Articles by Tim Burroughs
FountainVest hires ex-Goldman banker as MD
China-focused private equity firm FountainVest Partners has appointed Andrew Huang, formerly head of China M&A at Goldman Sachs, as a managing director.
Japan private equity: Heating up
Private equity is seeing more succession planning and corporate carve-out opportunities in Japan, but there is a risk that exuberance might turn irrational
Blackstone completes dividend recap of India's Mphasis
Indian IT services provider Mphasis has issued $500 million in bonds, the proceeds of which will be used to recapitalize its debt and make a dividend payment to majority owners The Blackstone Group and GIC Private.
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Tatsuo Kawasaki, co-founder and partner at Unison Capital, discusses why deal flow is growing in Japan’s middle market – not only in terms of volume, but also in seller type and sector scope
Korea's NPS boosts alternatives allocation to 11.4%
The National Pension Service of Korea (NPS) continued its steady growth in alternatives exposure, with its allocation increasing from 10.7% to 11.4% over the course of 2016 – which equates to additional capital of KRW9 trillion ($7.9 billion) – as...
PE-backed WuXi Biologics completes Hong Kong re-listing
WuXi Biologics, a Chinese contract R&D services provider to the global pharmaceutical industry that was taken private by a PE-backed consortium in late 2015, gained 38% on its Hong Kong trading debut following a HK$3.97 billion ($510 million) IPO.
Campbell Lutyens adds former GIC executive to advisory board
Placement agent and secondary transaction advisor Campbell Lutyens has appointed Kok-Peng Teh, formerly head of the special investments division at GIC Private, to its advisory board.
Japan carve-outs: Chips off the block
Divestment activity by Japanese conglomerates is finally translating into meaningful private equity deal flow, but unwinding people and assets from longstanding parents presents execution challenges
PE-owned Blue Star Sports enters Australia, New Zealand
Blue Star Sports, a US-based company controlled by Genstar Capital that provides management software to grassroots sports clubs, has entered the Australia and New Zealand market with the acquisition of SportsTG.
Skylake invests $53m in Korean O2O services player
Skylake Investment has committed KRW60 billion ($53 million) in Yanolja, a South Korean online-to-offline (O2O) local services platform best known for providing discount hotel deals.
Baring Asia to exit Japan's Joyful Honda
Baring Private Equity Asia will sell its minority stake in Joyful Honda, a Japan-based home improvement center operator, for JPY56.6 billion ($513 million) through participation in a tender offer launched by the company.
ShoreVest targets $750m for China distress fund
ShoreVest Capital Partners, a China-focused distress and special situations investor created by former executives from Shoreline Capital, is looking to raise $750 million for its debut fund.
GPs back $605m take-private of China's SciClone pharmaceuticals
CDH Investments and Ascendent Capital Partners have teamed up with GL Capital and a Bank of China investment unit in a $605 million bid for US-listed Chinese drug developer SciClone Pharmaceuticals.
Asia fundraising: Demand and supply
Capital is pouring into the asset class, globally and in Asia, to the benefit of brand-name buyout managers. Deploying a large fund in Asia means squeezing as much deal flow as possible out of each jurisdiction
Hamilton Lane raises its largest-ever global secondaries fund
Hamilton Lane has closed its latest global secondaries fund at $1.9 billion. It is the largest secondaries vehicle the firm has ever raised, coming in at more than twice the size of the previous fund.
L Catterton targets $1.25b for third Asia fund
L Catterton Asia – the regional arm of L Capital, which merged with US-based Catterton last year – is looking to raise $1.25 billion for its third fund.
Fund focus: Safe hands
With $9.3 billion in dry powder, KKR aims to capitalize on growing big-ticket opportunities in the region. The large and rapid fundraise is further evidence of the flight to quality among LPs
Deal focus: IP Group targets tech commercialization
IP Group has built a business in the UK and US working with universities to turn academic ideas into investable business models. It has now raised $149 million for expansion in Australia and New Zealand
Legend raises $448m for seventh China VC fund
Legend Capital has closed its seventh China-focused venture capital fund at $448 million. The vehicle is smaller than the firm’s previous vehicle – which raised $500 million in about five months – and spent longer in the market.
Sequoia discloses China, India fundraising activity
Sequoia Capital has topped up its fourth India fund – having closed the fifth country vehicle early last year – and disclosed that its most recent China growth vehicle closed at $899.5 million.
PE-owned Samyang closes up on debut after $60m IPO
Korean camera lens manufacturer Samyang Optics ended its first day of trading on KOSDAQ at a slight premium to its IPO price, having raised KRW66.8 billion ($60 million) in the offering and enabled VIG Partners to make a partial exit.
Asia Alternatives gets $100m from Minnesota SBI
Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) has committed to $100 million to Asia Alternatives’ fifth fund-of-funds, having recently increased its exposure to the region through vehicles managed by Warburg Pincus and KKR.
Japan's Unison buys local bar and restaurant chain
Unison Capital has acquired Dinamix, an operator of Japanese-style bar and restaurants, for an undisclosed sum.
Korean culture plays: Sitting pretty?
Private equity is riding the 'Korean wave' by investing in cultural assets - from music to TV dramas to beauty products – that have international appeal. Success hinges on execution as much as macro trends