North America
PennSERS commits $50m to Asia Alternatives separate vehicle
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (PennSERS) has committed a further $50 million to Penn Asia Investors, a separate account managed by Asia Alternatives that focuses on opportunistic investments in funds across the region. Last year the...
Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering buys Timco from Owl Creek for $389m
Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering (HAECO), a listed aircraft maintenance provider controlled by Swire Pacific, has agreed to buy US-based Timco Aviation Services for $388.8 million from hedge fund operator Owl Creek Asset Managers.
VC-backed Chinese lottery site files for $150m US IPO
VC-backed Chinese sports lottery provider 500.com has made an initial filing to raise around $150 million through an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange.
China’s Sungy Mobile targets $80m US IPO
Sungy Mobile, a Chinese app developer backed by IDG Capital Partners, JAFCO, WI Harper and China Broadband Capital (CBC), is targeting a $80 million IPO and a listing on the New York Stock Exchange. The company, which focuses on apps, widgets and functions...
LP interview: Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Jane Rowe, senior vice president at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, explains the attractions of spin-out GPs in Asia and why co-investment is an important – but not the only – consideration in manager selection
CITIC oils Stackpole’s China wheels
The oil pumps use to lubricate engine parts and reduce friction come in two forms: fixed and variable. The first are usually oversized to handle the harshest operating conditions and therefore deliver higher average oil pressure and consume more power...
Ex-Qiming partner Hans Tung joins GGV Capital
Hans Tung, formerly Beijing managing partner at Qiming Venture Partners, has become a partner at GGV Capital. He is based in Silicon Valley but will be part of GGV’s single team that invests across the US and China.
Yale trims private equity allocation
The Yale University endowment, feted among institutional investors for pioneering a portfolio management model characterized by a relatively heavy exposure to illiquid assets, has trimmed its private equity allocation for the first time since 2005.
Harvard appoints new private equity head
Harvard Management Company (HMC) - the investment arm of Harvard University - has appointed Lane MacDonald as its new managing director of private equity.
Japan's Astellas Pharma leads US-based Mitokyne $45m Series A round
Astellas Pharma, a Tokyo-listed pharmaceutical firm, has led a $45 million Series A round of investment in US biotech start-up Mitokyne, alongside MPM Capital and Longwood Founders Fund.
Silver Lake, Nexus invest in Indian commodity trading platform
Silver Lake Kraftwerk has taken a minority stake in Bangalore-based Eka Software Solutions, a commodity trading and risk management software provider. Existing investor Nexus Venture Partners also participated in the funding round.
South Korea's Troika Resources, Canada's Bellatrix form oil JV
Bellatrix Exploration, a small Canadian oil and gas explorer, has formed a C$240 million ($231 million) joint venture with the South Korea's Troika Resources Private Equity Fund (TRPEF) - which is managed by KDB Bank, SK Energy and Samchully Asset Management...
CITIC Capital, Crestview buy machinery supplier Stackpole
CITIC Capital Partners has teamed up with New York-based Crestview Partners to buy Stackpole International, a North American machinery supplier, from Sterling Group and Current Capital. The transaction value was not disclosed but it is reportedly $512...
Alibaba will not pursue Hong Kong listing
Alibaba Group has decided not to pursue a Hong Kong IPO after efforts to persuade the exchange to accommodate a shareholding structure that allows management to retain control of the business met with a lukewarm response. It is unclear where the listing...
Japan's Mitsubishi launches energy-focused fund-of-funds
Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. has led the launch of a $300 million US energy-focused private equity fund-of-funds. Energy Opportunity Fund is expected to reach its target by September next year.
Singapore's DCP leads $20m Series B for Amaranth Medical
DCP Management has led the $20 million Series B round of funding for Amaranth Medical, a medical device manufacturer. Existing investors Bio*One Capital, Charter Life Sciences and Phillip Capital, as well as new entrant Venstar Capital, also participated.
Tech IPOs: An issue of control
Alibaba Group wants the Hong Kong Stock Exchange to permit a bespoke IPO structure that would allow management to retain board control. By refusing, is the bourse going to forgo more China tech business?
India eases offshore listing rules
Indian companies will be allowed to pursue IPOs overseas without first listing domestically in a move that should please private equity and venture capital investors looking for alternative exit routes. The broader policy objective is to shore up capital...
Horizons Ventures backs Zoom Video Series B round
Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing’s Horizons Ventures, which is known for investments in Facebook and Skype, has led a $6.5 million Series B funding round for Zoom Video Communication, a California-based cloud conferencing operator.
PE-backed Cheniere Energy Partners files for $690m IPO
Cheniere Energy Partners (CEP) - a subsidiary of Cheniere Energy, a US liquefied natural gas (LNG) company backed by Hong Kong's RRJ Capital and Blackstone credit arm GSO Capital - hopes to raise as much as $690million through an IPO on the New York Stock...
Shareholders approve Shuanghui's $4.7b acquisition of Smithfield Foods
Shareholders of US pork producer Smithfield Foods have approved the company's $4.7 billion acquisition by its PE-backed Chinese counterpart Shuanghui International.
MSPEA-backed privatization of Yongye wins board approval
A $339 million management buyout offer for Yongye International, supported by Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia (MSPEA), has won board approval. The US-listed Chinese animal and plant feed maker is now set to be taken private, pending a shareholder vote.
Ontario Teachers keen for more Asia co-investment
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP) expects to become a more active co-investor in Asia, partnering with GPs in the region that offer certain geographic or sector expertise as well as operational capabilities.
WuXi PharmaTech-backed Foundation Medicine sets terms for $75m IPO
US cancer diagnostics firm Foundation Medicine, which counts the corporate venture fund of Shanghai-headquarted WuXi PharmaTech among its backers, has announced the terms for its US IPO.