Articles by Tim Burroughs
GP profile: Northstar Group
Northstar Group made its name through a series of consumer, financial services and commodities plays in a nascent Indonesian market. Technology is likely to define the firm’s next chapter
HarbourVest spins out part of Norwest's India portfolio
HarbourVest Partners has spun out part of the Norwest Venture Partners India portfolio into a new fund to be managed by Avataar Venture Partners.
New Zealand’s Fonterra exits pharma business to CVC
New Zealand dairy group Fonterra has agreed to sell its stake in DFE Pharma, a 50-50 joint venture with Royal FrieslandCampina of the Netherlands, to CVC Capital Partners for NZ$633 million ($398 million).
China's CIC prioritizes direct investment, bilateral funds
China Investment Corporation (CIC) is stepping up its private equity co-investment and direct investment activity – including through the establishment of bilateral cross-border funds – as it seeks to boost returns in increasingly unstable global...
Australia leveraged finance: Best blend?
Two years ago, unitranche structures were a novelty in Australia’s leveraged finance market. Now they are an integral part of it. For borrowers and lenders, there might be no turning back
VC-backed Japanese e-commerce player files for IPO
Base, a Japanese e-commerce services platform that helps small-scale vendors establish online shops, has filed for an IPO in Tokyo. It will facilitate partial exits for multiple venture capital investors.
Core-plus investment: Expectations game
Capital-flooded markets and rising pressures to deploy have precipitated more flexible investment strategies in private equity. GPs must be careful when crossing between asset classes
Deal focus: LGT plugs Aspada into global impact platform
LGT Group aims to create new inroads for global investors looking to enter the impact space by acquiring Aspada, an Indian platform focused on digital inclusion and small business finance
Q&A: Pomona Capital's Michael Granoff
Michael Granoff, founder and CEO of Pomona Capital, discusses raising capital from Asian LPs, how GPs can be differentiated in a crowded secondaries market, and why he’s not keen on fund restructurings
Japan's Tokio Marine Capital spins out from parent
Japanese mid-market buyout firm Tokio Marine Capital is spinning out from its corporate parent to form an independent investment manager known as T Capital Partners.
PE consortium makes $4.6b take-private bid for China Biologic
Centurium Capital, CITIC Capital and Hillhouse Capital are part of an investor group targeting a $4.6 billion take-private of China Biologic – just over a year after committing new equity to the US-listed company to protect it from other would-be acquirers.
Deal focus: China’s CRCI targets industrial upgrades
In teaming up with China-based Estun Automation to acquire a European industrial technology asset, China Renaissance Capital Investment is pursuing a different kind of growth capital deal
CDH joins Series D for Chinese AI truck player
CDH Investments has participated in the $120 million second tranche of a Series D round for TuSimple, a China and US-based developer of autonomous driving technology for trucks.
KKR names Hirano, Shastry as co-heads of Asia PE
Hiro Hirano and Ashish Shastry, who lead KKR’s operations in Japan and Southeast Asia, respectively, have been appointed co-heads of private equity across the region.
Affinity sells frequent flier stake back to Virgin Australia
Affinity Equity Partners has more than doubled its money on Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer business, having agreed to sell back a 35% stake to the parent company for A$700 million ($480 million).
Australia's Quadrant buys control of online beauty retailer
Quadrant Private Equity has completed the fourth investment in six months from its newly established growth fund, with the purchase of a majority interest in Australian online beauty retailer Adore Beauty.
China SOE investment: Uphill battles
Reform efforts in China’s state-owned enterprise space have experimented in mixed ownership with mixed results. Private equity investors see significant opportunity but must proceed with caution
Australian superfund consolidation to alter private markets strategies
Australia’s pension market is ripe for consolidation, which will see the emergence of a handful of mega superannuation funds that leverage their scale to bring more investment activity in-house, according to leading industry participants.
Vertex raises $275m for China venture fund
Vertex China, a venture capital firm affiliated to Temasek Holdings-owned Vertex Holdings, has closed its fourth fund on target at $275 million.
TPG teams up with Malaysian strategic for SE Asia hospital buyout
TPG Capital and Malaysian conglomerate Hong Leong Group have agreed to buy Columbia Pacific Management’s Southeast Asia hospital business for approximately $1.2 billion.
LP interview: CalSTRS
Keen to reduce investment costs, California State Teachers’ Retirement System is changing the way it works with managers. Co-investment, joint ventures and stakes in GPs are priorities for private markets
TCDRS backs Baring's latest Asia fund
Texas County & District Retirement System (TCDRS) has committed up to $100 million to Baring Private Equity Asia’s seventh pan-regional fund.
Hong Kong unrest hampers sale of PE-owned work space provider
The private equity owners of The Executive Centre (TEC), an office provider that relies on Hong Kong for 30% of its EBITDA, have suspended a sale process in response to ongoing protests in the territory.
Future Fund stresses risk-reward balance in private market strategies
Institutional investors “should be thoughtful about balancing risk and reward” as they deploy more capital into private markets that present liquidity and valuation challenges, according to the deputy CIO of Australia’s Future Fund.