HESTA
Superfunds top-up Series B for Australia's Morse Micro
Five Australian superannuation funds have backed a AUD 30m (USD 20.4m) investment in local Wi-Fi chipmaker Morse Micro, extending a recent Series B round to AUD 170m.
Australia VC player Blackbird closes $647m fund
Blackbird Ventures has raised AUD 1bn (USD 647m) for its latest fund, which will invest in “generational” technology companies in Australia and New Zealand. It is the largest ever VC fund raised by an Australia-based manager.
IFM's decarbonisation credentials attract Australian LPs
Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) has committed AUD 80m (USD 57.5m) to IFM Investors’ mid-market growth fund, which achieved a second close of AUD 380m at the end of 2021.
HESTA backs PEP-owned Australia software business
HESTA has acquired a A$120 million ($85 million) equity stake in Australian enterprise software and IT services provider Citadel, following its merger with medical practice software specialist Genie Solutions.
Australian rocket developer gets $45m Series C
Australian rocket developer Gilmour Space Technologies has raised a A$61 million ($45 million) Series C round featuring local investors Blackbird Ventures and Main Sequence Ventures.
Australia's Blackbird raises $357m for fourth fund
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has raised A$500 million ($357 million) for its fourth fund and named Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes as chairman.
LPs & climate change risk: Numbers game
With more information at their fingertips, institutional investors are better positioned to understand and act on climate risks and opportunities in their portfolios. But private markets are still playing catchup
Australian LPs and co-investment: Willing partners
The difficulties NZ Super encountered with its now-defunct global direct investment unit offer pointers for Australian LPs looking at how to resource and structure co-investment programs
Coronavirus & fundraising: Caught in a bind
The coronavirus outbreak has implications for PE fundraising well beyond China. Many Asia-based managers are either unable to go and see LPs or LPs are not permitted to visit them
Deep GP-LP relationships not defined by co-underwriting - AVCJ Forum
Institutional investors in Australia and New Zealand are looking to establish deeper relationships with portfolio GPs – and while co-investment is part of the dynamic, it doesn’t necessarily stretch to co-underwriting.
Australia's Blackbird completes Fund I strip sale
Australia’s Blackbird Ventures has completed a GP-led secondary transaction whereby StepStone Global and HESTA have acquired interests from its debut fund for approximately A$100 million ($69 million).
LeapFrog raises $700m for third impact fund
LeapFrog Investments has raised $700 million for its third fund with a view to investing in healthcare and financial services companies in emerging Asia and Africa. It initially targeted a corpus of $600 million.
LP interview: HESTA
As demand for private equity grows among institutional investors globally, HESTA is focusing on building its internal unlisted assets expertise to connect with potential fund managers on their own terms
Australian LPs strengthen GP ties through co-investment - AVCJ Forum
Australian LPs want to establish deep relationships with portfolio GPs – where they can play an additive role in the investment management process – and see co-investment as one of the best ways of achieving this.
Australia's AVCAL appoints local LP as new chair
The Australian Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (AVCAL) – which will be known as the Australian Investment Council from next year – has appointed its first chairperson from the local institutional investor community.
ESG: Digging deeper
Comprehensive adoption of responsible investment protocols in private equity is being driven by a handful of players within the global LP community. They must continue to establish industry best practice
Australian LPs consider diversified approaches to PE - AVCJ Forum
Australian LPs are increasingly interested in non-traditional structures in private equity as they find that fund investment programs no longer offer the flexibility, fee burden and scale of deployment to meet their needs.
Australian LPs and domestic VC: Toe in the water
Australian super funds are showing renewed interests in domestic venture capital, supporting firms that offer flexible structures with co-investment opportunities. Can this approach work for all GPs?
Australia infrastructure: Ideal owners
Australian pension funds are keen to invest in a raft of infrastructure privatizations, with some of the proceeds earmarked for new projects. But more can be done to get long-term capital into greenfield infrastructure
Pension funds in infrastructure: Ideal owners
Australian pension funds are keen to invest in a raft of infrastructure privatizations, with some of the proceeds earmarked for new projects. But more can be done to get long-term capital into greenfield infrastructure
Australian super funds warn of regulatory impact on PE - AVCJ Forum
Australian superannuation funds that are not facing imminent payout deadlines remain committed to private equity, although managers say the more complex regulatory environment can hinder their approach to the asset class.
Q&A: HESTA's Andrew Major & QIC's Marcus Simpson
Andrew Major, general manager for investments at HESTA and Marcus Simpson, head of global private equity at QIC, share their views on PE performance and where the best investment opportunities lie