Articles by Tim Burroughs
Australia's Hostplus commits $65m to seed investor Artesian
Australian superannuation fund Hostplus has committed A$85 million ($65 million) to local seed investor Artesian, taking the venture capital firm’s funds under management to more than A$150 million.
Ex-HarbourVest Asia head withdraws candidacy for US navy secretary
Philip Bilden, the former Asia head of HarbourVest Partners, has withdrawn himself from consideration to be US navy secretary, citing potential conflicts with his family’s business interests.
MBK to buy Korean gas business from Goldman consortium
MBK Partners has agreed to buy Daesung Industrial Gases from a Goldman Sachs-led consortium that has majority-owned the South Korean industrial gas manufacturer since July 2014.
Indonesia's Kejora reaches first close on second VC fund
Indonesian VC firm Kejora Ventures has reached a first close of nearly $25 million on its second fund and plans to expand into Thailand with the support of one of its LPs, the Chareon Pokphand family, which controls local conglomerate CP Group.
Bain makes partial exit from Australia's MYOB
Bain Capital Private Equity has made a partial exit from Australian accounting software developer MYOB, reducing its holding from 56.25% to approximately 39.1%.
Soft middle: Australia's underserved lower middle market
Fewer GPs are targeting Australia's lower middle market as a result of increasing fund sizes and the difficulties local LPs have writing small-ticket checks. The arrival of new PE firms is encouraging, but they aren't necessarily positioned to fill this...
Oaktree merges Fitness First Asia with Navis-owned gym business
The Hong Kong and Southeast Asia business of Fitness First, which is controlled by Oaktree Capital Management, has agreed to merge with Celebrity Fitness, a Southeast Asia gym operator owned by Navis Capital Partners.
Cost conundrum: Super funds, fees and private equity
Australian regulators want greater consistency in how superannuation funds report costs and fees to members. While sound in principle, the draft measure is problematic in practice, especially for private equity
Permira-owned Sushiro targets $728m Japan IPO
Sushiro Global Holdings, a sushi restaurant chain majority-owned by Permira, is looking to raise up to JPY82.4 billion ($728 million) through an IPO in Tokyo.
China's Ant Financial invests $200m in Kakao payment unit
Ant Financial, the financial services affiliate of China’s Alibaba Group, has agreed invest $200 million in a dedicated mobile finance platform that will soon be launched by South Korean internet giant Kakao Corp.
Q&A: Adamantem Capital's Anthony Kerwick & Rob Koczkar
After more than 25 years between them at Pacific Equity Partners, Anthony Kerwick and Rob Koczkar departed in 2014 to pursue other opportunities. They have now joined forces as Adamantem Capital
The hybrids: GPs seek to work with Australian family offices
Australia’s lower middle market is rich in investment opportunities but underpenetrated by private equity. Local family offices are increasingly keen on participating, although in their own way
VIDEO: Jenny Lee, GGV Capital
Jenny Lee, managing partner at GGV Capital, discusses the venture capital environment in China
Ex-CHAMP Ventures, Quadrant executives raise $211m fund
Three former CHAMP Ventures executives have teamed up with George Penklis, a co-founder of Quadrant Private Equity, to raise a A$275 million ($211 million) Australia and New Zealand middle-market fund.
Morgan Stanley PE Asia backs China XD Plastics take-private
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA) and the chairman and CEO of China XD Plastics have submitted a take-private offer that values the US-listed specialty chemicals player at approximately $260 million.
Hillhouse, FountainVest target China jobs site Zhaopin
Hillhouse Capital and FountainVest Partners are seeking to buy Zhaopin in a deal worth more than $1.1 billion, working in partnership with Australia’s Seek, the majority shareholder in the Chinese recruitment website.
Fund focus: VIG steps up for Fund III
South Korea VIG Partners closed its third fund at the hard cap of $600 million, having won over LPs with its past history and future prospects in buying and building middle-market consumer businesses
Bain credit unit buys Australia aged care business
Bain Capital Credit has agreed to buy Craigcare, a residential care provider and retirement village operator in Western Australia.
Private debt player Pricoa establishes a presence in Australia
Pricoa Capital Group, a private debt investment group under PGIM, Prudential Financial’s global asset management business, has established a team in Sydney to target middle market opportunities in Australia and New Zealand.
VIDEO: Judith Li, Lilly Asia Ventures
Judith Li, a partner with Lilly Asia Ventures, discusses healthcare investment opportunities in China
Hong Kong's Kerogen makes Israel energy investment
Kerogen Capital, a Hong Kong-headquartered GP specializing in international energy investments, has committed an initial $50 million to a planned $1.3 billion development in gas fields off the coast of Israel.
Moelis leads Series B for Australia's Rokt
Rokt, an Australia-based start-up that provides digital marketing services to e-commerce companies, has received a $15 million Series B round of funding led by Moelis Australia Asset Management.
Softbank to buy US-listed Fortress for $3.3b
SoftBank Group has agreed to acquire Fortress Investment Group – which manages $36.7 billion in alternatives – for approximately $3.3 billion in cash. It puts the Japanese company on course to become one of the world’s largest asset managers.
Fund focus: CITIC rides the Japan wave
CITIC Capital raises $268 million for third Japan fund, benefiting from an upturn in investor sentiment that should prove to be a boon for Japanese GPs in general