian supply chain services firm
Aspada Investment invested INR100 million ($1.6 million) in ThinkLink Supply Chain Services, which provides skill development and staffing services as well as turnkey project management to companies in India’s logistics sector.
Vietnam restaurant chain receives $3.5m in funding
Huy Vietnam Group, Vietnam’s largest restaurant chain, has secured another $3.3 million in funding from institutional and high net worth investors from China and Singapore.
Top IDFC Securities analyst quits to launch India VC fund
Nikhil Vora, IDFC Securities' managing director, has quit the firm to launch an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the consumer sector.
Digital Garage leads Series A for Indonesia babycare site
Indonesian online babycare retailer Bilna.com has raised a new round of funding led by Digital Garage Incubation, with participation from Golden Gate Ventures, Japanese animation studios TMS Entertainment and existing investors Cyber Agent Ventures and...
Eastern Link raises $330m RMB fund
Eastern Link Capital, a China-focused private equity firm set up by ex-IDG Capital Partners and GF Securities professionals, has closed its second renminbi-denominated fund at RMB2 billion ($330 million).