Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

Alibaba Group Holding  / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with US ADRs, after having looked at HK, India, Japan and Korea earlier.</li>
<li>This list has been compiled on a best effort basis from tracking the company filings and through various other sources</li>
<li>The deals you see in this note are only a part of our full IPO pipeline tracker. Feel free to drop us a message for additional information on these IPOs.</li>
</ul>


In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with US ADRs, after having looked at HK, India, Japan and Korea earlier.
This list has been compiled on a best effort basis from tracking the company filings and through various other sources
The deals you see in this note are only a part of our full IPO pipeline tracker. Feel free to drop us a message for additional information on these IPOs.


Aequitas 2024 Asia IPO Pipeline - US ADRs

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs, Douglas Research Advisory

Douglas Kim

Korea/Asia, Events, IPOs

Private Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>Yanolja is the largest travel app in Korea and it is also considered to be the second largest property management software provider in the world after Oracle.</li>
<li>In July 2021, Softbank Group Corp's Vision Fund II agreed to invest $1.7 billion in Yanolja, for a 25% stake in the company.</li>
<li>Yanoljia is a well known app for booking hotels in Korea. The company's business model has expanded to providing property management software products and services.</li>
</ul>


Yanolja is the largest travel app in Korea and it is also considered to be the second largest property management software provider in the world after Oracle.
In July 2021, Softbank Group Corp's Vision Fund II agreed to invest $1.7 billion in Yanolja, for a 25% stake in the company.
Yanoljia is a well known app for booking hotels in Korea. The company's business model has expanded to providing property management software products and services.


Yanolja: Largest Travel App in Korea & Second Largest Property Management SaaS Provider Globally

<ul>
<li>There is a strong possibility of the launch of corporate growth fund private companies ETFs in Korea in 2023. </li>
<li>Once government gives final approval to launch the unlisted Korean companies ETFs in 2023, there is likely to be much greater interest in investing and researching in private Korean companies.</li>
<li>Starting next year, there is a strong probability that we will spend a lot more time on researching and writing about these promising, private companies in Korea. </li>
</ul>


There is a strong possibility of the launch of corporate growth fund private companies ETFs in Korea in 2023. 
Once government gives final approval to launch the unlisted Korean companies ETFs in 2023, there is likely to be much greater interest in investing and researching in private Korean companies.
Starting next year, there is a strong probability that we will spend a lot more time on researching and writing about these promising, private companies in Korea. 


Launch Of Unlisted Korean Companies ETFs in 2023 & How Our Smartkarma Research Would Change

<div class="content-highlight">
In this insight, we provide further details of Yanolja which has become the second largest investment for Softbank in Korea, after Coupang. In July 2021, Softbank Group Corp's Vision Fund II agreed to invest $1.7 billion in <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-15/softbank-invests-1-7-billion-in-korea-s-yanolja-ahead-of-ipo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yanolja, </a>which is getting ready for an IPO in 2H 2021/2022.
Established in 2005, Yanolja is considered to be the second largest property management software provider in the world after Oracle. Yanolja plans to use the investment to expand overseas and further invest in improving its technologies. Softbank's investment in Yanolja valued the company at about <a href="https://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01095526629143384&amp;mediaCodeNo=257&amp;OutLnkChk=Y" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9 trillion won</a> ($8 billion). Currently, Yanolja has about 1,500 employees, including about 1,000 employees in Korea and 500 employees overseas. 
<a href="http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20190612000473" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yanolja</a> became a unicorn in June 2019 when it received a $180 million Series D round investment valuing the company at more than $1 billion. It is astounding how this company's valuation has jumped nearly 8x in the past two years. In addition to Softbank, other investors in Yanolja include GIC, Booking Holdings, Skylake Investments, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sbi-investment-korea-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17244:1" rel="noopener">Sbi Investment Korea (019550 KS)</a>, and Aju IB Investments.
Softbank's recent investment in Yanolja would suggest a P/S multiple of 31x, which is very high. In November 2020, Yanolja selected <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/006800:KS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mirae Asset Daewoo Co.</a> as a lead arranger along with <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/quote/016360:KS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Samsung Securities Co.</a> as a co-underwriter. The company has yet to determine whether it would list in the U.S. or in Korea.
</div>


