East Ventures, a leading venture capital firm in Southeast Asia, announced the successful closure of its inaugural GP-led secondary transaction. The deal was facilitated by Coller Capital, a prominent global secondary firm, and provided liquidity to limited partners (LPs) in East Ventures 5 L.P. (EV5), boosting the fund’s distributions-to-paid-in capital (DPI) to approximately 2.0x.
Since its inception, EV5 has been a top-performing fund, focusing on seed and early-stage investments in Southeast Asian tech companies. Its portfolio features prominent names such as IDN and Waresix, which continue to drive growth within East Ventures' ecosystem of high-performing startups.
The transaction includes a profit participation structure, ensuring LPs achieve strong returns while retaining opportunities for future growth. East Ventures remains an active shareholder in its portfolio companies, offering strategic guidance, operational value, and access to its Southeast Asia-wide network.
Strategic Partnership with Coller Capital
Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures, emphasized the significance of the partnership with Coller Capital, stating, “We are pleased to partner with Coller Capital in a fast and efficient process to design a solution that not only provides our limited partners with an attractive liquidity milestone but also the opportunity to continue our valued partnership with the entrepreneurs and management teams in these companies. We believe the portfolio is well positioned to benefit from the secular tailwinds of the Indonesian growth story, particularly with the rise of its digital economy.”
Coller Capital shared similar enthusiasm about the collaboration. Peter Kim, Partner and Head of Asia and RMB at Coller Capital, remarked, “We are proud to partner with East Ventures to lead this transaction in Southeast Asia, an exciting market where we see great growth potential. The transaction exemplifies Coller’s expertise in delivering innovative, tailor-made liquidity solutions and building alignment with both sponsors and their limited partners.”
This transaction underscores the dynamic evolution of Southeast Asia’s venture capital and secondary markets. It reflects the growing maturity of the region’s tech ecosystem and highlights the increasing role of secondary deals in providing liquidity to investors while supporting future growth.
The deal was advised by UBS Private Funds Group, with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher serving as legal counsel for East Ventures. Debevoise & Plimpton advised Coller Capital.
PHOTO: EASTVENTURES
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