South Korea
Korea's Bespin Global gets $100m Series D
Korea-headquartered cloud services company Bespin Global has raised a USD 100m Series D round led by a unit of Emirates Telecoms Group.
BPEA EQT cancels purchase of Korea's PI Advanced Materials
BPEA EQT – formerly Baring Private Equity Asia – has pulled out of its planned acquisition of a majority stake in Korea-based industrial films producer PI Advanced Materials from Glenwood Private Equity.
Northleaf launches Tokyo office, targets Asian LPs
Northleaf Capital Partners, a Canada-based asset manager that invests in private equity, private credit, and infrastructure, has opened a Tokyo office to spearhead fundraising activity in Asia and is considering the addition of a Korea presence.
Korea's Daesung Private Equity raises $85m metaverse fund
Daesung Private Equity, an affiliate of Korean conglomerate Daesung Group, has launched a metaverse-focused fund with KRW 110bn (USD 84.6m) in commitments.
ACE Equity-backed SPAC acquires US electronics player
ACE Convergence Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) sponsored by Korean PE firm ACE Equity Partners, has completed a merger with US-based electronics manufacturer Tempo Automation. The equity valuation of the business was cut...
Unison Korea targets $680m for Fund III
Unison Capital is targeting KRW 800bn-KRW 900bn (USD 603m-USD 680m) for its third Korea fund, nearly twice what was raised in the previous vintage.
Korea laundry start-up gets $36m Series C
H&Q Korea has led a KRW 49bn Series C round for Korean laundry app provider Laundrygo with support from SoftBank Ventures and Altos Ventures.
One size does not fit all in Asia value creation – AVCJ Forum
Replacing portfolio company CEOs is not part of buyout firms’ value creation playbook in emerging markets, the AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum heard.
Glenwood invests $514m in Hanwha's advanced materials unit
Korean carve-out specialist Glenwood Private Equity has agreed to acquire a significant minority stake in the advanced materials unit of Hanwha Solutions, a listed subsidiary of Hanwha Group, for an enterprise valuation of KRW 680bn (USD 514.2m).
Altos, Mirae join $85m round for Korea sneaker trading platform
Kream, a Korea-based sneaker reselling business controlled by domestic internet giant Naver, has announced plans to raise KRW 170bn (USD 84m) from Altos Ventures, Mirae Asset, and its parent company.
Deal focus: Elevation makes Korea healthcare debut
Adverse fundraising conditions didn’t deter deal-by-deal player Elevation Private Equity from investing in Korea healthcare turnaround, and by extension, aligning with a key domestic partner
Korea pizza chain raises $25m for India push
Korea-headquartered pizza chain Gopizza has raised USD 25m in Series C funding from new and existing backers to drive an India expansion.
Korea autonomous driving player gets $25m
Korea’s Seoul Robotics, which specialises in computer vision for 3D sensors used by autonomous cars, has raised a USD 25m Series B round led by KB Investment.
Fund focus: Glenwood gains traction with carve-out thesis
Korea-focused Glenwood Private Equity has closed its second fund on KRW 900m (USD 648m) from local LPs, having established itself as a mid-market corporate divestment specialist
Profile: Crescendo’s Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee founded Crescendo Equity Partners to spot overlooked Korean technology suppliers and reposition them as global leaders of their niches. This required a rare combination of skills
Korea: A good time to be different?
Macroeconomic uncertainty and liquidity risk are pushing Korean private equity firms to think beyond buyouts, double down on operational capabilities, and consider all their exit options
Affirma leads $217m investment in Korean digital insurer
Affirma Capital has led a KRW 300bn (USD 217m) funding round – at a valuation of KRW 1trn – for Carrot General Insurance, a South Korea-based digital insurer.
Korea's MegaStudy pulls plug on 35% stake sale to MBK
MegaStudy Education, a listed Korean education provider with a market capitalisation of nearly KRW 900bn (USD 660m) has decided against selling a stake to North Asia-focused private equity firm MBK Partners.
Korea medical tech start-up raises $20m Series B
Korea’s Airs Medical, a healthcare technology provider active in diagnostics software and robotics, has raised USD 20m in Series B funding from Klim Ventures, Q Capital Partners, and Hanwha Life Insurance.
Korea's KIC names Hoon Lee as CIO
Korea Investment Corporation (KIC) has appointed Hoon Lee, previously head of its investment strategy and innovation division, as CIO.