The Venture Intelligence Blog

An Economic Times article quotes Venture Intelligence data on investments by Apollo Management: According to data from Venture Intelligence, a PE data provider, Apollo Management has invested around $898 million through eight deals, including Welspun Corp, Welspun Infratech and Dish TV. Through Aion, the fund has invested $881 million in nine companies including Avantha Holdings and Future Group. It has acquired Planetcast Media and GE Capital Services to rechristen it as Clix. Aion and JSW are the frontrunners to acquire Monnet Ispat through the NCLT-led bankruptcy process. Venture Intelligence  is India's longest serving provider of data and analysis on Private Company Financials, Transactions (private equity, venture capital and M&A) & their Valuations in India.

Venture Intelligence recently spoke to Mintoo Bhandari who heads global PE firm Apollo's India subsidiary in Mumbai. Apollo recently consummated its first PE investment in India - a $100 million investment in DTH operator, DishTV. Prior to joining Apollo in the US (in 2006), Bhandari was Managing Director of India-focused private equity firm, The View Group. Interestingly, Apollo – when it comes to PE investments - has chosen to invest earlier in India than in China. (This interview was first published in the Jan-Mar 2010 issue of the Venture Intelligence India Roundup Private Equity report.) Venture Intelligence: Can you tell us how the DishTV investment came about and what attracted you to the company? Mintoo Bhandari: There were both macro and situation specific reasons why we found DishTV interesting. On the macro thesis: we believe India is perhaps the most attractive media market in the world today. India is a producer of significant unique content and there is voracious...