Northstar Group Secures First Round of Its Fifth Fund, Targeting 12.5 Trillion Rupiah

The private equity company, Northstar Group has just announced the first round of Northstart Equity Partner V Limited fund (Northstar V). The fifth fund is to focused on the early-stage to growth-stage startups in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

The first round has represented one third of Northstar V target at US$800 million or equivalent to 12.5 trillion Rupiah, following the two previous flagship funds. In this first round of Northstar V, Northstar Group has raised over US$2 million managed funds.

Some investors come from sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies, institutional investors, family offices, and other high-net-worth individuals.

“As a regional investment company, we set three investment lines for Northstar V, namely financial services, consumers, and digital economy; based on an analysis of insight market data and our experience in tagging along the company’s portfolio,” Head of Corporate Affairs Northstar Group Hiro Whardana told DailySocial.

Furthermore, he mentioned the representation plans, “At the planning stage, we are yet to define specific percentages for each investment line. The selection of funds will be based on our analysis regarding the balance of potential return and investment risk.”

As previously mentioned, Northstar portfolios are quite diverse. In terms of digital landscape, they also invest in some startups, including Gojek, Zenius Education, and three Vietnam-based startups named UPgen, Tiki.vn, and Topika.

“Specifically for the early-growth stage startup, we are currently focusing on the existing portfolio, however, there is always a possibility to explore more deals,” he added.

Northstar Group was founded in 2003 by Patrick Walujo and Glenn Sugita. In 2006, Northstar Group raised its first funding, Northstar Equity Partners (NEP) Limited for US$ 110 million. Followed by NEP II (US$ 285 million) in 2008, NEP III in 2011 (US$ 820 million), and NEP IV in 2014 (US$ 810 million). The company is backed by 27 professional teams in Singapore and Indonesia.

“The Indonesian market, and Southeast Asia in general, offer attractive medium and long-term investment opportunities supported by continuous rapid growth. It is driven by favorable demographic factors, increased consumption and economic standards of the citizen, and literature in education and digitalization,” Northstar Group’s Co-Founder & Managing Partner Patrick Walujo said.

Glenn Sugita, Northstar Group Co-Founder & Managing Partner added, “In this uncertain situation, we want to be the capital provider and partner of choice for business owners in managing challenges and maximizing opportunities in the future. We will continue to bring not only capital to our portfolio companies but also the expertise and experience we have gained in various sectors and business cycles.”


Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian

Northstar Group Bukukan Tahap Pertama “Fund” Kelimanya, Targetkan Dana 12,5 Triliun Rupiah

Perusahaan private equity Northstar Group baru-baru ini mengumumkan telah merampungkan tahap pertama pendanaan Northstar Equity Partner V Limited (Northstar V). Fund kelima ini akan difokuskan untuk berinvestasi di perusahaan tahap early stage dan growth yang berada di Indonesia dan Asia Tenggara.

Tahap pertama pendanaan ini merepresentasikan sekitar sepertiga dari total target Northstar V sebesar US$800 juta atau setara 12,5 triliun Rupiah, serupa dengan dua flagship funds Northstar sebelumnya. Dengan perampungan tahap pertama Northstar V, Northstar Group kini memiliki lebih dari US$2 miliar dana kelolaan.

Beberapa investor yang turut mendukung termasuk dari kalangan sovereign wealth funds, perusahaan asuransi, investor institusional, family offices, serta investor high net worth individual.

“Sebagai perusahaan investasi regional, kami menetapkan tiga tema investasi untuk Northstar V, yakni financial services, consumers, dan digital economy; berdasarkan analisa dari insight data market dan pengalaman kami mendampingi portfolio company,” ujar Head of Corporate Affairs Northstar Group Hiro Whardana kepada DailySocial.

Lebih lanjut Hiro menjelaskan mengenai rencana pengucuran dana tersebut, “Pada tahap perencanaan, kami tidak secara spesifik mendefinisikan persentase untuk masing-masing tema investasi tersebut. Penentuan penggunaan dana  akan didasari oleh analisa kami mengenai keseimbangan potensi return dan risk investasi.”

Seperti diketahui, sebelumnya cakupan portofolio Northstar cukup beragam. Di lanskap digital, mereka berinvestasi kepada beberapa startup termasuk Gojek, Zenius Education, dan tiga startup asal Vietnam yakni UPgen, Tiki.vn, serta  Topica.

“Specific untuk early growth stage startup, saat ini kami masih akan lebih fokus pada portfolio yang ada, tapi tidak menutup kemungkinan untuk tetap melakukan eksplorasi deal yang ada,” lebih lanjut Hiro menjelaskan.

Northstar Group didirikan tahun 2003 oleh Patrick Walujo dan Glenn Sugita. Pada tahun 2006, Northstar Group menghimpun pendanaan pertamanya yaitu Northstar Equity Partners (NEP) Limited sebesar US$110 juta. Diikuti berturut-turut oleh NEP II (US$285 juta) pada 2008, NEP III di 2011 (US$820 juta) dan NEP IV di 2014 (US$810 juta). Perusahaan didukung 27 tim profesional di Singapura dan Indonesia.

“Pasar Indonesia, dan Asia Tenggara pada umumnya, menawarkan peluang investasi jangka menengah dan panjang yang menarik dengan didukung oleh kelanjutan pertumbuhan yang pesat. Pertumbuhan ini akan dipacu oleh faktor demografis yang menguntungkan, peningkatan konsumsi dan standar ekonomi masyarakat, serta kemajuan edukasi dan digitalisasi”, sambut Co-Founder & Managing Partner Northstar Group Patrick Walujo.

Glenn Sugita, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Northstar Group menambahkan, “Dalam situasi yang penuh ketidakpastian ini, kami ingin menjadi penyedia permodalan dan mitra pilihan bagi pemilik bisnis dalam mengelola tantangan serta memaksimalkan kesempatan di masa depan. Kami akan terus menghadirkan tidak hanya kapital untuk perusahaan portofolio kami, melainkan juga keahlian dan pengalaman yang kami dapatkan di berbagai sektor dan siklus bisnis.”