Articles by Tim Burroughs
HarbourVest hires Japan Post Insurance's alternatives head
Tadasu Matsuo, head of alternative investments at Japan Post Insurance (JPI), has joined HarbourVest Partners as a managing director where he will co-lead Japan coverage alongside Tatsuya Kubo.
CVC closes fifth Asia fund at $4.5b
CVC Capital Partners has closed its fifth Asia fund at the hard cap of $4.5 billion. The firm said the step up from $3.5 billion for Fund IV reflects an expansion in its regional investment capabilities.
Ocean Link seeks $7b privatization of China's 58.com
Ocean Link, a Chinese private equity firm that targets travel, tourism and related consumer subsectors, has made a take-private offer for online classifieds marketplace 58.com that values the business at approximately $7 billion.
VC-backed Chinese AR start-up raises $26m in US IPO
WiMi Hologram Cloud, a PE-backed Chinese augmented reality (AR) technology developer, traded flat on its opening day on NASDAQ following a $26.1 million IPO.
Japan's GPIF names ex-Goldman executive as CIO
Eiji Ueda, formerly co-head of securities for Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific, has replaced Hiromichi Mizuno as CIO of Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF).
KKR hires BAML executive in Japan
KKR has recruited Hidekazu Harada, previously co-head of Japan investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML), as a managing director for its private equity team in Tokyo.
Japan mobile banking player gets $45m Series C
Kyash, a Tokyo-based mobile banking start-up, has received $45 million in Series C funding led by Greenspring Associates and Goodwater Capital.
Hillhouse leads $1b round for China’s Yuanfudao
Chinese online education start-up Yuanfudao has seen its valuation soar to $7.8 billion on closing a $1 billion funding round led by Hillhouse Capital.
Ashurst hires Danny Tan as Asia investment funds head
Ashurst has recruited Danny Tan from Allen & Gledhill to lead its investment funds practice in Asia Pacific. He will continue to be based in Singapore.
China LP defaults: Battle of wills
A protracted legal dispute between a cross-border private equity firm and a Chinese investor is a reminder of the difficulties that can arise over fund defaults. Negotiation is always the preferred course of action
China's Wanda exits Ironman to strategic, PE buyers
Wanda Sports Group, the sports, media and marketing subsidiary of Chinese real estate conglomerate Wanda Group, has sold the Ironman brand to two US-based investors for an enterprise valuation of $730 million.
China Renaissance looks for opportunities amid turbulence
China Renaissance ended 2019 holding RMB7.2 billion ($1 billion) in dry powder across its latest flagship renminbi and US dollar-denominated funds, with the firm noting that “great investment windows typically surface during turbulent times.”
Coronavirus & take-privates: Opportunity knocks
With public equities prices sliding to multi-year lows across the region as a result of coronavirus disruption, GPs willing to take the leap might find value in privatizations
Japanese AI edge developer secures Series B funding
AISing, a Japan-based developer of edge artificial intelligence (AI) technology used in industrial robots and self-driving cars, has raised JPY700 million ($6.5 million) in Series B funding.
China's Loyal Valley recruits ex-Blackstone executive
Brian Chi, who previously spent more than a decade making China investments for The Blackstone Group and Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), has joined Loyal Valley Capital as a partner.
Alternative protein player Nature's Fynd gets $80m Series B
Nature’s Fynd, a US-based developer of edible proteins from non-animal and non-plant sources that is seen as having considerable application potential in Asia, has raised $80 million in Series B funding.
Coronavirus & leverage: Room to maneuver?
Economic disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak is likely to leave many private equity portfolio companies in breach of their leverage covenants. Borrowers and lenders are looking for a fix
AVCJ Awards 2019: Operational Value Add: EuroKids International
Gaja Capital put its India buyout philosophy to the test with EuroKids International in 2013. Operational improvements – and a lucrative exit – have vindicated the approach
KKR appoints Asia technology investment head
Lucian Schöenefelder has been appointed head of Asia technology investments in Asia. He previously performed a similar role for the firm in Europe.
GLP backs $1.37b take-private of Hong Kong's Li & Fung
The founders of Hong Kong-listed Li & Fung have teamed up with PE-owned warehouse operator GLP on a take-private offer that values their company at HK$10.7 billion ($1.37 billion).
Storm warning: Investors prepare for macro difficulties
The coronavirus outbreak appears to be fast-tracking a long-expected economic downturn. The situation is very different from the aftermath of the global financial crisis, but PE investors may still draw instruction from the events of 2008-2009
Village Roadshow suitors continue work despite coronavirus disruption
Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) and BGH Capital are continuing their due diligence on Australian cinema and theme park operator Village Roadshow despite the company experiencing difficulties due to coronavirus outbreak.
Korean second-hand goods marketplace gets $44m
Several Korean investors have committed KRW56 billion ($44 million) in funding to Bungaejangter, a local C2C mobile marketplace specializing in second-hand goods.
PE-backed InnoCare raises $288m in Hong Kong IPO
InnoCare Pharma, a private equity-backed Chinese drug developer focused on treatments for cancer and autoimmune diseases, has raised HK$2.24 billion ($288 million) through a Hong Kong IPO.