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Sofina, Burda and Sequoia Capital Lead US$54 Million Series C Round for Zilingo (Asia)
Zilingo, a Singapore-based fashion, beauty and lifestyle e-commerce platform, has raised US$54 million in a Series C round led by Belgium-listed investment company Sofina; Burda Principal Investments, the growth equity arm of Germany-based Hubert Burda Media; and global private equity and venture capital fund manager Sequoia Capital. Global technology investor Amadeus Capital Partners, along with existing shareholders Tim Draper, Susquehanna… Read More
Equity International, Goldman Sachs and Centaurus Capital Invest US$300 Million to Launch ARG Realty Group (Latin America)
Emerging markets-focused real estate investment firm Equity International, Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and family office Centaurus Capital, alongside Argentina-focused private investment firm Grupo Pegasus, have partnered to launch ARG Realty Group with an investment of US$300 million. ARG will develop a portfolio of income-producing commercial real estate assets in Argentina. As part of the transaction, the company will assume… Read More
Meituan-Dianping Acquires Private Equity-Backed Mobike for US$3.7 Billion (Asia)
E-commerce platform Meituan-Dianping has agreed to acquire China-based bike-sharing company Mobike for a reported US$3.7 billion, including the assumption of US$1 billion in debt. Meituan will fund the acquisition through a combination of 35 percent equity shares and 65 percent cash. Mobike is backed by strategic investor Tencent Holdings, Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings and private equity and venture… Read More
NBK Capital Partners and Gulf Capital Invest in Classic Fashion Apparel (MENA)
Middle East-focused alternative investment firms NBK Capital Partners and Gulf Capital have invested in Jordan-based clothing manufacturer and distributor Classic Fashion Apparel. NBK invested through NBK Capital Partners Mezzanine Fund II, and Gulf Capital invested through Gulf Credit Opportunities Fund II. Classic Fashion Apparel will use the new funds to expand its production facilities. Financial details of the transaction were… Read More
ContaAzul Raises US$30 Million Series D Round Led by Tiger Global Management (Latin America)
ContaAzul, a Brazil-based developer of cloud accounting software for small companies, has raised approximately US$30 million in a Series D round led by investment firm Tiger Global Management. Endeavor Catalyst, the co-investment vehicle of global investment and entrepreneurship network Endeavor, also participated in the round. ContaAzul plans to use the funds to expand its platform and enhance its connection capabilities… Read More
ARX Equity Partners Exits VUES Brno for US$65 Million (CEE and CIS)
Central and Eastern Europe-focused private equity fund manager ARX Equity Partners has exited its investment in Czech Republic-based electric motor manufacturer VUES Brno to Moog, a US-based developer of aircraft, defense system and industrial machinery components, for EUR53 million (approximately US$65 million). ARX originally invested in VUES in 2006 and reportedly generated an 11.8x cash-on-cash return multiple and an IRR… Read More
ChrysCapital Leads US$55 Million Series C Round in Varthana (Asia)
India-focused private equity fund manager ChrysCapital has led an INR3.5 billion (approximately US$55 million) Series C round for India-based non-banking finance company Varthana. Existing investors—including emerging markets-focused venture capital fund manager Elevar Equity, private equity impact investor LGT Impact, philanthropic investment firm Omidyar Network and education-focused private equity firm Kaizen Private Equity—also participated in the round. Varthana will use the… Read More
Actis Exits Ostro Energy to ReNew Power (Asia)
Growth markets investor Actis has exited India-based renewable energy platform Ostro Energy to ReNew Power, an India-based clean energy-focused independent power producer. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has invested US$247 million in ReNew Power to support the acquisition of Ostro, bringing CPPIB’s total investment to date in ReNew Power to US$391 million. Actis committed US$180 million to establish Ostro… Read More
Alibaba Group Holding Acquires Full Control of Private Capital-backed Ele.me (Asia)
E-commerce and technology conglomerate Alibaba Group Holding has agreed to acquire a 57 percent stake in China-based online delivery and local services platform Ele.me. Alibaba and its affiliate Ant Small and Micro Financial Services currently own 43 percent of outstanding voting shares in the company. Exiting investors in Ele.me include private equity and venture capital firms CITIC Private Equity, Sequoia… Read More
3TS Exits MammothDB to MariaDB (CEE and CIS)
European technology-focused growth capital investor 3TS Capital Partners has exited Bulgaria-based enterprise analytics database developer MammothDB to MariaDB, a Finland-based database software provider. 3TS originally invested in MammothDB in 2015. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Read More
Trinity Ventures Leads US$70 Million Series B Round for Branch International (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Global technology-focused venture capital firm Trinity Ventures has led a US$70 Million Series B round comprising both equity and debt for emerging markets-focused mobile financial services provider Branch International. Alternative credit provider Victory Park, International Finance Corporation and venture capital investors Andreessen Horowitz and CreditEase FinTech Investment Fund also participated in the round. Branch International, which currently serves customers in… Read More
Confrapar Leads Investment in ALTAVE, with Participation from Bozano-managed Criatec II (Latin America)
Brazilian technology-focused fund manager Confrapar has led an investment in Brazil-based aerospace company ALTAVE through the Aerotec Fund. Latin America-focused alternative asset manager Bozano Investimentos and Brazil-focused venture capital firm Triaxis Capital also participated in the funding round through their joint early-stage venture capital fund Criatec II. ALTAVE, which manufactures and sells surveillance and telecommunication airships, plans to use the… Read More