Opinion
Buyout firms optimistic about Japan again
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the signs of positive change in the Japanese private equity industry and that we can be optimistic again about the country (See page 3 of the September 4th edition of AVCJ). This view has more or less been shared by...
GPs' optimism: Korea redux
Despite a few issues, South Korea has always been a favored market for Asian private equity investors. That is hardly surprising as the many of the best performing transactions in the history of the asset class in Asia have come out of Korea. It could...
The sun is rising again for Japanese private equity
Is the Japanese private equity industry finally turning the corner? The simple answer to that is yes.
Nominations open for the 2012 AVCJ Awards
Will it be Hony Capital Fund V, which closed at $2.4 billion in January 2012, becoming China’s largest US dollar-denominated vehicle in four years? The Chinese GP spent barely four months in the market, exceeding its previous vehicle by more than $1...
China take-privates, part 34
One week, two private equity-backed management buyout offers for Chinese companies listed on NASDAQ, and a lot of fuss from (some, but not all) media outlets about how this is the start of something big. It’s not.
History lessons of PE in Asia
With 2012 marking the 25th anniversary of the AVCJ Hong Kong Forum – and, give or take a year, the Asian Venture Capital Journal itself – we have been taking a trip down memory lane for some special content to be released later in the year. This involves...
Asia fundraising: A box-checking exercise
Was I surprised last week to find out that FountainVest Partners had accumulated more than 80% of the capital targeted for its second China fund after less than five months on the road? Not particularly. In a difficult fundraising environment, this particular...
Why Australian take-privates are taking off
A renewal of interest in Billabong International from TPG Capital always seemed likely. When the PE firm first came calling in February with a A$3 per share buyout offer, Billabong’s management refused to budge from its valuation of $4 per share. The...
Plotting the future of China cleantech
Cleantech funds and investment strategies are often difficult to define in China. Some industry participants won’t touch IT, others love it. Some remain wedded to the idea of export-oriented manufacturing, while others loathe it.
Private equity and family conglomerates
There is no avoiding the family conglomerates. Time and again, while researching the Southeast Asia content that forms the bulk of this week’s issue, these large, often widely diversified family-owned businesses crept into conversations. Everyone, it...
Strategic glad-handing
I recall conversations with a number of Asian GPs on how to invest in family-owned businesses that account for such large number of potential acquisition targets for private equity funds in the region. The formula seemed pretty straightforward. It begins...
Before going direct, go local
The way in which global buyout firms have built up their local expertise in Asia in recent years so as to compete more effectively with smaller regional and single-country funds is a clear reminder of the value of having people on the ground. Although...
Rise of the China PIPE deal
It has taken Indian fund managers years to convince their LPs of the merits of PIPE deals, and efforts haven’t been wholly successful. The knee-jerk response, “Why should I pay you fees to invest in companies that I could just invest in myself?”...
Renminbi funds face a new reality
“Do you know a company called [name redacted]?” the colleague asked on the phone. “Yes,” I replied. I had been familiar with the firm and its business model for several years. It is a relatively small outfit based in Shanghai, not widely known...
Renminbi funds face a new reality
“Do you know a company called [name redacted]?” the colleague asked on the phone. “Yes,” I replied. I had been familiar with the firm and its business model for several years. It is a relatively small outfit based in Shanghai, not widely known...
And the winners are…
Congratulations to the winners of the 2012 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards China. For a second year in a row, AVCJ has sought to recognize excellence in private equity and venture capital in China in its annual private equity and venture...
Regional funds and global LPs
One week out of every month, a certain Asia-based fund manager embarks on a trip that takes in three board meetings in three different countries. At each hotel, a packet of documents awaits, which must be reviewed before each meeting. Once he returns...
Helping corporate China go abroad
"Do you have a handle on your own management capabilities? Have you analyzed the cultural differences of the two sides? Do you understand the relationship between unionized labor and management in that place? If the other side's engineers resign, are...
Please vote in the AVCJ China Awards
As the Chinese private equity industry continues to mature, the market has becoming increasingly crowded. The need to distinguish the excellent from the simply good has become more difficult, especially for new LPs and potential portfolio companies, both...
Don’t speak too soon on China buyouts
It has long been accepted that China is not a buyout-friendly market. Sizable assets are either in the hands of entrepreneurs who are unwilling to sell or government-linked entities that are prohibited from doing so. Even if a control transaction is available,...
Creating cross border opportunities
Venture capital and private equity has always played an important role in the transfer of technology, talent and brands names from developed Western markets into Asia. This is perhaps best illustrated by the spate of “me-too” companies that mimicked...
Playing the Asia expectations game
The institutional LPs that attend AVCJ events are a mixed bunch. A few maintain a presence in Asia and are clued up as to the up-and-coming markets and managers, key investment opportunities and general fundraising climate. Another group comprises frequent...
The listening regulator
To ask an Indian private equity professional what he thinks of domestic regulators is to invite a torrent of feedback, most of it critical. “They don’t understand the industry… They don’t listen to what we have to say… They are incompetent…”...
Looking forward, looking back
The first quarter of 2012 will soon be over. The Asian private equity industry seems to be humming along at a steady pace, although there hasn’t been anything particularly dramatic so far. Deal-making has been efficient and routine rather than startling,...