Articles by Tim Burroughs
CMC, Sequoia launch sport fund, back China kickboxing business
CMC Holdings – a unit of media-focused GP CMC Capital Partners – and Sequoia Capital China have formed a sports investment fund and led a Series A round of funding for Wanmingyang Media, which organizes and video streams kickboxing events in China.
Pioneer hits $180m hard cap on third New Zealand fund
New Zealand’s Pioneer Capital has hit the hard cap of NZ$260 million ($180 million) on its third growth fund, beating the target of NZ$210 million. It follows the first investment from the new vehicle in Havelock North Fruit.
Denham platform to assume control of Australia-listed miner
Denham Capital has agreed to take full ownership of Cradle Resources, an Australia-listed mining company that holds a 50% interest in a niobium deposit in Tanzania, at a valuation of A$55 million ($41.6 million).
Northstar withdraws interest in Singapore-listed Spindex
Northstar Group has withdrawn its interest in Singapore-listed precision components manufacturer Spindex Industries after a consortium led by the company’s chairman acquired a more than 50% stake in the business, putting it on course for a buyout.
Apis closes South Asia, Africa fintech fund at $287m
Emerging market financial technology investor Apis Partners has closed its debut fund at $287 million. It has already deployed about $130 million across five deals in South Asia and Africa.
Australia to streamline foreign investment approvals
The Australian government has proposed an amendment to foreign investment rules introduced in late 2015 that require some private equity firms to obtain regulatory approval when making a buyout.
Business cycles: China bike-sharing start-ups
Mobike and Ofo are engaged in a battle of private equity-fueled one-upmanship as they strive for supremacy in China's bike-sharing space. Will they die off, merge or become differentiated (and profitable)?
Southeast Asia video streaming service Iflix gets $90m
Iflix, a primarily Southeast Asia-focused video streaming service that follows a similar business model to Netflix, has raised $90 million in Series B funding led by Liberty Global and Kuwaiti telecom company Zain Group.
Japanese accelerator launches $17.5m hardware fund
Darma Tech Labs, operator of Japanese hardware-focused accelerator Makers Boot Camp, plans to launch a JPY2 billion ($17.5 million) venture capital fund, with Kyoto Bank serving as the anchor LP.
China NPLs: Great expectations
Foreign private equity firms are positioning themselves to address an anticipated surge in non-performing loan sales to third-party investors. Will the reality match the hype?
KKR sets $8.5b hard cap for Asia fund, schedules first close
KKR has set an institutional hard cap of $8.5 billion for its third pan-Asian fund, with the total expected to reach $9.2 billion including commitments from the firm’s balance sheet and management team. A substantial first close – of around half the...
Q&A: GGV Capital's Jenny Lee
Jenny Lee, managing partner at Sino-US VC firm GGV Capital, discusses supporting start-ups from early through later-stage rounds, and why technology players increasingly need to think internationally
Actis raises $2.75b for emerging markets energy fund
Actis Capital has closed its fourth emerging markets energy fund at the hard cap of $2.75 billion, after just seven months in the market. It will invest in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
VIDEO: Milton Chou, GE Ventures
Milton Chou, China growth leader and senior director at GE Ventures, discusses the role of a captive VC firm
Industry players warn of conflicts in evolving GP-LP relationship - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors globally are looking to reduce the number of GPs in their portfolios with a view to writing bigger checks for – and having deeper relationships with – a smaller number of managers, but this lack of diversification in the LP...
Northstar considers bid for Singapore-listed Spindex
Northstar Group may submit a buyout offer for Singapore-listed precision components manufacturer Spindex Industries that exceeds a S$98 million ($69.4 million) bid from a consortium led by the company’s chairman.
Information issues: Fund administration in Asia
Private equity firms in Asia are increasingly willing to outsource fund administration, but they appear to be slower than their global counterparts in embracing more sophisticated middle office functions
Family offices want flexible solutions from PE - AVCJ Forum
Australian family offices and high net worth individuals (HNWIs) represent a huge potential source of capital for private equity, but GPs must be flexible in terms of the products they offer.
New GPs will not shake Australia PE market dynamic - AVCJ Forum
The Australian private equity market has seen the emergence of a number of new GPs – including several spin-outs – but incumbent managers told the AVCJ Australia & New Zealand Forum that they do not expect much change in the competitive landscape.
Deal focus: GPs target healthy scale
Oaktree Capital Management and Navis Capital Partners are merging Fitness First and Celebrity Fitness in the expectation that scale will be rewarded in Southeast Asia's gym market
Fund focus: Into the white space
The arrival of Odyssey Private Equity – a collaborative effort by former executives from two of Australia’s best known GPs – once again draws attention to the hole in Australia’s lower middle market
Comcast takes full ownership of Japan's USJ, PE firms to exit
Goldman Sachs, MBK Partners, Owl Creek Asset Management and PAG Asia Capital will fully exit Universal Studios Japan (USJ) after Comcast NBCUniversal agreed to buy the 49% of the company it doesn’t already own for JPY254.8 billion ($2.3 billion).
HPEF strikes incentive deal with LPs over Asia fund
HPEF Capital Partners – formerly known as Headland Capital Partners – has won LP approval for an incentive scheme that ties in a reconstituted team to manage the existing portfolio, and the principals still hold expectations of raising a successor...
Formation Group closes debut US-Asia fund at $357m
Formation Group, a Silicon Valley and Asia-focused venture capital firm established by Brian Koo (pictured), co-founder of Formation 8, has closed its debut fund at $357 million.