Leo Zhou

Since joining Kirkland & Ellis, Leo has been involved in the following representations: 

• Voyager Innovations, a KKR portfolio company and the leading technology company in the Philippines, on its US$210 million Series C fundraising round (including funding from KKR, Tencent, PLDT, IFC, SIG Venture Capital, EDBI and First Pacific) 
• Hypebeast Limited (HKSE: 00150), a global digital media and e-commerce platform in contemporary lifestyle and culture, on its listing on NASDAQ through a business combination with Iron Spark I Inc. (NASDAQ: ISAA), a special purpose acquisition company. The combined business has a pro forma equity value of US$534 million 
• Poema Global Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: PPGH), a special purpose acquisition company affiliated with Princeville Capital, on its business combination with Gogoro Inc., a global technology leader in battery swapping ecosystems that enable sustainable mobility solutions for cities 
• Artisan Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: ARTAU), a special purpose acquisition company founded by renowned Hong Kong cultural entrepreneur Adrian Cheng, on its business combination with Prenetics Group Limited, a global leader in genomic and diagnostic testing

Prior to joining Kirkland & Ellis, Leo represented clients in the following selected transactions:

• A buyer consortium led by a Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed company and several private equity funds in the going private transaction of a NASDAQ-listed biopharmaceutical company in China, at a valuation of approximately US$4.76 billion
• A private equity firm in the private placement of US$1.05 billion convertible notes issued by a NYSE-listed leading K-12 after-school tutoring services provider in China
• A group of private equity investors in the US$200 million series A financing of a China-based biotechnology company
• A global venture capital fund in multiple rounds of equity financing of an AI-powered operator of digital content platforms in China
• A private equity firm as a lead investor in the US$3 billion series F financing of a China-based operator of short-video platform
• A buyer consortium led by a group of private equity investors in the US$1.5 billion going private transaction of a NASDAQ-listed healthcare services provider in China
• A global venture capital fund in multiple rounds of equity financing of various China-based biopharmaceutical companies
• A private equity firm as a lead investor in the US$125 million series E financing of a Singapore-based AI-powered image-recognition service provider
• A global venture capital fund and a Singapore sovereign wealth fund in the US$320 million series G financing of a Korea-based food delivery service platform
• A China-based fashion group in the acquisition of a Dutch designer and manufacturer of premium jeans