 | |
| Company type | Limited Liability |
|---|---|
| Industry | Private Equity |
| Founded | 2001 |
| Headquarters | Sonatus 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 won Private Equity International's awards, 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.[3]
Mekong Capital was founded by Chris Freund[4] in 2001. Chris Freund was formerly with Templeton Asset Management,[5] based in Vietnam and Singapore, from 1995 to 2001.
Some of Mekong Capital's well-known investments include:
- The Gioi Di Dong (MobileWorld) - Vietnam's largest mobile device retail chain, with over 1,300 mobile phone stores, 700 larger-format consumer electronics stores, and 300 mini-supermarkets under its third retail concept, by the time Mekong Capital completed its full divestment.[6] Mekong Capital fully exited The Gioi Di Dong in January 2018, generating a return multiple of 57x and an IRR of 61.1% on a cumulative basis, making it one of the most successful investments in the history of Asia's Private Equity.
- Golden Gate - Vietnam's leading restaurant operator with around 250 restaurants across more than 14 brands.
- Vietnam Australia International Schools (VAS) - One of the largest K-12 private school chains in Vietnam, with 8 campuses for the 2016/2017 school year;
- Traphaco - The market share leader in the manufacturing, branding, and distribution of traditional medicines and herbal supplements in Vietnam;
- Loc Troi Group - The largest distributor of plant protection chemicals in Vietnam, and a pioneer in vertically integrated rice processing in Vietnam;
- Phu Nhuan Jewelry - The largest jewelry retail chain in Vietnam, with over 200 stores;
- Masan Consumer - The largest packaged food FMCG company in Vietnam;
- Asia Chemical Corp (ACC) - The largest locally owned specialty chemical distribution company in Vietnam.