Southeast Asia
GPs & SPACs: Filthy lucre?
The global SPAC craze is percolating into Asia, with private equity firms among the sponsors. LPs aren’t necessarily comfortable with the development, but there’s only so much they can do about it
Singapore food tech start-up raises $10m seed round
Singapore-based Next Gen, which markets a vegetarian chicken brand called Tindle, has raised $10 million in what is being called the largest-ever seed round in the food tech space.
ESG & operations: Compliance corner
Few mid-market private equity firms in Asia have dedicated ESG personnel and this is not necessarily an obstacle to progress. As compliance and reporting burdens increase, the status quo may change
Malaysia's EPF awards co-investment SMAs to global firms
BlackRock, HarbourVest Partners, and Partners Group have been awarded co-investment mandates by Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund (EPF) totaling $600 million.
Q&A: Affirma Capital's Ivo Philipps
Affirma Capital came into being 18 months ago as Standard Chartered’s private equity team spun out with most of the remaining balance sheet assets. COO Ivo Philipps explains the middle and back office transition
LeapFrog names co-head of healthcare
Asia and Africa-focused impact investor LeapFrog Investments has recruited Biju Mohandas as a partner and global co-lead for healthcare.
COOs in Asia private equity: Horses for courses
The COO role is gradually becoming more prevalent in Asian private equity, but GPs struggle to find the right combination of financial skills and business acumen. The optimal candidate is often internal
B Capital launches SPAC
B Capital Group, a US-based venture capital firm with a presence in Singapore and a significant Asia portfolio, is looking to raise $300 million for a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
KKR loses managing director in Singapore
Terence Lee, a managing director at KKR who leads technology, media and telecom (TMT) and growth equity investments in Southeast Asia, has left the firm.
Q&A: Gushcloud's Althea Lim
Singapore’s Gushcloud, a VC-backed influencer talent agency and content producer, operates at the frontlines of a young, fast-changing media landscape. CEO Althea Lim tours the latest developments
Korean retailer Shinsegae invests in Southeast Asia's Grab
Korean retailer Shinsegae has invested in ride-hailing and online-to-offline services (O2O) platform Grab, as financial and strategic players from Korea and Japan continue their push into Southeast Asian technology unicorns.
Ex-KKR executive to lead Indonesia's sovereign wealth fund
Ridha Wirakusumah, whose previous roles include serving as a director for Southeast Asia at KKR, has been chosen to lead Indonesia's new sovereign wealth fund.
Myanmar: Coup confusion
Myanmar's isolationism is likely to be harder to maintain this time should the military seek a return to its old ways. Investors are watching and waiting, but should they also be considering the ESG implications?
Asia to play larger role in Eurazeo's second smart city fund
Asia is expected to feature more prominently – in terms of investors and investments – in Eurazeo’s second smart city venture capital fund, which has reached a first close of EUR80 million ($97 million).
Temasek CEO steps down
Ho Ching, CEO of Singapore’s Temasek Holdings will step down from the government-controlled investment fund effective October 1. She will retire her board seat on the same date.
L Catterton recruits SE Asia, India leadership
Consumer-focused private equity firm L Catterton has recruited Yock Siong “Song” Tee and Anjana Sasidharan to leadership positions in Southeast Asia and India, respectively.
CDH exits Singapore equipment rental business
Japanese conglomerate Sumitomo Corporation has acquired Singapore-based construction equipment rental business Aver Asia, facilitating a full exit for CDH Investments.
Temasek impact arm leads Series B for Vietnam dental player
ABC World Asia, the impact investment arm of Temasek Holdings, has led a $24 million Series B found for Kim Dental, a Vietnam-based dental clinic operator. Existing backer Aura Private Equity also participated.
Southeast Asia's shadow capital: Out of the darkness
Shadow capital – non-traditional pools of money held by sovereigns and corporates – has become a fixture in Southeast Asia’s tech space. Start-ups stand to benefit, but they must pick partners with care
EQT loses Singapore-based partner Tak Wai Chung
EQT has seen more turnover in its senior Asia team with the departure of partner Tak Wai Chung. The move comes as the firm looks to expand and reposition its business in the region.
VI Group, SIG lead $15m round for Vietnam's Elsa
Vietnam-based English language education app operator Elsa has raised a $15 million Series B round co-led by local private equity firm VI Group and SIG.
Deal focus: iStox finds firmer footing
A clutch of Japanese investors has validated iStox’s blockchain-enabled digital securities marketplace. Now the Singapore-based start-up is taking the idea to new markets
Prosus Ventures appoints head of Southeast Asia
Prosus Ventures, formerly a VC arm of South African conglomerate Naspers, has engaged Sachin Bhanot as its Singapore-based head of Southeast Asia.
Deal focus: Olympus credit team spins out, gets OMERS backing
Olympus Capital Credit has rebranded as Orion Capital Asia, with OMERS replacing Olympus as the firm’s equity partner. The strategy is unchanged, with COVID-19 helping to drive deal flow
