Articles by Tim Burroughs
CHAMP PE buys Australian defense sector supplier
CHAMP Private Equity is set to become the first Australian GP to invest in a company with significant exposure to the local defense sector, following an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Marand Precision Engineering.
South Africa's Naspers to list internet assets on Euronext
South Africa-based conglomerate Naspers plans to spin-off its internet businesses – which include stakes in Chinese giant Tencent Holdings and Indian food-ordering platform Swiggy – through a listing on Euronext in Amsterdam.
Moonrise raises $106m for China venture vehicle
Moonrise Capital, a global venture capital-focused investment firm established by Don Pascal, formerly CEO of Commonfund Capital, has raised $105.7 million for a China fund-of-funds product.
Australia's Hostplus establishes US emerging managers program
Australian superannuation fund Hostplus has launched an investment program focused on middle-market US private equity managers with Flexstone Partners, a PE unit of Natixis.
China social e-commerce platform Yunji targets US IPO
Yunji, a Chinese membership-based e-commerce platform that typically works with small-scale retailers that don’t have the resources to compete online, has filed to list in the US.
Asia PE: Shifting sands
The private equity industry in Asia is bifurcating on various trend lines around fundraising, exits, and institutionalization. GPs may require a more complex playbook to survive and thrive
Australia’s BGH closes in on Navitas buyout
Australian education services provider Navitas has agreed to a A$2.1 billion ($1.5 billion) buyout offer from BGH Capital, AustralianSuper, and Rod Jones, the company’s co-founder and CEO.
LPs emphasize self-awareness in China GPs - AVCJ Forum
Chinese GPs that can identify where their strategies might go wrong – and therefore avoid problems before they emerge – are most likely to emerge as winners in a market characterized by rising competition and changing economic circumstances, LPs told...
Preferred equity: Last in, first out
Issuing preferred equity to secondary investors is a short-cut to liquidity for China VCs with valuable portfolios but few exits. The strategy isn’t universally popular, but what will it take for GPs to make the leap?
China PE investors prioritize long-term development - AVCJ Forum
Long-term structural reforms rather than short-term issues regarding trade tensions and liquidity preoccupy China-focused private equity investors, though they are happy to take advantage of any immediate moderation in valuations.
Book review: Weijian Shan's Out of the Gobi
Weijian Shan’s memoir ends before his private equity career begins, but it represents a remarkable on-the-ground account of a difficult period in the 20th century evolution of China
Institutional investors: China access
Are concerns over trade and the economy causing US LPs to back away from Chinese private equity? The more pertinent question is whether - and how - they already have exposure to the market
CLSA buys Japanese toy maker
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has agreed to buy Bloom Group, a Japanese toy manufacturer best known for its “squishy” products popular among elementary and middle-school-age girls.
MBK-owned Homeplus abandons plan for Korean REIT
Homeplus, a South Korean supermarket retailer that an MBK Partners-led consortium acquired from Tesco for $6.4 billion in 2015, has abandoned plans for the IPO of a real estate investment trust (REIT).
Asian PE firms still struggle with tech investments - Bain & Co
Private equity firms are deploying increasing amounts of capital into Chinese internet plays without having a clear understanding of what the target businesses are worth or how to add value to them, according to Bain & Company.
China's Lufax hits $39.4b valuation with Series C round
Lufax, a Chinese online lending and wealth management platform established by Ping An Insurance, has achieved a post-money valuation of $39.4 billion with the completion of the Series C funding round. It comes after the company was said to have postponed...
China investment: Looking up in a downturn
Private equity firms that held back from investing in 2018 as uncertainty gripped China’s economy now see reasons to get busy again. With few macro tailwinds, GPs will be judged on their ability to pick winners
HSBC, Singtel join $25m round for Singapore's CXA
Singapore-based digital health start-up CXA Group has raised $25 million in funding from a string of strategic backers, including HSBC and the Asia investment arms of Singtel and Sumitomo Corporation.
Q&A: CITIC Capital's Eric Xin
Eric Xin, a managing director with CITIC Capital, discusses the causes of China’s recent economic woes, the potential for services sector reform, and why corporate carve-outs are still flavor of the month
Advantech, CMBI lead Series C for China's InventisBio
Advantech Capital and CMB International, an investment unit of China Merchants Bank, have led a $70 million Series C funding round for InventisBio, a Chinese clinical stage biotech company.
Australian LPs struggle to recruit PE talent - AVCJ Forum
Recruitment is the biggest challenge for Australian institutional investors as they look to deepen their participation in private equity, senior executives told the AVCJ Australia & New Zealand Forum.
Southeast Asia tech: Strategic incursions
Strategic investors are jockeying for position in Southeast Asia's blossoming technology space, hoping to gain a foothold with local start-ups before the market reaches a saturation point
LPs question fees on long-dated PE funds – AVCJ Forum
Funds that are structured to hold assets for extended periods make sense – given the increasing number of companies that want to delay going public or avoid it altogether – but fees remain an issue, institutional investors told the AVCJ Australia...
Bain & Co names new Asia Pacific head
Bain & Company has appointed Satish Shankar as regional managing partner for Asia Pacific, replacing Dale Cottrell, who has held the position for the past six years.