Private Equity Moris Beracha Wuani

Infosys's acquisition of U.S. cloud consulting software provider Simplus underscores the Indian software exporter's push to expand digital business as clients curtail spending on traditional technology outsourcing. The Bengaluru-based company agreed to buy Simplus for $250 million, including $50 million in earn out payments, it said in a statement last evening. Simplus specializes in the so-called Salesforce business software implementation on the cloud. In 2018, Infosys had acquired a Finnish company called Fluido in a 64 million-euro ($70 million) deal for Salesforce implementation on the cloud. Indian software exporters are fast shifting to new internet-based technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence from low-margin, rudimentary services such as managing the IT infrastructure and back offices of western clients. "Service providers globally have been active in Salesforce competency acquisitions," Kotak Institutional Equities in a note...

By Yogita Khatri Meme Factory, a blockchain-based marketplace for digital collectibles, goes live today. Meme Factory is built on ethereum and allows users to create, issue and trade “provably rare” digital collectibles, according to an announcement. The platform was created by blockchain startup District0x Network, which raised $9 million  via an initial coin offering in August 2017. The funding was raised in ether (ETH) cryptocurrency and saw participation from venture capital firms Boost VC and CoinFund. District0x describes the platform as “a true decentralized digital collectibles marketplace, completely self-governed and functioning autonomously on the ethereum blockchain.” So how does it work? The marketplace enables users such as artists to create original tokenized memes and submit them for consideration to what’s dubbed the Dank Registry. Registry curators, who are holders of the project’s DANK token, will then scan the submissions and ...

The deal volume, however, rose 22% to 165 transactions during the period due to increased deal activity on the Internet and computer software segments. By DEEPTI CHAUDHARY Private equity investments in the first half of this year fell by almost 39% in value to $2.8 billion compared with the same period a year ago, according a Thomson Reuters data released on Tuesday. The deal volume, however, rose 22% to 165 transactions during the period on the back of heightened deal activity on the Internet and computer software segments, in continuation of the investment trend seen in 2017 as well. India has been a hub of private equity transactions. The first half of 2014 saw 169 deals worth nearly $2.53 billion. The January to June period of 2015 saw 231 deals worth about $6.9 billion, while the same period in 2016 saw 134 transactions to the tune of nearly $2.3 billion. Investors are optimistic that things will get better in the remaining months of the year, particul...