GPs
BlackRock hires Campbell Lutyens' Asia head
BlackRock has recruited George Maltezos, formerly head of Asia Pacific at placement agent Campbell Lutyens, to lead alternatives distribution in the region.
AI-dedicated GP targets South, Southeast Asia
A group of artificial intelligence (AI) investors in Africa have launched a new Singapore-based private equity firm, AI Capital, that will invest across South and Southeast Asia, as well as Africa.
Permira closes $17.6b global buyout fund
Permira has closed its latest flagship global buyout fund with EUR 16.7bn (USD 17.6bn) in commitments, a 50% increase on the previous vintage.
Xiaomi hits $1.3b second close on semiconductor fund
Xiaomi Private Equity Fund Management, a unit of Chinese smart phone maker Xiaomi, has achieved a second close of CNY 9bn (USD 1.29bn) on a semiconductor fund targeting CNY 10bn.
Hong Kong: Action on innovation
Efforts to turn Hong Kong into a technology ecosystem are still at an early stage. Investors and start-up founders believe many of the ingredients are there, but the recipe can be flawed or ignored
Hong Kong PE stalwart John Levack dies aged 64
John Levack, who spent over two decades with Electra Partners Asia and was a long-serving board member at the Hong Kong Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (HKVCA), has died aged 64.
Investcorp opens Japan office
Investcorp has opened a Tokyo office to serve as a staging post for direct private equity and real estate investments Japan.
India's Nexus Venture closes Fund VII on $700m
Nexus Venture Partners has reached a final close on its seventh India venture capital fund with USD 700m in commitments, taking the firm’s total assets under management past the USD 2bn mark.
GP profile: Yunqi Partners
It took seven years for Yunqi Partners' 2B investment thesis to be proven with the emergence of a swath of unicorns. The Chinese VC firm expects much more from the space – at rational valuations
Asia co-investment: Gun-shy LPs?
Overallocation, risk aversion, and troubleshooting existing deals have prompted some LPs to pull back from co-investment in Asia. Others are willing to step in, but the market is selective
Q&A: Blackbird Ventures’ Rick Baker
Rick Baker, co-founder of Australia’s Blackbird Ventures, on pricing adjustments in the tech space, fundraising and secondaries, valuing unicorns, and the rise of ChatGPT
Singapore's Grayscale hits first close on debut VC fund
Grayscale Ventures, a Singapore-based VC firm set up last month by South Asia-focused investors at Japan’s Strive, has achieved a first close of about USD 10m on its debut fund.
Regulator raises the qualification bar for Chinese GPs
China has introduced minimum paid-up capital requirements for local private equity firms that could force smaller, less sophisticated players out of the market.
Fan Bao cooperating with investigation - China Renaissance
Fan Bao, group chairman of China Renaissance, is “cooperating in an investigation being carried out by certain authorities” in China, the firm has announced.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Fundraising of the Year – Mid Cap: Potentia Capital
For Australia’s Potentia Capital, the beauty of its sophomore fundraise was not that it took four months, but that it took two years. Putting out feelers well before the official launch created buzz
Guangzhou government commits $29bn to fund-of-funds
The Guangzhou provincial government has established two fund-of-funds (FoFs) with a combined scale of CNY 200bn (USD 29bn).
500 Global adds three partners in Southeast Asia
500 Global has named three new partners to invest in Southeast Asia as it looks to deepen coverage of a region it entered a decade ago and where it has backed more than 340 start-ups.
Profile: Lightspeed China Partners’ James Mi
Rejecting a life-changing job offer from Google and overseeing a failed start-up are two of James Mi’s mistakes. He learned from them and then made a success of Lightspeed China Partners
New Zealand's Pencarrow closes Fund VI on $187m
New Zealand-based Pencarrow Private Equity has closed its sixth fund at the hard cap of NZD 300m (USD 187m), having scaled up from NZD 250m in the previous vintage.
PeerCapital hits $37m first close on India early-stage fund
PeerCapital, an Indian venture capital firm that participates in seed and Series A rounds, has reached a first close of INR 3bn (USD 36.3m) on its debut fund.
AVCJ Awards 2022: Firm of the Year – Mid Cap: Pacific Equity Partners
Reflecting on a 12-month period characterised by a string of bumper exits, Australia’s Pacific Equity Partners sees a clear connection between performance and well-established team and culture
China Renaissance founder Fan Bao goes missing
China Renaissance has confirmed it is unable to contact Fan Bao, the group’s chairman, executive director, CEO, and controlling shareholder.
Primavera targets onshore China deals
Primavera Capital Group has established a fund under China's Qualified Foreign Limited Partnership (QFLP) regime, underlining interest in onshore investments among managers with US dollar-denominated pools of capital.
Ex-Blue Pool partner targets $200m fundraise
Danny Lee, formerly head of global private equity at Blue Pool Capital, the family office of Alibaba Group co-founder Joe Tsai, has established his own firm and is looking to raise a USD 200m fund.