Articles by Tim Burroughs
Baidu, VC-backed travel website Qunar files for $125m IPO
Qunar, a Chinese travel website majority-owned by internet search giant Baidu, is looking to raise up to $125 million through an IPO in the US. GSR Ventures and GGV Capital still hold minority positions in the company but it is unclear whether they plan...
Australia’s Wolseley exits magazine publisher to trade buyer
Wolseley Private Equity has completed its second exit in a month with the sale of Australian magazine publisher nextmedia to Forum Media Group.
AVCJ daily bulletin returns October 3
There will be no AVCJ bulletin on October 1 due to a public holiday in Hong Kong marking China's National Day.
India eases offshore listing rules
Indian companies will be allowed to pursue IPOs overseas without first listing domestically in a move that should please private equity and venture capital investors looking for alternative exit routes. The broader policy objective is to shore up capital...
Asian LPs deploy more capital in private equity – Preqin
More than 70% of Asian institutional investors have committed to at least one private equity fund so far this year and close to nine in 10 expect to allocate the same or more capital to the asset class in 2014 compared to 2013.
PE managers target diversification through greater transparency
Private equity fund managers are placing greater emphasis on transparency – specifically more frequent and detailed reporting on fund holdings and associated risk factors – as a means by which to differentiate themselves in a challenging fundraising...
TPG exits China leasing business to Haitong Securities for $715m
TPG Capital has agreed to sell Chinese financial leasing business UT Capital Group to Haitong International Holdings for approximately $715 million. It brings to an end a five-year ownership period during which UT Capital has expanded its activity from...
Australia’s Ironbridge alters LP secondary exit proposal
Ironbridge Capital’s LPs will not be obliged to commit capital to a new fund as a condition of participation in a vehicle set up by the Australian GP to absorb assets held by its first two funds. AVCJ understands that the proposal has been amended so...
26th AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum, Hong Kong
The AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum is the largest and most influential gathering of Asian-focused private equity and venture capital industry professionals in the world today.
Infrastructure fundraising: A beast with two heads
At one end of the market large institutional investors are looking to access Asian infrastructure through separate accounts or independently; at the other, plenty of LPs are still looking to make fund commitments
Q&A: Standard Chartered Bank's Andrew Yee
Andrew Yee, global head of infrastructure at Standard Chartered Bank's principal finance division, gives his views on investment opportunities across Asia, where private equity must work in and around large corporates
The Asia real assets story
It is difficult to tell whether Asia is at the beginning of a real assets story or negotiating a transition phase somewhere around the middle. "Real assets" is such an all-encompassing term, taking in everything from forestry to energy to real estate,...
MSPEA-backed privatization of Yongye wins board approval
A $339 million management buyout offer for Yongye International, supported by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), has won board approval. The US-listed Chinese animal and plant feed maker is now set to be taken private, pending a shareholder vote.
KKR, CDH invest in $140m China dairy farm joint venture
KKR has completed its first majority investment in China, partnering with CDH Investments and China Modern Dairy in a $140 million greenfield farming joint venture that will deliver premium raw milk to domestic consumers.
Allegro targets $188m for Australasia distress fund
Allegro Funds is raising a A$200 million ($188 million) vehicle that will make turnaround investments in distressed Australian and New Zealand companies.
A&M launches India transaction advisory practice, hires Vikram Utamsingh
Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), a consultancy specializing in performance improvement and turnarounds, has expanded its India business with the launch of a dedicated transaction advisory practice. The new practice will be led by Vikram Utamsingh, formerly of...
AVCJ daily bulletin returns September 23
There will be no AVCJ bulletin on September 20 due to a public holiday in Hong Kong marking the Mid-Autumn Festival.
CRCI reaches $180m first close on Fund III
China Renaissance Capital Investment (CRCI) has reached a first close of approximately $180 million on its third growth capital fund. The timing of the close was determined by the GP needing to finalize its first investment out of the new vehicle.
Ancora closes Indonesia fund at $128m
Indonesia-focused GP Ancora Capital has made a final close on its second fund at $128 million. The vehicle is currently 40% deployed, having made three investments since its launch in early 2011.
Ironbridge's creative liquidity solution
Stapled secondaries and GP restructurings have become common parlance as Asia's private equity investors grapple with a challenging fundraising environment, even though talk still overshadows action. In each case, new investors come in to replace old,...
Ontario Teachers keen for more Asia co-investment
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) expects to become a more active co-investor in Asia, partnering with GPs in the region that offer certain geographic or sector expertise as well as operational capabilities.
Australia’s Ironbridge offers LPs secondary exit route
Ironbridge Capital has launched a hybrid structure for its latest fundraising, with investors in the Australian GP’s first two funds being given the opportunity to exit their positions or roll over into a new vehicle that will continue to manage the...
New Zealand's Pencarrow acquires Bell Tea & Coffee
Pencarrow Private Equity has bought Bell Tea & Coffee Company (BTCC), New Zealand’s oldest tea enterprise, from supermarket chain Foodstuffs. Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) is coming in as a significant co-investor, while BTCC’s senior management...
KKR's Kravis bullish on Asia private equity, credit
Henry Kravis, co-founder of KKR, believes that Asia’s macro headwinds have created an attractive environment for private equity investment, although the asset class is just one of several strategies that feature in his longer-term outlook for the development...