South Korea
Deal focus: Orchestra delivers pizza to Seoul
Banolim has become Korea’s fourth-largest pizza delivery business largely on the back of savvy marketing and expansion in lower-tier cities. Orchestra Private Equity is supporting a rollout in Seoul
Carlyle acquires Korean cafe operator, Anchor Equity exits
The Carlyle Group has acquired A Twosome Place, a Korea-based café operator with more than 1,400 stores nationwide, from Anchor Equity Partners.
Google backs Korea edtech player Mathpresso
Google has made a strategic investment of undisclosed size in Korean education technology provider Mathpresso, bringing total funding to around $105 million.
North Asia IPOs: Welcome eruptions
A steady rhythm of small and mid-sized IPOs in North Asia is now being punctuated by globally noticeable events. Valuations are up, but Korean and Japanese investors are game
Korea's IMM leads $64m round for vertical farming company
Korea’s IMM Investment has led a $64.5 million round for Abu Dhabi-based vertical farming company Pure Harvest Smart Farms as part of an Asian expansion
Affirma achieves $473m final close on fifth Korea fund
Affirma Capital has closed its fifth Korea-focused fund with KRW543 billion ($473 million) in commitments, marking its first successful fundraise since spinning out from Standard Chartered.
Hahn & Co's K Car raises $285m in Korean IPO
K Car, a Korean automotive marketplace created by Hahn & Company through the merger of SK Encar and Joy Rent a Car, has raised KRW336.6 billion ($285 million) in a domestic IPO.
Anchor raises $1.6b for Korea, North Asia
Anchor Equity Partners has closed its fourth Korea and North Asia-focused fund with $1.6 billion in commitments after approximately five months in the market.
Vision Fund: Big is beautiful?
Previously the sole elephant in Asia’s growth-stage technology space, SoftBank’s Vision Fund program is now one of a herd. Prevailing amid increased competition may prove its thesis once and for all
Stonebridge Ventures targets Korea IPO
Stonebridge Ventures, a Korean venture capital firm with more than KRW700 billion ($595 million) in assets under management, has filed to list on KOSDAQ.
Partners Group backs continuation vehicle for Korean restaurant brand
MBK Partners has signed up Partners Group as the anchor investor in an approximately $500 million single-asset continuation fund for its majority stake in Korean fried chicken franchisor BHC.
Korean LPs adapt to the new normal – AVCJ Forum
South Korean institutional investors are keen to deploy capital in alternatives, their sentiment towards the asset class boosted by a relatively robust recovery from the pandemic and the stabilization of returns, the AVCJ Korea Forum heard.
Kyobo Life arbitration favors GPs, but resolution still elusive
A private equity consortium's right to enforce a put option against the chairman of Korea's Kyobo Life Insurance has been upheld following arbitration, though the ruling stopped short of endorsing a price for the transaction.
Deal focus: Affinity capitalizes on enforced divestment
Delivery Hero was instructed to offload Yogiyo as a condition of buying Woowa Brothers. Affinity, Permira, and GS Retail made the most of a $685 million opportunity to enter Korea’s food delivery space
VIG makes partial exit from Korea funeral services business
Korea’s VIG Partners has sold a 10% stake in funeral services provider Preed Life to Mastern Partners, a local PE platform, for KRW50 billion ($43.2 million).
VIG buys Korea waste-to-energy business
Korean private equity firm VIG Partners has acquired a controlling stake in waste-to-energy (WTE) facility operator BioEnergyFarmAsan for about $100 million.
CBC-led consortium buys Bain's stake in Korean botox maker
A consortium led by Asia healthcare-focused private equity firm CBC Group has agreed to acquire a 46.9% interest in Hugel, a South Korean manufacturer of botox and other health-related pharmaceuticals, for KRW1.7 trillion ($1.5 billion).
Korea's Danggeun Market raises $162m at $2.7b valuation
DST Global has led a $162 million Series D round for Danggeun Market, operator of Korean flea market app Karrot, at a valuation of $2.7 billion.
Affirma invests $100m in Korea cloud services provider
Affirma Capital has secured a third deal for its latest Korea fund, with an agreement to invest $100 million in Metanet T Platform, a local cloud managed service provider (MSP).
Singapore's Antler opens Korea office
Antler is extending an aggressive expansion with the opening of a Korean office. The Singapore-based incubator and VC investor has set up 11 overseas bases since its inception in 2017.
Vision Fund pulls back from China amid regulatory uncertainty
SoftBank Vision Fund is taking a “wait and see” approach to China, holding back on new investments in the country until the full ramifications of regulatory action in the technology sector are known.
Affirma invests $77m in Korean steelmakers
Affirma Capital has acquired a majority stake in two steel manufacturing subsidiaries of Korea-based industrial conglomerate SeAH Group for $76.9 million.
Deal focus: IMM sees structural change in home decor
Having agreed to provide a succession solution to the founder of Korean furniture retailer and interior designer Hanssem, IMM Private Equity wants to harness growth through demographics and differentiation
Vision Fund commits $1.7b to Korean travel start-up Yanolja
Yanolja, which claims to be South Korea’s only travel industry unicorn, has received $1.7 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2. There are no other investors in the round.