Articles by Tim Burroughs
StepStone adds three partners in Asia
Randy Wang, a private equity specialist who works out of Beijing, is one of three Asia-based investment professionals that StepStone Group has promoted to partner.
L Catterton Asia SPAC to merge with Geely-owned Lotus EV unit
A US-listed special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) launched by L Catterton Asia has agreed to merge with Lotus Technology, an electric vehicle (EV) unit under the Lotus luxury car brand owned by Chinese automaker Geely Holding.
India exits: Sustainable trend?
GPs saw abundant exits in India in 2021 and the flow continued last year even as other markets stumbled. Investors must assess the merits of various contributing cyclical and structural factors
Orchestra to launch debut Korea, Japan blind pool fund
Orchestra Private Equity, a Korea and Japan-focused manager that has to date operated on a deal-by-deal basis, plans to launch its first blind pool fund later this year.
China adult online education platform raises $41m in US IPO
QuantaSing Group, a Chinese adult tuition platform that spun out from wealth management and investment education business Erwan Technology, has traded relatively flat following a USD 41m IPO on NASDAQ.
MBK, Unison Korea pursue dental implant buyout
MBK Partners and Unison Capital Korea have launched a tender offer for Osstem Implant, a Korea-based manufacturer of dental implants, that values the company at approximately KRW 2.85trn (USD 2.3bn).
Bain targets $236m buyout of Japan's Impact HD
A Bain Capital-backed take-private of Japanese one-stop field marketing services provider Impact HD, which values the company at approximately JPY 30.7bn (USD 236.3m), has won board support.
Asia IPOs gone cold: India edition
A compilation of India-based IPOs - some of them private equity-backed - that have been withdrawn or appear to have fallen behind schedule
Hillhouse-backed China pet services business seeks US listing
New Ruipeng Pet Group, a China-based pet care services platform that counts Hillhouse Capital as a significant shareholder, has filed for an IPO in the US.
Australia's Potentia contests Nitro merger plan
Potentia Capital has appealed a decision by Australia’s Takeovers Panel not to intervene in a situation that has seen Nitro Software repeatedly rebuff acquisition proposals made by the private equity firm.
Japan's Net Marketing is sold four months after take-private
Net Marketing, a Japanese online advertising and media management business that was delisted following the completion of a successful tender offer by Bain Capital last September, has been acquired by Tokyo-listed marketing analytics player Macbee Planet.
Deal focus: Orchestra seeks the right recipe for KFC Korea
Having secured permission to do sub-franchising and to make alterations to menus and store formats, Orchestra Private Equity believes it can succeed with KFC Korea where others failed
Bain exits India maritime logistics business to German strategic
Bain Capital has sold its stake in J.M. Baxi Ports & Logistics, an India-based provider of maritime logistics, to Germany-headquartered shipping and container transportation company Hapag-Lloyd for an undisclosed sum.
Partners Group, Pantheon bolster Japan coverage
Partners Group and Pantheon have both strengthened their teams in Japan, with the former appointing Teppei Kawai as country head and the latter promoting Akitoshi Yamada to partner.
India's PhonePe raises $350m at $12b valuation
General Atlantic has invested USD 350m – at a pre-money valuation of USD 12bn – in PhonePe, a digital payments platform that spun out from Indian e-commerce marketplace Flipkart.
AVCJ daily bulletin returns January 26
AVCJ's daily bulletin will take a short break for the Lunar New Year holiday. Publication will resume on January 26.
Deal focus: Secondary investors support Capital Square, Basil merger
Capital Square Partners and Basil Technology Partners have joined forces, with HarbourVest Partners, NewQuest Capital Partners, and Committed Advisors backing a USD 700m fund comprising Asia IT services investments from both GPs
China’s Yunqi seeks $300m for fourth VC fund
Yunqi Partners, which makes early-stage investments in China’s enterprise software and services space, is targeting USD 300m for its fourth US dollar-denominated fund.
Asia PE investment declines 40% in 2022
Asia private equity investment reached USD 223.9bn in 2023, a sharp decline from the USD 376.4bn recorded a year earlier, but still the second-largest annual total on record, according to provisional data from AVCJ Research.
TR exits last China asset acquired through Cassia restructuring
TR Capital has sold China-focused luxury streetwear brand Evisu United – one of two assets it acquired through fund restructuring for Cassia Investments – through a sale to an unnamed financial sponsor. The size of the deal was not disclosed.
Bain & Co appoints new Asia PE practice co-head
Bain & Company has named Sebastien Lamy, who has been with the firm for over 20 years and most recently focused on Asia infrastructure investment, as co-head of its regional private equity practice.
India's Lighthouse seeks $425m for Fund IV, gets NIIF commitment
Lighthouse Funds is targeting INR 35bn (USD 425m) for its fourth India fund and has signed up the country’s National Investment & Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) as an anchor LP.
Asia GPs see reversion to norm on deal flow, valuations
Asia-focused buyout managers pointed to a return to a version of normality – with an anticipated upturn in investment and exits – in 2023 at the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association’s (HKVCA) Asia forum.
4Q analysis: Who wants China?
Pan-regional GPs get traction by highlighting their Asia ex-China credentials; buyouts rebound as growth capital – and China – continue to recede; India impresses with bumper exit proceeds