GPs
Korea macro: Tempered tiger
Korea’s economic momentum has simmered down as demographic, political and industrial evolutions suggest a structural decline. Investors are monitoring the transition with a conditional sense of optimism
Korean IPOs: The public eye
A growing number of South Korean buyout firms are testing the waters for domestic IPOs. Continued regulatory hurdles mean that realizing value will require planning for the post-offer period
Korean project funds: Lines of sight
The prevalence of project funds in Korea is routinely linked to local institutional investors’ innate discomfort with blind pool vehicles. But is this dynamic holding back middle market managers?
Crescent raises $586m for sixth Australia, New Zealand fund
Crescent Capital Partners has closed its sixth Australia and New Zealand mid-market fund at A$800 million ($586 million) after less than three months in the market.
AVCJ Awards 2018 - Nominations have now closed
Nominations for the 2018 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards have now closed. The public voting stage of the process will begin around October 10.
China facilities management: Cleaning up
Private equity investors are turning their attention to China’s outsourced facilities management market, recognizing the opportunities presented by under-penetration and fragmentation
Y Combinator hires ex-Baidu COO to lead China business
Silicon Valley-based seed-stage accelerator Y Combinator (YC) has chosen Qi Lu, the former group president and COO of search giant Baidu, as the founding CEO of its China branch, YC China.
Golden Equator launches Brunei accelerator
Singapore’s Golden Equator has launched an accelerator in Brunei aimed at helping local small to medium-sized enterprises (SME) expand across Southeast Asia.
Openspace closes second SE Asia VC fund at $135m
Southeast Asia-focused VC firm Openspace Ventures – best known for being the first institutional investor in Indonesian ride-hailing and delivery platform Go-Jek – has closed its second fund at the hard cap of $135 million.
Crescendo hits $398m hard cap on second Korea fund
Crescendo Equity Partners, a mid-market Korean GP that concentrates on the industrial technology space, has closed its second fund at the hard cap of KRW450 billion ($398 million).
India's ASK Investment files for IPO
Indian asset and wealth management firm ASK Investment Managers, which operates private equity fund ASK Pravi as a joint venture with Pravi Capital, has filed for a domestic IPO.
BGH hires Blackstone Australia executive
BGH, the Australia and New Zealand-focused private equity firm set up by former TPG Capital Asia co-head Ben Gray, has hired Jonathan Chamberlain, a managing director at The Blackstone Group, as a partner.
Q&A: iCapital Network's Lawrence Calcano
Launched in 2013 and backed by a string of placement agents, iCapital Network leverages technology to give high net worth investors access to alternatives. CEO Lawrence Calcano discusses the democratization of capital raising
Automation and investment: Channeling the flow
Investors are beginning to experiment with automation in various aspects of the deal-making process. Results to date are encouraging but lack detailed cost-benefit insight
PE and tech investment: The late show
Private equity firms are participating in late-stage rounds in Asia’s technology space as they look to gain a toehold in start-ups with the potential to transform economies. But do the valuations make sense?
Tech investment case study: True North and Seedworks
True North aimed to set Indian seed maker Seedworks apart from its competitors by leveraging digital technology. Two years into its investment the private equity firm is seeing its initiatives pay off
Back office technology: Clearing cobwebs
Technologies credited with completely transforming the financial sector have yet to make a dent on day-to-day operations in private equity. The status quo, however, will not last
PE and tech investment: Forward planning
The growing influence of technology across every industry is forcing PE firms to review approaches to investment. Ensuring the right people have the right information sits at the heart of these efforts
L Catterton's Sanjay Gujral rejoins Everstone as COO
Sanjay Gujral, a former executive director at Everstone Capital who left the firm to join the management team at L Catterton Asia, has returned to the GP to serve as COO.
Blackbird hits $193m final close on Australia VC fund
Blackbird Ventures has closed its third Australian VC fund with A$261 million ($193 million) in commitments, split between a core investment vehicle and a top-up fund.
Australia's Blue Sky confirms talks with Oaktree
Blue Sky Alternative Investments has confirmed it is in talks with special situations investor Oaktree Capital Management over a possible investment, as the Australian PE firm seeks to mollify investor concerns regarding possible liquidity issues.
CVC to seek $4b for fifth Asian fund
CVC Capital Partners will launch its fifth pan-Asian fund in September with a target of $4 billion. The private equity firm closed its previous regional vehicle at $3.5 billion in May 2014.
Fund focus: LPs queue up for a piece of Long Hill
China’s Long Hill Capital scales up with its latest VC fund with strong support from new and existing LPs. Sector specialization has helped underpin much of the progress
Baring Asia completes $4.5b first close on Fund VII
Baring Private Equity Asia has reached a first close of $4.5 billion on its seventh pan-regional fund after approximately five months in the market.