Articles by Tim Burroughs
HighLight updates final close timeline for China healthcare fund
HighLight Capital, a Chinese life sciences investor, has pushed out the final close on its fourth US dollar-denominated fund to the third quarter amid challenging fundraising conditions for the industry.
Deal focus: Chalo thinks beyond the bus stop
India bus-tracking app Chalo is helping fleet operators eliminate fraud and improve efficiency while giving passengers greater visibility on services. It is keen to scale – geographically and vertically
Deal focus: Go aims to bring Japan's taxis up to speed
Goldman Sachs-backed taxi-hailing platform Go wants to address Japan’s taxi driver shortage and bring digitalisation to an industry that remains rooted in an analogue world
LP interview: Escala Partners
Escala Partners is one of a cluster of Australia-based wealth management platforms attracting more attention from private equity fundraisers. Getting on its approved list requires push as well as pull
Prosperity7 backs China autonomous driving player Hyperview
Prosperity7 Ventures, a growth equity fund established by Saudi Arabia state oil giant Saudi Aramco, has invested in Hyperview, a China-based autonomous driving technology provider.
India home appliance manufacturer Atomberg raises $86m
Steadview Capital and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings have led a USD 86m funding round for Atomberg Technologies, an India-based home appliances manufacturer best known for its electric motor fans.
Japan's Heartseed raises $14m Series D
Heartseed, a Tokyo-based biotech start-up specializing in treatments that use cardiac muscle cells to initiate the remuscularization of patients who have suffered heart failure, has raised JPY 2bn (USD 14.3m) in Series D funding.
Singapore's Qualgro seeks $150m for Fund III
Qualgro Partners, a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm, is looking to raise USD 150m for its third fund.
PE-backed CompareAsiaGroup merges with US-listed SPAC
CompareAsiaGroup, an Asia-focused financial products comparison platform also known as MoneyHero Group, has agreed to merge with a US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) at an enterprise value of approximately USD 342m.
Goldman backs Japan taxi-hailing player Go
Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has committed JPY 10bn (USD 75m) in Series D funding to Go Inc, operator of a Japan-based taxi-hailing app.
AVCJ daily bulletin returns May 29
AVCJ’s daily bulletin will not be published on May 26 due to a public holiday in Hong Kong.
Digital bank Tyme wins funding for SE Asia, Africa expansion
Tyme Group, an emerging markets-focused digital banking group with operations in the Philippines and South Africa, has raised USD 77.8m in pre-Series C funding. A portion of the proceeds will be used for expansion into other markets in Southeast Asia....
Japan's Mizuho to buy M&A advisor Greenhill
Boutique investment bank Greenhill, arguably best known in private equity for advising on LP and GP-led secondary transactions, has agreed to an acquisition by Japan’s Mizuho Financial Group.
Energy transition: An emerging speciality
Kerogen Capital is trying to plot a more nuanced course into energy transition than building renewables. It is one of a growing number of nascent specialists in the space.
Avataar leads $45m round for India's Chalo
Avataar Venture Partners, an India-based investor in growth-stage B2B technology and software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies, has led a USD 45m funding round for bus tracking app Chalo.
Potentia withdraws from talks to buy Australia-listed Tyro
Australia-based specialist B2B technology investor Potentia Capital has withdrawn from talks to acquire listed payments software provider Tyro Payments – marking the second time attempts to reach an agreement have failed.
BII backs Southeast Asia energy transition fund
British International Investment (BII), a UK development finance institution (DFI), has committed USD 15m to a Southeast Asia-focused energy transition infrastructure fund managed by Switzerland-based Susi Partners.
Blackstone buys jewellery certification business, China's Fosun exits
The Blackstone Group has paid USD 569.7m for 100% of Belgium-headquartered jewellery certification business International Gemological Institute (IGI), taking out investors including China’s Fosun Group.
Japan Post Bank sees sharp increase in PE exposure
Japan Post Bank’s (JPB) private equity funds exposure increased 75% to JPY 5.6trn (USD 40.4bn) in the most recent financial year, which it said was largely driven by a change in accounting standards.
Alibaba plans IPO for PE-backed logistics unit
Cainiao Smart Logistics Group, the private equity-backed logistics unit of Alibaba Group, will be spun off via an IPO as part of the parent company’s broader restructuring effort.
CPE sells Australia used car business to Japan's Sojitz
CPE Capital has sold part of Dutton Group, an Australia-based used car dealer it has owned since 2016, to Japan’s Sojitz Corporation for an undisclosed sum.
Bain buys Japan software player IDAJ
Bain Capital has acquired IDAJ, a Japan-based engineering solutions provider that provides digital platforms to facilitate project development and computer-based design simulation systems.
TPG re-engages with improved offer for Australia's Invocare
TPG Capital has been granted due diligence access to Invocare, a listed Australian provider of funeral services and operator of memorial parks and crematoria, after making an improved offer that values the business at approximately AUD 2.2bn (USD 1.5bn)....
Jefferies hires Dennis Kwan to lead Asia secondaries advisory
Dennis Kwan, formerly of Chinese private equity firm Harvest Investments Management and placement agent MVision, has joined boutique investment bank Jefferies to lead secondaries coverage in Asia.