Fund-of-funds
LP interview: Hermes GPE
Hermes GPE has fine-tuned its co-investment strategy since establishing a presence in Asia. Iesan Tsai, the group’s regional head, will work with portfolio GPs or fund-less sponsors in pursuit of the right deal
HarbourVest closes flagship fund-of-funds at $1.7b
HarbourVest Partners has closed its latest fund-of-funds targeting European and Asian markets with $1.7 billion in commitments.
HarbourVest adds managing director in Hong Kong
HarbourVest Partners has promoted Till Burges, who covers primary investments out of the firm’s Hong Kong office, to managing director.
LP interview: CalSTRS
Christopher Ailman, CIO of California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) discusses fund sizes, the attractions and limitations of Asia, the problems of listed PE, and the need for fee reform
Q&A: HQ Capital's Georg Wunderlin & David Pierce
Georg Wunderlin, CEO of HQ Capital, and David Pierce (pictured), the firm’s Asia head, discuss investor appetite for private equity, the popularity of separately managed accounts, and consolidation within the industry
Adams Street opens South Korea office
Adams Street Partners has established an office in Seoul in an effort to expand access to clients and investment opportunities in the region.
Q&A: HarbourVest Partners' Brooks Zug
Brooks Zug, founder and senior managing director at HarbourVest Partners, was among the first institutional LPs to invest in Asian private equity. He spoke to AVCJ about the evolution of the industry
LP interview: Ardian
Ardian has raised large amounts of capital on the basis of a big-ticket secondaries strategy. Jan Philipp Schmitz, a managing director with the firm, discusses where investor demand is heading
Fund focus: Asia Alternatives in speedy fundraise
Asia Alternatives has secured $1.8 billion for its latest fund-of-funds in less than five months on the market
Asia Alternatives closes $1.8b fund-of-funds
Asia Alternatives has reached a final close of $1.8 billion across its fifth private equity fund-of-funds and a number of related vehicles.
NZVIF expands seed-stage mandate
The New Zealand Venture Investment Fund (NZVIF), a government-sponsored fund-of-funds, has doubled the investment cap of its seed-stage vehicle to NZ$1.5 million ($1.1 million) per company.
PennSERS commits $100m to Asia Alternatives
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (PennSERS) has extended its long-standing relationship with Asia Alternatives, allocating $50 million to the firm’s latest fund-of-funds product and a further $50 million to a separate account.
PE increases share of $4t global alternatives pool - survey
Assets held by the world’s 100 largest managers increased 10% to $4.01 trillion in 2016 as growth in commitments to private equity, real estate, and credit more than offset a decline in hedge funds. Approximately 8% of these assets are invested in Asia...
Asia Alternatives gets $100m from Minnesota SBI
Minnesota State Board of Investment (SBI) has committed to $100 million to Asia Alternatives’ fifth fund-of-funds, having recently increased its exposure to the region through vehicles managed by Warburg Pincus and KKR.
Adveq agrees sale to Schroders
Adveq, a global fund-of-funds that deploys $100-200 million every year in Asia, has agreed to an acquisition by UK-listed asset manager Schroders.
Australia's Vantage achieves first close on fund-of-funds
Vantage Asset Management has reached a first close of A$20 million ($15.2 million) on its third Australia-focused fund-of-funds. The vehicle, which launched in February 2016, has an overall target of A$100 million.
Unigestion acquires European rival Akina
Switzerland-based wealth management firm and PE fund-of-funds Unigestion has acquired the Europe-focused private equity business of its rival Akina Partners.
Renminbi fundraising: Policy power
The launch of several huge government-backed funds has skewed renminbi-denominated fundraising in China. What does their arrival mean for valuations and for the nascent independent LP community?
Fund focus: LPs sign up for Axiom’s simple solution
Changes in the market and turnover in the team notwithstanding, Axiom Asia secured $1 billion for a fourth fund much like its previous three: a co-mingled fund-of-funds that offers exposure to hard-to-access GPs
Axiom raises $1b for fourth Asian fund-of-funds
Axiom Asia has closed its fourth pan-regional fund-of-funds at just over $1 billion, sticking to its tried and tested model of a single co-mingled vehicle with no separately managed accounts. The initial target was $750 million.
HarbourVest's Kelvin Yap promoted to managing director
HarbourVest Partners has promoted Hong Kong-based Kelvin Yap, who focuses on growth equity and buyout investments in Asia Pacific, to managing director.
Rui Ma leaves 500 Startups to launch US-focused fund-of-funds
Rui Ma, Greater China partner at Silicon Valley-based investor 500 Startups, has left the firm and set up her own early-stage fund-of-funds to invest in US GPs.
China’s Redbud Capital launches $150m VC fund-of-funds
Redbud Capital, a VC fund-of-funds unit under Tsinghua Holdings, has launched a new vehicle worth RMB1 billion ($150 million) with several government-backed agencies to invest in China venture capital funds.
Chinese LPs: Untapped potential
Still at an early stage of its development, China’s LP community has minimal exposure to offshore private equity. Institutions with big checkbooks aren’t necessarily the fastest movers
