Mekong Capital

Last updated
Mekong Capital
TypeLimited Liability
Industry Private Equity
Founded2001
HeadquartersSonatus Building, 25th floor, 15 Le Thanh Ton, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Key people
Chris Freund - Founder and Partner
Number of employees
60
Website www.mekongcapital.com

Mekong Capital is a Vietnam-focused private equity firm. Operating in Vietnam since 2001, Mekong Capital is one of the first private equity firms to engage Vietnam, and has completed 42 private equity investments (including 28 full exits) in Vietnam through 5 funds with more than 60 full-time employees. [1] Mekong Capital has offices in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi. [2] Focusing on manufacturing companies until 2005, Mekong Capital shifted its focus towards consumer-driven businesses in 2006. Mekong Capital is known as a private equity firm that has invested significant resources in the development of its corporate culture, [3] and in the corporate cultures of its portfolio companies, and is the subject of several case studies. [4] [5]

Contents

Mekong Capital won Private Equity International's awards for five years in a row, including Operational Improvement Award for Asian Small Caps for 2013, Frontier Market Firm of the year for 2014, Operational Excellence Award 2015 for the Asia-Pacific Small Cap Category, Frontier Market Firm of the year in Asia for 2016, and Operational Excellence for a small cap investment in Asia for 2017. [6]

Mekong Capital was founded by Chris Freund [7] in 2001. Chris Freund was formerly with Templeton Asset Management, [8] based in Vietnam and Singapore, from 1995 to 2001.

Some of Mekong Capital's well-known investments include:

Exits

By January 2018, Mekong Capital has achieved 24 complete exits of investments that were unlisted at the time of the original investment: Tan Dai Hung Plastic, Duc Thanh Wood Processing, Saigon Gas, Mai Son Retail, Masan Consumer, Minh Phuc Printing, International Consumption Products (ICP), AA Corporation, Goldsun JSC, Lac Viet Computing Corporation, Nam Hoa Wooden Toys, Digiworld, MK Smart, Ngo Han; Venture International, Golden Gate, FPT Corporation, Nam Long, Intresco, Vietnam Australia International School, Phu Nhuan Jewelry (PNJ), Loc Troi Group, Traphaco and The Gioi Di Dong (MobileWorld).

Mekong Capital's Divestment HistoryI

Exit Route2008200920102011201220132014201620172018
Trade sale of controlling interest of company to a strategic investorSaigon GasICPVenture International
Sale of 100% of Fund's shares in a directly negotiated transactionDuc ThanhMai SonMinh Phuc; AA CorporationGoldsun; Lac Viet; Nam HoaDigiworld; MK SmartGolden GateLoc Troi; Traphaco
Sale of Fund's shares via securities marketsTan Dai HungMasan FoodNgo Han; MobileWorldMobileWorldFPT; Nam Long; Intresco; MobileWorld; PNJIIPNJMobileWorld

IIncludes only investments that were unlisted at the time of Fund's initial investment
IIPartial exit

Mekong Capital is holding several other investments in companies that were unlisted at the time of the original investment and are now listed: Traphaco, Phu Nhuan Jewelry, Intresco, and MobileWorld.

Funds

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References

  1. AsiaMoney - Sowing the Seeds of Progress
  2. "PEIAsia - Mekong's Vietnam Venture" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  3. Vietnam Investment Review: The Mighty Mekong Archived 2012-12-15 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Harvard Business School Case Study - Mekong Capital: Building a Culture of Leadership in Vietnam
  5. "London Business School Case Study - Mekong Capital: The Importance of Corporate Culture in Emerging Markets Private Equity". Archived from the original on 2012-07-15. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  6. Mekong Capital wins PEI award for Cong Vang deal
  7. WSJ - Investor Seeks the 'Next China' in Vietnam
  8. Capvent China India Brazil Private Equity Partners Summit 2011 Archived 2011-01-30 at the Wayback Machine
  9. MobileWorld Website
  10. "Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA) Impact Case Study: MobileWorld". Archived from the original on 2012-08-10. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
  11. Mekong Enterprise Fund Archived 2013-04-14 at archive.today
  12. FinanceAsia - Latest Vietnam Private Equity Fund Fully Subscribed
  13. FinanceAsia - Mekong Capital continues to capitalise on Vietnam interest
  14. "Vietnam Azalea Fund". Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
  15. Mekong Capital in fundraising for Fund III
  16. "Vietnam-based PE firm Mekong Capital closes the fifth fund at $246m". DealStreetAsia. Retrieved 2021-05-27.