Articles by Allen Lee
Tougher this time
A number of PE executives - old enough to have seen several cycles – have commented on how difficult the fundraising environment is at present. “I thought my last fundraising [in 2004] was very difficult. Now that I am raising my current fund, the past...
AVCJ launches iOS app
Those readers who were around 10 years ago are likely to have stark memories of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, the disease that struck fear into Asia's communities and temporarily laid waste to economies. Needless to say, private equity and...
A platform for private equity
A few weeks ago, I met the head of private equity of one of the largest pension funds in Asia and the world. A very impressive guy with terrific insight of the market, our conversation was great (from my standpoint) until I invited him to attend (and...
Positive vibes spread on Korea
As I noted in a viewpoint piece last September, private equity in South Korea is seeing a revival internationally. The market has steadily worked its way back from one populated almost exclusively by local GPs – most of them subsidiaries of securities...
The four arms of Chinese private equity
The Chinese private equity market has lost a lot of its momentum in the past 12 months, with fundraising and investment dropping significantly, particularly in the latter half of 2012. Renminbi fundraising appears to have ground to a near halt, contributing...
Indian PE: Time to return?
We are proud to be hosting the 13th annual AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum India in Mumbai this year. The sentiment for the 2012 event seems somewhat different from previous years. Obviously, we all know that private equity in India is in a state...
Asian PE – the show that never stops
It is but a few days until the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum – indeed you may find yourself reading this at the event itself. I am pleased to note that despite the beating private equity has taken in certain markets, our conference is proceeding...
Asian private equity: Education never ends
It is common knowledge that Asian private equity has been going from strength to strength, generating returns that compare increasingly favorably to those of Western Europe and the US. Indeed, recent figures published by Cambridge Associates suggest that...
GPs' optimism: Korea redux
Despite a few issues, South Korea has always been a favored market for Asian private equity investors. That is hardly surprising as the many of the best performing transactions in the history of the asset class in Asia have come out of Korea. It could...
The sun is rising again for Japanese private equity
Is the Japanese private equity industry finally turning the corner? The simple answer to that is yes.
Strategic glad-handing
I recall conversations with a number of Asian GPs on how to invest in family-owned businesses that account for such large number of potential acquisition targets for private equity funds in the region. The formula seemed pretty straightforward. It begins...
And the winners are…
Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards China. For a second year in a row, AVCJ has sought to recognize excellence in private equity and venture capital in China in its annual private equity and venture...
Partners Group invests in Thai wind energy project
Partners Group continues its foray into direct investment with an investment into Wind Energy, a Thai company that provides utility-scale wind farms. Other investors in the project are corporates including Chubu Electric Power Company, Ratchaburi Electric...
Carlyle, Apollo miss out as Brambles cancels $2b asset sale
ASX-listed Brambles has announced that it has canceled it plans to raise cash by selling Recall, its information management business. The 10-month process was called to a halt because of low offers from potential buyers, which included a number of private...
Orrick adds two partners to M&A and PE practice
Is the Chinese economy headed for a slowdown or will there be a quick recovery for the world’s second largest economy? Whatever the outcome, it seems like it is business as usual at legal adviser Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, which recently hired two...
Asian PE infrastructure evolves with the industry
Everything always seems clearer and easier to understand with the benefit of hindsight. While it seems pretty apparent now that Asian private equity would emerge as a leading asset class for investors around the world, it was actually quite difficult...
Please vote in the AVCJ China Awards
As the Chinese private equity industry continues to mature, the market has becoming increasingly crowded. The need to distinguish the excellent from the simply good has become more difficult, especially for new LPs and potential portfolio companies, both...
Creating cross border opportunities
Venture capital and private equity has always played an important role in the transfer of technology, talent and brands names from developed Western markets into Asia. This is perhaps best illustrated by the spate of “me-too” companies that mimicked the...
Looking forward, looking back
The first quarter of 2012 will soon be over. The Asian private equity industry seems to be humming along at a steady pace, although there hasn’t been anything particularly dramatic so far. Deal-making has been efficient and routine rather than startling,...
Recognizing excellence – The 2012 AVCJ China Awards
Recent reports suggest the Chinese economy is slowing down and the potential consequences are the subject to feverish speculation among investors around the world who 10 years might not have thought twice about the issue. Is the mainland economy set for...
Same fundamentals, better investment story
Indonesia has emerged as a priority destination for private equity managers in recent years. It is not difficult to understand the attraction. The country with a population of 250 million was unscathed by the recent financial crisis and boasts rising...
Big payouts detract from the real issues
The Last couple of months have been interesting times for private equity but perhaps largely for the wrong reasons. As all of you know, Mitt Romney’s bid for the Republican presidential candidacy has spurred criticism from rival politicians keen to attack...
Slow progress for foreign RMB funds
Renminbi-denominated private equity funds have been one of the most important trends in the last few years. The market has grown tremendously with more than US$24 billion being raised in 2011 alone. Most of this capital has gone to local firms, especially...
The growing importance of investor relations
As Asian private equity continues to evolve into a true asset class, the role of investor relations and fundraising professionals has become increasingly important. Over the years, I’ve watched as private equity firms place ever more emphasis on the role,...