This article was first published in the business section of
www.rediff.com on June 18, 2013
http://www.rediff.com/business/slide-show/slide-show-1-special-why-india-china-are-hot-spots-for-vcpe-investors/20130618.htm
Benefits
of VC/PE investments
Venture
Capital investments are early-stage monetary investments made in new start-up
firms that have a high growth potential. Not only do Venture Capital and Private
Equity investments provide efficiency in business processes and ensure high
level of corporate governance, they provide access to capital for business. The
enhanced visibility that the company gains due to association with high profile
investors, positively impacts its top and bottom lines.
VC/PE investments become a
preferred source of funding for Indian firms
The
Indian VC/PE industry made a slow start in the late 1980’s under the
encouragement of financial institutions like Industrial
Development Bank of India, Industrial Finance Corporation of India and
Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India Ltd.
The Indian Government
framed venture capital investment guidelines in 1988, followed with guidelines
for foreign investments in 1995. Many international VC firms entered India during
1995-2000. Some of the early entrants were Technology Development and
Investment Corporation of India Ltd (TDICI) and Gujarat Venture Finance.
Chinese firms follow suit in their
preference for VC/PE investments
The
Chinese VC/PE industry is almost as old as its Indian counterpart. Most of the
VC/PE investments were made by foreign companies and institutions.
In
the early 2000s, the Chinese government enforced foreign investment restrictions
accompanied with regulations related to investment vehicles. This slowed down
the growth of the VC industry.
In the subsequent years, the Chinese government
amended some of the existing regulations. This led to gradual and significant
developments in the industry.
Development
of the VC/PE markets in both countries are broadly classified into three phases
VC/PE
industry in Asia
Source: Private Equity in China 2012, PWC
In the
“Early Years” (2000-2004) there were very few successful deals and transactions.
Growth in the number of investments, exits and fund size was modest. The
investment cycles became longer and M&A was the typical exit strategy.
The
“Boom Years” (2005-2007) were characterized by a significant increase in the volume
and number of transactions. Exit strategies evolved, with IPOs becoming the
most preferred in China and Trade Sales in India. Short investment cycles
became the order of the day.
The “Crisis Years” (2008-2010) witnessed
a significant drop in the volume of investments from and a continuous decrease
in the number of IPOs.
India
and China have become attractive destinations for global VC/PE investors, but
China has shown better returns
Source:
KPMG Study on Indian PE industry
Despite
growth in domestic investments, both India and China in recent times have
attracted international investments. The Asian PE investors have been earning
returns which have met or surpassed expectations.
Factors
like overall consistent economic growth and macroeconomic conditions in the two
countries have attracted many foreign investments. Other contributory factors
were, increase in the number of experienced management teams, successful exits
which made investors confident about the safety of their funds and returns,
plus an increase in the volume of investments and number of transactions.
However, according to a KPMG study,
returns from the Chinese PE industry have outshone returns from its Indian
counterpart.
India
is steadily competing with China to emerge as leader
of the Asian VC/PE market
Annual VC/PE investments in India
Source: Bain India PE Report 2012
According to the Bain
India PE Report 2012, India’s was the fastest growing market for VC and PE
investments in the year 2011. Most Indian companies seeking VC investments
are in the early stages of growth and belong to the low and medium market range.
Most of the investments in the industry are
through foreign endowment funds, sovereign funds and other wealthy investors. PE
Investors brought in investments worth $14.8 Billion in 2011, which was a
straight increase of 55 per cent compared to 2010. With a total of 531, the
number of closed deals in 2011 was up by over 40 per cent.
Breakup of deals in India during 2011
Source: Bain India PE Report 2012
VC/PE funded firms
perform better than their non VC/PE funded peers in India
Impact on Profitability on PE
backed companies in India over 10 years
Sales performance of PE backed
companies in India over 10 years
Source: Venture Capital Intelligence Report 2012
When
compared on different economic performance parameters such as sales,
profitability, exports, labour wages, and R&D, VC/PE backed firms have
consistently performed better than their non VC/PE funded peers. They
registered a higher CAGR over a period of 10 years from 2000-10.
Given the better performance of VC/PE funded firms, not only did
the total VC investments display an upward trend, the number of exits declined dramatically
by 30 per cent in 2011.
Factors
contributing to the success of VC investments in India
Firstly,
given the volatile economic environment in India, promoters do not have much
confidence in equity as a capital raising tool for businesses. Thus, VC
investments have become a good substitute for equity.
Secondly,
the increasing cost of funds, coupled with high cash reserve ratios, has led to
high interest rates. This has made debt markets unattractive for promoters
seeking funds.
The
third factor, which has encouraged promoters seeking VC/PE funds, includes
business challenges related to volatile supply and demand situations, pricing
pressures, etc. The VC/PE investors not only infuse the requisite capital, they
also bring to the table vast expertise and business networks, and help
companies meet different business challenges.
Current environment prevalent in the
Indian VC/PE market
The prospects of the Indian VC/PE industry have been
brightened by considerable initiatives by the Indian government. Income tax announcements
in the second quarter of 2012 included reduction in the capital gains tax and
deferrals. The announcement also proposed rationalization of the General Anti
Avoidance Rules (GAAR) and regulation of the Alternative Investment Funds (AIF)
by SEBI.
However,
the Indian VC/PE industry still has a long way to go. The number of large scale
investment opportunities in India is only 500; opportunities available in China
and USA are 1150 and 3500 respectively.
