Articles by Tim Burroughs
India VC Nexus raises $110m top-up fund
Indian GP Nexus Venture Partners is raising a $110 million “opportunity fund” focusing on later-stage investments in existing portfolio companies. The vehicle is not open to new LPs and is scheduled to close in March.
PE-backed Chinese education provider aims for $100m US IPO
Tarena International, a Chinese IT training services provider that counts Goldman Sachs, IDG Capital Partners and Jafco among its investors, is seeking to raise up to $100 million through a NASDAQ IPO.
Beijing Capital Group beats Carlyle to TPI’s New Zealand business
Beijing Capital Group, a Chinese state-owned enterprise principally involved in infrastructure, has outmuscled bidders including The Carlyle Group to buy Transpacific Industries Group’s (TPI) New Zealand waste management business for NZ$950 million...
Australia’s Quadrant in $758m quick-fire fundraise
Australian GP Quadrant Private Equity has closed its seventh fund at A$850 million ($758 million) after just over one month in the market. The vehicle was two times oversubscribed with interest from both domestic and offshore investors.
VC-backed Food Runner buys Philippines' City Delivery
Food Runner, a Singapore-based food delivery company backed by Digital Media Partners, has acquired Philippines counterpart City Delivery.
Hony, Orix-backed theme park operator targets $345m HK IPO
Haichang Holdings, a Chinese theme park and property developer backed by Hony Capital and Orix Corp, is seeking to raise up to HK$2.68 billion ($345 million) through a Hong Kong IPO.
Bayer buys Legend Capital-backed Dihon Pharma
Bayer has agreed to buy Dihon Pharmaceutical Group, a manufacturer of herbal traditional Chinese medicines (TCM). The acquisition facilitates the exit of Legend Capital, an investor in Dihon since 2010.
Australia's CHAMP PE names John Haddock CEO
CHAMP Private Equity has appointed John Haddock as its first CEO. He will assume responsibility for the Australian GP’s investment program together with day-to-day management of the firm, while continuing the deal origination and portfolio management...
Hong Kong promises to push forward with PE tax exemption
Hong Kong’s financial secretary, John Tsang, reaffirmed the government’s plans to extend the profits tax exemption for offshore funds to include private equity, promising to “take forward the legislative work as soon as possible.”
EBay leads $134m round for Indian online marketplace Snapdeal
Indian online marketplace Snapdeal has raised a new round of funding worth $133.8 million led by eBay. It comes less than a year after the US e-commerce giant led a $50 million Series C round for the company.
SIG leads $10m round for China mobile voice search app
SIG has led a Series B round of funding worth nearly $10 million for Mobvoi, a voice-activated mobile search services provider. Sequoia Capital and ZhenFund, which provided the Series A round in 2012, also participated.
CalPERS CIO Joseph Dear dies following cancer battle
Joseph Dear, chief investment officer at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), has died. Dear had been battling prostate cancer and last summer stepped back from his role to undergo treatment.
Two in three Asia PE professionals expect salary hike in 2014 - survey
Two thirds of private equity investment professionals in Asia expect their base salary to increase in 2014 over the previous year.
Dinneen leaves Siguler Guff for EMPEA
Patricia Dinneen has left Siguler Guff and joined the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA) as a senior advisor. Ralph Jaeger is replacing Dinneen as portfolio manager responsible for Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC), as well as certain...
Q&A: HarbourVest's Sebastiaan van den Berg
Sebastiaan van den Berg, managing director and head of Asia at HarbourVest Partners, discusses his expectations for Australian deal flow, best practice for IPO exits, and co-investment opportunities
Australia buyouts: Patience is a virtue
Due to a combination of factors, not least the revival in Australia’s public markets, mid-market private equity deal flow was slower in 2013 than previous years. GPs are waiting for conditions to become more opportune
Australian pension funds: Indecent disclosure?
The Australian government is expected to halt and wind back superannuation fund disclosure requirements that go beyond global norms. Industry participants are hopeful for the best, but mindful of the worst
Q&A: HESTA's Andrew Major & QIC's Marcus Simpson
Andrew Major, general manager for investments at HESTA and Marcus Simpson, head of global private equity at QIC, share their views on PE performance and where the best investment opportunities lie
Baring Asia exits Indonesian aviation services provider
Baring Private Equity Asia has sold its 41.65% stake in air freight and passenger services provider Cardig Aero Services (CAS) to Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS) for IDR1.1 billion ($93.5 million). The PE firm invested approximately $41 million...
Samena picks up stake in Mahindra scooters business
Asia and Middle East-focused private equity firm Samena Capital has bought a 10.29% stake in Mahindra Two Wheelers, a scooter business controlled by Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group, from Kinetic Engineering.
Kendall Court ends Intrepid’s Indonesia mining nightmare
Kendall Court has acquired Intrepid Mines’ interest in the Tujuh Bukit copper-gold project in Indonesia for $80 million, ending the Australia-listed resources company’s long-running ownership dispute over the asset.
Focus Media targets $1b Hong Kong IPO - report
Chinese display advertising business Focus Media, which was taken private in last May by a consortium of private equity investors in conjunction with company management, is said to be working towards a $1 billion IPO in early 2015.
IFC commits $25m to Olympus' Asia environment fund
International Finance Corporation (IFC), the investment arm of the World Bank, plans to invest $25 million in Olympus Capital Asia’s latest pan-regional environment fund. The vehicle has a target size of $300 million.
CalPERS lowers investment risk, trims PE allocation
California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), the largest public pension fund in the US with more than $277 billion in assets, will reduce its target allocation for private equity from 14% to 12%. The move is part of a broader effort to...