In this insight, we provide further details of Yanolja which has become the second largest investment for Softbank in Korea, after Coupang. In July 2021, Softbank Group Corp's Vision Fund II agreed to invest $1.7 billion in Yanolja, which is getting ready for an IPO in 2H 2021/2022.
Established in 2005, Yanolja is considered to be the second largest property management software provider in the world after Oracle. Yanolja plans to use the investment to expand overseas and further invest in improving its technologies. Softbank's investment in Yanolja valued the company at about 9 trillion won ($8 billion). Currently, Yanolja has about 1,500 employees, including about 1,000 employees in Korea and 500 employees overseas. 
Yanolja became a unicorn in June 2019 when it received a $180 million Series D round investment valuing the company at more than $1 billion. It is astounding how this company's valuation has jumped nearly 8x in the past two years. In addition to Softbank, other investors in Yanolja include GIC, Booking Holdings, Skylake Investments, Sbi Investment Korea (019550 KS), and Aju IB Investments.
Softbank's recent investment in Yanolja would suggest a P/S multiple of 31x, which is very high. In November 2020, Yanolja selected Mirae Asset Daewoo Co. as a lead arranger along with Samsung Securities Co. as a co-underwriter. The company has yet to determine whether it would list in the U.S. or in Korea.


Why Did Softbank Invest $1.7 Billion in Yanolja in Korea?

Telco/Internet specialist

Kirk Boodry

Redex Research

Equity Bottom-Up

Softbank has boosted its Vision Fund 2 commitments to $40bn even as a series of recent investments have been concurrent with IPOs or just before. These are effectively investments in public equities, nominally what Northstar covers, but with some optionality on a valuation pop if demand is high although that has not happened so far. Confirmation today of a $1.7bn investment in Korean online travel firm Yanolja appears to be an extension of this trend. The series of late-stage investments also highlights a lack of activity at VF2’s collection of SPACs which were created with these kinds of targets in mind. China weakness appears to be settling but Softbank shares remain range-bound at a mid-40% discount to underlying public values.

Softbank has boosted its Vision Fund 2 commitments to $40bn even as a series of recent investments have been concurrent with IPOs or just before. These are effectively investments in public equities, nominally what Northstar covers, but with some optionality on a valuation pop if demand is high although that has not happened so far. Confirmation today of a $1.7bn investment in Korean online travel firm Yanolja appears to be an extension of this trend. The series of late-stage investments also highlights a lack of activity at VF2’s collection of SPACs which were created with these kinds of targets in mind. China weakness appears to be settling but Softbank shares remain range-bound at a mid-40% discount to underlying public values.

Softbank Group - Vision Fund 2’s Late-Private Investments Blur the Lines with Northstar

South Korea

Yanolja Co., Ltd. provides online accommodation services. The Company offers motels, pensions, guesthouses, and other accommodations information search and reservation services. Yanolja also offers budget hotel franchise and travel and date course services.

Yanolja (1521384D KS)

Aequitas 2024 Asia IPO Pipeline - US ADRs

In this note, we will look at the Asia Pacific IPO pipeline for 2024, following up with US ADRs, after having looked at HK, India, Japan and Korea...

Sumeet Singh

Yanolja: Largest Travel App in Korea & Second Largest Property Management SaaS Provider Globally

Yanolja is the largest travel app in Korea and it is also considered to be the second largest property management software provider in the world...

Douglas Kim

Launch Of Unlisted Korean Companies ETFs in 2023 & How Our Smartkarma Research Would Change

Once government gives final approval to launch the unlisted Korean companies ETFs in 2023, there is likely to be much greater interest in investing...

Douglas Kim

Why Did Softbank Invest $1.7 Billion in Yanolja in Korea?

We provide further details of Yanolja which has become the second largest investment for Softbank in Korea. In July 2021, Softbank Group Corp's...

Douglas Kim

Softbank Group - Vision Fund 2’s Late-Private Investments Blur the Lines with Northstar

A series of VF investments at or just before the IPO seem to overlap with Northstar's role whilst highlighting a lack of SPAC activity. Meanwhile, ...

Kirk Boodry