GPs
Japan's Global Brain, Fukoku Life set up $35m VC fund
Japanese VC firm Global Brain has teamed up with Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance to set up a JPY 5bn (USD 35m) fund.
TA closes latest global fund at $16.5b hard cap
TA Associates, a global growth-oriented investor with an Asia portfolio that is relatively heavy on India and Australia, has closed its 15th fund at the hard cap of USD 16.5bn after seven months in the market.
Philippines VC firm Kaya raises $12m across two funds
Philippines-based VC investor and venture studio Kaya Founders has achieved a first close of USD 12m across two early-stage funds. The target - for both vehicles - is USD 25m.
Proparco makes $35m LP commitment to Quadria healthcare fund – update
French development finance institution (DFI) Proparco has made a USD 35m fund commitment to Singapore’s Quadria Capital, a healthcare-focused GP active across South and Southeast Asia.
GP profile: 500 Global
500 Global’s emergence as a preeminent seed investor in Southeast Asia has played out against the backdrop of a broader transformation from US accelerator into international multi-stage venture capital firm
Ex-Eaton Asia head targets asset management, GP stakes
Chris Lerner, formerly of Eaton Partners and MSA Capital, has established an asset management operation that will ultimately raise an Asian fund-of-funds and teamed up with US-based Bonaccord Capital Partners to expand its GP stakes business into the...
Northstar's managing partner to become CEO of GoTo
Patrick Walujo, a co-founder and managing partner of Northstar Group, has been appointed group CEO of Indonesian super app GoTo, with the Southeast Asia-focused private equity firm telling LPs it expects minimal impact to day-to-day business.
Australia's CPE Capital set to lose managing director
Graham Brooke, a managing director at Australia-based CPE Capital, will retire from the firm at the end of September.
Affinity's Korea head resigns
Sam Lee has resigned from his position as a partner and head of Korea at Affinity Equity Partners, ending a 15-year tenure with the pan-regional private equity firm.
KKR secures partnership with Japan Post Insurance
Japan Post Insurance (JPI) has launched a strategic partnership with KKR and the private equity firm’s insurance subsidiary Global Atlantic Financial Group. The deal will give JPI access to a broader range of investments and support its diversification...
Hong Kong's AIA commits $200m to LeapFrog
Hong Kong-listed insurance company AIA Group has agreed to commit USD 200m to various funds managed by LeapFrog Investments, a UK-based impact investor with an extensive Asia footprint.
Sequoia shifts to independent partnerships, separate brands
Sequoia Capital’s China and India-Southeast Asia VC operations will be renamed HongShan and Peak XV Partners, respectively, as they formally separate from the US entity and become independent partnerships.
Q&A: Jafco Asia's Shahan Sud
Singapore’s Jafco Asia, a division of Japanese VC mainstay Jafco, hired Shahan Sud last year as its first in-country investment director for India. He explains a cross-border bridge long in the making
Kazakhstan investor backs TVM SE Asia healthcare fund
Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC), a private equity fund-of-funds set up by the Kazakhstan government, has invested in a Southeast Asia fund managed by TVM Capital Healthcare.
Primavera closes fourth China fund on $4bn
China-based private equity firm Primavera Capital Group closed its fourth US dollar-denominated fund in February on target at USD 4bn.
HighLight updates final close timeline for China healthcare fund
HighLight Capital, a Chinese life sciences investor, has pushed out the final close on its fourth US dollar-denominated fund to the third quarter amid challenging fundraising conditions for the industry.
Singapore's Qualgro seeks $150m for Fund III
Qualgro Partners, a Singapore-headquartered venture capital firm, is looking to raise USD 150m for its third fund.
Energy transition: An emerging speciality
Kerogen Capital is trying to plot a more nuanced course into energy transition than building renewables. It is one of a growing number of nascent specialists in the space.
Deal focus: PrimeMovers buys Malaysia machinist in debut deal
PrimeMovers, which spun out from Platinum Equity last year, and UK-based Lingotto Investment Management have jointly acquired Malaysian precision manufacturing company EngTek
Fund focus: Foreign LPs creep into Japan VC
Japan’s Dimension has closed its first fund since spinning out from Dream Incubator, more than doubling its prior vintage and tracking increased interest among regional institutional investors
Q&A: Gobi Partners' Thomas Tsao
Thomas Tsao, co-founder of Gobi Partners, on Chinese investors targeting Southeast Asia, the fallout from US-China tensions, fundraising and fund strategy, and what excites him about technology
Australia's Giant Leap closes second impact fund with $30m
Australian impact VC investor Giant Leap has closed its second fund with about AUD 45m (USD 30m) in commitments. The firm raised AUD 15m for Fund I in 2016.
BII backs Southeast Asia energy transition fund
British International Investment (BII), a UK development finance institution (DFI), has committed USD 15m to a Southeast Asia-focused energy transition infrastructure fund managed by Switzerland-based Susi Partners.
Exacta seeks $350m for SE Asia fund, wins ADB support
Singapore’s Exacta Capital Partners, a PE firm affiliated with Mizuho Asia Partners, has received USD 25m from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for its latest fund. The target is USD 350m.