StanChart PE, Motilal Oswal PE, Nexus Ventures, Kotak Realty Funds win APEX’13 Awards

Feb. 25, 2013 - PRLog -- Standard Chartered Private Equity, Motilal Oswal Private Equity, Nexus Venture Partners and Kotak Realty Funds were adjudged the leading investors in the Private Equity, Growth Capital, Venture Capital and Private Equity in Real Estate segments respectively during 2012. The awards were given away as part of the Venture Intelligence “Awards for Private Equity Excellence” (APEX) at APEX’13, the annual conclave of the Indian Private Equity & Venture Capital industry, by Dr.Subir Gokarn, Noted Economist & Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India and Mr. Ashish Chauhan, CEO, Bombay Stock Exchange

Accepting the “Best Private Equity Investor-2012” Award, Nainesh Jaisingh, Managing Director & Global Co-Head, StanChart Private Equity said, "We see this award as recognition of our disciplined approach to investing. StanChart PE continues to remain positive on the opportunities presented by the Indian market, and we look forward to the continued strong  partnership with Standard Chartered's client franchise.” During 2012, StanChart PE had sold its stake in Gujarat-based Agrochemicals and Custom Synthesis firm PI Industries via the public markets realizing a more than 4x return. Its new investments during the year included $45-M in Cryogenic Storage & Transportation firm Inox India; 35-M in equity and a similar amt in debt in publicly listed post product services firm Prime Focus; $32-M in Pepsi bottler Varun Beverages International (in addition to the $56-M it had invested in Jul-11); $24-M in Karaikal Port; $37-M in port management firm Ocean Sparkle and $16-M in Auto Components firm Craftsmann Automation Limited.

Receiving the “Best Growth Capital Investor-2012” Award, Vishal Tulsyan, CEO, Motilal Oswal PE (MOPE) said, "As a firm with a deep understanding of domestic businesses, including in the hinterland, we are excited about the rich opportunities the Indian economy will continue to throw up. The India growth story continues to attract foreign investors who will present PE investors like us good exit opportunities over the next few years." During 2012, MOPE exited from two of its portfolio companies via secondary sales with average returns of over 4x. The firm sold part stakes in Parag Milk Products (in which it originally invested in 2008) to IDFC Alternatives and AU Financiers (in which it had invested over two rounds in March 2008 and March 2010) to Warburg Pincus. The year also saw MOPE making a second close - in both the domestic and offshore vehicles - on its second fund.

Receiving the “Best Venture Capital Investor” Award on behalf of Nexus Ventures – a second time for the firm – Sandeep Singhal, Co-founder & MD, Nexus Venture Partners, said “This award belongs to the many exceptional entrepreneurs who partner with us as Nexus embarks on a journey to make India one of the most innovative economies.  We salute the commitment and exceptional effort of these teams, who  overcome tough challenges to emerge winners. Many of the companies are on paths to create multi-billion dollar enterprises.  It is truly a joy to see  our companies go from mere ideas to platforms that are changing India and the world. The Nexus team is indebted to all our partners - the entrepreneurs, our funding partners, accounting and legal experts and the larger community of government and business leaders”. During 2012, Nexus had sold its stake in data center firm Netmagic (to Japan's NTT) and also closed its third fund with committed capital of about $270 million. The year also saw five of its portfolio companies - US-headquartered Pubmatic, Aryaka Networks and Kaltura and the India-headquartered Bigshoebazaar.com and Sohan Lal Commodity Management - raise significant follow-on investments led by new investors. Nexus also continued to remain among the most VC investors in India investing in six new companies during 2012.

Accepting the “Best Private Equity in Real Estate Investor-2012” Award S.Sriniwasan, CEO of Kotak Realty Fund said, "It has been a gratifying experience to have been among the first fund houses to tap into this new asset class in the Indian market. We at Kotak look forward to capitalizing on our leadership position as the Real Estate investing landscape matures in the years ahead."

Started in 2007, the Venture Intelligence APEX Awards are the first awards of its kind for Private Equity & Venture Capital funds in India. A key feature about the APEX Awards is that the awardees are chosen by a Jury Panel consisting exclusively of Limited Partners (i.e., investors in PE/VC funds). The jury members for the APEX’13 Fund Awards included executives from Adams Street Partners, Asia Alternatives, BlackRock Private Equity Partners, Evolvence India Fund, Gerken Capital, Morgan Creek Capital, Pantheon Ventures, Religare Global Asset Management, Siguler Guff, Squadron Capital and SEDCO.