'PE investments in India hit all-time high of $21 bn in 2015'

It was a landmark year for Indian private equity, as deals in this space crossed the USD 21 billion milestone in 2015, an all time high record, a report says.
According to a report by VCCEdge, the financial research platform of the VCCircle Network and a part of News Corp, in 2015 private equity inflow of USD 21 billion surpassed the previous high of USD 18 billion seen in 2007.
A year-on-year comparison shows that PE investments in 2015 were up 67 per cent over 2014 when deals worth USD 12.5 billion were announced.
The data excludes real estate and venture debt.

In terms of number of deals also deal-making hit an all-time high with 1,375 deals being recorded during 2015, surpassing the deal volume witnessed in any previous year in the history of Indian private equity.
Compared to 934 deals clinched in 2014, the deal volume surged 48 per cent in 2015, the report said.

Big-ticket deals defined as those worth USD 100 million and above, constituted about 63 per cent of the total private equity capital invested in 2015.
"There were 53 big-ticket deals with a total value of USD 13.2 billion, compared to just 24 deals with a total value of USD 5.8 billion in 2014, up nearly 127 per cent," the report added.

The report further noted that early stage investments fostered India's start-up ecosystem.
Angel and seed investments grew 64 per cent, increasing to USD 327 million from USD 200 million in 2014. Deal volume also went up 82.5 per cent to 650 deals from 356 deals in 2014.
Meanwhile, venture capital funding saw an upswing, recording the highest ever jump to cross a new milestone in 2015.
A record 473 VC deals were registered during 2015, as against 307 deals in 2014. Deal value too more than doubled, shooting up to USD 5.4 billion during the year, as compared with USD 2.3 billion in 2014, the report said.