Fundraising
LP interview: Partners Capital
Nearly a decade after establishing a foothold in Asia, Partners Capital has acquired a string of local clients and devised a distinct, middle market-oriented approach to deploying capital in the region
Fund focus: Tower goes large with debut fund
Tower Capital Asia is repositioning itself as a large, globally connected PE firm as it transitions from deal-by-deal investing to a fund structure. Deep roots in Singapore remain the nucleus of the strategy
Gobi raises $10m for Asia seed fund
Gobi Partners has closed a USD 10m Malaysia-focused seed fund with contributions from Allianz Malaysia, Malaysia Venture Capital Management (Mavcap) and Sunway Group.
Tower Capital closes maiden SE Asia PE fund on $379m
Singapore’s Tower Capital Asia, which has historically invested on a deal-by-deal basis, has closed its debut blind pool private equity fund for Southeast Asia on USD 379m.
C Ventures rebrands, hits first close on new fund
C Ventures, a VC firm set up by Adrian Cheng, scion of Hong Kong’s New World Development, has rebranded as C Capital – reflecting steps to diversify into a multi-strategy asset manager – and reached a first close on its latest fund.
Fund focus: Glenwood gains traction with carve-out thesis
Korea-focused Glenwood Private Equity has closed its second fund on KRW 900m (USD 648m) from local LPs, having established itself as a mid-market corporate divestment specialist
Japanese LPs rue shorter fundraising cycles, currency depreciation - AVCJ Forum
Managers coming back to market more frequently and a depreciating yen are playing havoc with LP allocations to private equity, institutional investors told the AVCJ Japan Forum.
Australia's Telstra Ventures raises $336m for latest global fund
Australia’s Telstra Ventures has closed its third global fund on AUD 500m (USD 336m), beating a target of AUD 400m. Fund II closed on AUD 675m in 2018 and added a USD 50m sidecar the following year.
China's HighLight hits first close on life sciences fund, targets $650m
HighLight Capital, a China-based life sciences investor, has completed a first close of USD 540m on its fourth US dollar-denominated fund. The overall target is USD 650m.
China looks to boost PE participation by domestic insurers
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has asked regulators to encourage investment by insurance companies in private equity and venture capital through measures such as shorter post-IPO lock-up periods.
Billionaire Venture, DBS to invest $200m in India start-ups
India’s Billionaire Venture Capital and DBS Bank have agreed to invest USD 200m in 150m Indian start-ups via a special purpose vehicle and joint venture (JV).
Fund focus: Baring restocks its dry powder
Baring Private Equity Asia claims a pipeline full of USD 1bn-plus investment opportunities to meet the needs of an USD 11bn-plus fund – but for now it is being cautious about pursuing them
Deal focus: Anchorage exits rail player, launches Fund IV
Australia-based Anchorage Capital Partners has extended a string of exits with the sale of a local rail industry player, while going to market seeking AUD 500m (USD 339m) for its fourth fund
Baring Asia hits final close on eighth pan-regional fund
Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA), which agreed to merge with EQT earlier this year, has closed its eighth pan-regional fund with commitments of USD 11.2bn.
ADB makes LP commitment to KV Asia's second fund
Asian Development Bank (ADB) has confirmed an investment of USD 15m in the second Southeast Asia lower middle market private equity fund from KV Asia Capital.
Bessemer closes latest global VC fund on $3.85b
US-based Bessemer Venture Partners, which is currently expanding a longstanding presence in India, has closed its latest global VC fund with USD 3.85m in commitments.
Shenzhen investors offered cash handouts for Hong Kong IPOs
Shenzhen-based venture capital investors will receive one-off cash rewards for taking companies public in Hong Kong and sponsoring special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) that list on the territory’s stock exchange.
Japan’s D Capital nears target for debut PE fund
Japan’s D Capital, a private equity firm specialising in digital transformation that spun out from Unison Capital last year, has raised JPY 26bn (USD 188m) for its debut fund against a target of JPY 30bn.
Japan middle market: Crowded field
The expansion of Japan’s middle-market private equity scene has not kept pace with the rise in global investor interest. Spiking competition is inducing GP formation, but impediments are myriad
Fund focus: Fundamentum finds its niche
As one of few Series B and C specialists operating in India, The Fundamentum Partnership expects to have plenty to choose from over the next two years as the glut of early-stage start-ups thins out
Fund focus: Cherubic continues to scale
Early-stage investor Cherubic Ventures initially struggled to get traction with its idiosyncratic Greater China-US strategy, but the firm sees its USD 110m haul for Fund V as validation of the thesis
GrowX team seeks $100m for spinout India VC fund
The team behind Indian angel investor GrowX Ventures has launched a separate fund targeting USD 100m under the name Merak Ventures.
Renminbi GPs wary of government guidance funds as LPs
Chinese government guidance funds represent a potentially rich source of capital for managers in the renminbi-denominated space, but some are reluctant to take it, the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association's (HKVCA) China forum heard.
