HarbourVest expands into South Korea and Israel

HarbourVest Partners has opened new offices in Seoul and Tel Aviv. Minjun Chung will lead the Seoul office while Ilan Rosen will helm the Tel Aviv office.

PRESS RELEASE

3 December 2015 – HarbourVest Partners, a leading private markets investment specialist, has today announced new locations in Seoul, South Korea and Tel Aviv, Israel.

The launch of the new offices increases HarbourVest’s global presence to a total of nine locations around the world. The firm’s new locations in Seoul and Tel Aviv will be led by Principal Minjun Chung and Ilan Rosen, respectively.

Peter Wilson, Managing Director, HarbourVest Partners, said,
“We are very pleased to announce our latest global offices in Seoul and Tel Aviv. These offices will enable us to expand on our long history and track record in both markets and broaden relationships with clients and investment partners on the ground.

“Ilan Rosen has worked with us for over a decade and has been instrumental in establishing our local presence in the Israeli market. Similarly, Minjun Chung has developed the firm’s business in South Korea over the past five years and we’re confident that under his leadership our growth in the market will continue.”

Asia has been an important market for HarbourVest for more than two decades. The firm was an early private equity player in the region, making its first investment in a local fund manager in 1984 and establishing a presence in Hong Kong in 1996, Tokyo in 2010 and Beijing in 2012. Mr. Chung has been focusing on identifying primary, secondary, and direct co-investments in South Korea over the past five years, as well as establishing relationships with local investors.

Tel Aviv will mark HarbourVest’s second office in EMEA after London. The firm has been active in the Israeli market for over a decade, first investing in the region in 1996. Ilan Rosen will be joining HarbourVest as a Principal having worked closely with the firm in a consultancy capacity for over 12 years. During this time Mr. Rosen has been focused on the firm’s activities in Israel and managed client relationships and services for Israel-based investors and consultants.

Both locations will continue to play a critical role in HarbourVest’s work with investors on their investment strategies, including co-mingled funds and customized solutions.

Biographies of Minjun Chung and Ilan Rosen:
MINJUN CHUNG
Minjun joined HarbourVest in 2011 and focuses predominantly on investments and relationships in the North Asia region. He also leads Korean business development activities.

He joined from Qatar Holding where he was involved in direct investments as well as portfolio company management. Prior to that, Minjun spent two years as a senior associate with Pantheon Capital (Asia), focused on primary, direct, and secondary investments across Asia Pacific. His previous experience also includes two years at McKinsey & Company and two years at Samsung Corporation.

Minjun received a BA in Economics from Yonsei University in South Korea in 2003 and an MBA from INSEAD in 2008. He is a native Korean speaker and is also fluent in Japanese.

ILAN ROSEN
Ilan has worked with HarbourVest for over 12 years as a Consultant in Israel. He will be officially joining our team as a principal in late 2015. In addition to heading HarbourVest’s Tel Aviv office, his focus is on managing the firm’s activities in Israel while overseeing client relationships and services for Israel-based investors and consultants.

Ilan has over 27 years of private equity experience. He began working with HarbourVest while serving as Chairman of the Board of Tdsoft – now magicJack VocalTec, a NASDAQ company and former HarbourVest portfolio company. Additionally, he held various investment roles in Israel’s private equity sector, including working as General Manager of Adsha, an Israeli investment company traded on the Tel Aviv stock exchange.

Ilan received a BS (cum laude) in Mechanical Engineering from Tel Aviv University in 1979 and an MBA from Tel Aviv University in 1986.

About HarbourVest
HarbourVest is an independent, global private markets investment specialist with more than 30 years of experience and $37 billion in assets under management. The Firm’s powerful global platform offers clients investment opportunities through primary fund investments, secondary investments and direct co-investments in commingled or separately managed accounts. HarbourVest has more than 300 employees, including 86 investment professionals, across Asia, Europe and the Americas. This global team has committed more than $30 billion to newly-formed funds, completed over $13 billion in secondary purchases, and invested $5 billion directly in operating companies. Partnering with HarbourVest, clients have access to customized solutions, longstanding relationships, actionable insights, and proven results.

To learn more about HarbourVest visit www.harbourvest.com