VC/PE
industry in China is on a high growth trajectory
No.
of investment deals and volume of VC investments in China from 2001 to 2012
Source: China VC/PE Market Review, 2012
–Zero2IPO Research
Starting with a modest 100
transactions per year up till 2003, China has established itself as one of the
premier players in the emerging VC/PE industry. By end 2007, the number of
deals surged to 719. There are now more than 6,000 VC/PE firms in the country. China’s
most popular financial districts, Beijing and Shanghai, account for over three-quarters
of the total VC deals and a third of the invested value.
In a
short span of about 15 years, the VC/PE industry in China has experienced an exponential
increase in AUM, volume of investments in target companies, and also in the
number of domestic and foreign investors.
Surge in domestic
and international VC/PE fundraisers in China
Fundraising through PE funds in China
Source: China VC/PE Market Review, 2012 –Zero2IPO
Research
Since 2006, Chinese
PE/VC firms have invested approximately $126 billion in multiple small and
medium sized companies from different business sectors and domains. During the
same period, over $261 billion was raised through foreign and domestic
investors, with majority funds being raised
by domestic managers. Despite the growth, the number of foreign firms investing
in the domestic currency, RMB, is still small. Most international groups,
particularly from the US are increasingly managing both RMB and USD funds.
Current
environment prevalent in the Chinese VC/PE market
VC Investments in China in 2012 by (a). no.of deals and
(b) Investment Amount
Source: China VC/PE Market Review, 2012
–Zero2IPO Research
A significant development
in the Chinese VC/PE industry was the launch of “ChiNext” in 2009, which
like NASDAQ is a stock exchange for small and medium sized start-ups funded by VC
investors. About 60 percent of the SMEs listed are backed by RMB funds, hence
providing the investors with exit options like IPOs.
Another notable development is the Chinese government’s decision to allow
institutions to invest in VC/PE funds. For example, the China Insurance Regulation
Commission (CIRC) has allowed the Chinese Insurance Companies to invest up to 4
percent of their assets in domestic PE funds. This could potentially free
assets worth $33 billion for PE funds.
PE Investments in China in 2012 by (a). no.of deals and
(b) Investment Amount
Source: China VC/PE Market Review, 2012
–Zero2IPO Research
A significant development in the Chinese VC/PE
market has been the growth in the number and amount of funds raised in the
domestic currency (RMB). Of the total investments in 2010, the RMB denominated
funds accounted for 60 percent of the total VC funds and 40 percent of the PE
funds. A remarkable development in 2012 was that out of the total funds, about US$2.81
billion was raised through 74 RMB funds and US$567 million was raised through five
foreign currency funds.
Exit by VC/PE
firms in India
VC/PE
exits in India during 2010-11
Source: Bain India PE Report 2012
Where 2010 witnessed 123 exits by
PE investors, 2011 recorded only 88 such exits. This trend continued in Q2 of 2012 as there were only 11 closure
announcements which to $0.8 billion.
The dull environment in the exit market can be attributed to
weak public markets. The primary reason for this was the premium valuation of
deals done during the recessionary period of 2008-09. Such high valuations made
it difficult to achieve attractive exit IRRs.
Exit strategies prevalent in India
Exits in India in 2011
Source:
Bain India PE Report 2012
Non-IPO Exits during
2011-12 in India
Source:
E&Y PE Round up India, 2012
Exit options mostly
preferred include buy back, IPO, M&A, open market and secondary sales. Considering
that the PE investors have a minority stake, the funds are dependent on how they
agree to the timing and terms of exits. When there is a phase of less
investments and successful exits prevalent in the market, most managers seem to
be anxious about the liquidity of their investments.
Attributing to the weak public markets, the number of exits
through the IPO route reduced, leading the way to secondary sales and buybacks.
Open market exits became the most preferred non-IPO exit route in the Q1 and Q2
of 2012. However, a strong Indian PE industry requires an active and strong IPO
market.
Exit scenario in China
No. and modes of Exits in China during 2007-12
Source: PwC Report on
China’s VC/PE Industry, 2012
The exit scenario
in China was very limited and slow until 2003. The period between 2003 and 2005
recorded several PE exits with a surge in exits reported in the first phase of
the investments. The reason for this was attributed to the persisting bull
phase in the market.
The first peak in the exit activity was recorded in 2007. The
reported 167 exits in 2007 were 6.5 times the exits in 2003. From then on, IPOs
became the most preferred exit route. Out of the total exits, 94 exits were
through IPOs. M&A has also emerged as an attractive exit option.
Exit strategies prevalent in China
No.
of VC/PE deals and VC/PE backed IPOs in China during 2002-12
Source: PwC Report on China’s VC/PE Industry, 2012
Listing of PE backed firms in different exchanges
Source: Zero2IPO Research Report, 2012
The trend of choosing IPO as an exit option continued in 2012.
IPOs accounted for 77.34 percent of the total 128 exits in the year. The
largest PE backed IPO in 2011 raised over $855 million and was achieved by NYSE
listed Renren, which was backed by the PE investors General Atlantic and DCM.
Secondary sales and
M&As are non-IPO exit channels that have become prominent in China.
Most PE backed companies are considering listing themselves on
the domestic “ChiNext” stock exchange rather than going abroad. This trend can
be attributed to the Chinese Government’s efforts at strengthening their VC/PE
industry through undertaking many investor friendly measures such as improving
governance and transparency.
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