Malaysian private equity firm Creador is reportedly planning to launch its fifth fund by March 2021 and is targeting a fund size of $650 million. Focusing on growth capital investments, Creador primarily targets companies in Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Although the firm has not yet announced the fund, Brahmal Vasudevan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Creador, has told DealStreet Asia that the fund will continue to focus on Southeast Asia and India.
In July 2019, Creador closed its fourth venture fund at $565 million, exceeding its hard cap of $550 million. The firm is targeting to exceed that amount in its current fund.
Creador was founded by Vasudevan in 2011 wherein it launched with a $130 million maiden fund. Creador has a total of $1.5 billion in Assets Under Management across its four funds to date.
Vasudevan, in an interview with The Ken (republished on the Creador website), says the firm is uniquely positioned in straddling India and Southeast Asia. “So I think that is our aspiration: to build Creador to be one of the top private equity names in this corridor between South Asia and Southeast Asia,” he said, also highlighting that Creador’s sweet spot for investment is between $20 to $50 million.
In terms of successful exits, the firm cashed out on its investments in Indian financial services provider Cholamandalam in 2016, Somany Ceramics, GHL Systems, and City Union Bank all in 2017, as well as partial exits in Repco (2014) and Old Town White Coffee (2017). The firm has successfully exited Mr. DIY upon its IPO, the biggest of Bursa Malaysia, at $370 million. It has also reportedly partially exited its investment in Indonesia-based packed food and beverage manufacturer Cimory Group as of February 2020.
Featured image: Creador Founder and CEO Brahmal Vasudevan