LDS Investments
is a family office investment platform established in Hong Kong
ABOUT US
LDS Investments is an investment platform established in Hong Kong by Chul-joo (CJ) Lee and led by Chul-joo (CJ) Lee and Homer Sun.
Chul-joo (CJ) Lee began his career in investment banking before becoming a founding member of Affinity Equity Partners, one of the largest Pan-Asian private equity firms. As Managing Partner overseeing over US$12 bn in assets under management, he led and executed a number of market-defining investments, across multiple countries in Asia in a wide range of industries. CJ retired from Affinity in 2023 to focus on running his family office and other family businesses.
Homer Sun began his career as an M&A lawyer and M&A banker before becoming CIO at Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia, a leading Pan-Asian private equity firm. Overseeing over US$4 bn in assets under management, he led numerous milestone private equity transactions in Asia and managed portfolio construction for over 60 buyout and growth investments in the region. Homer retired after 20 years at Morgan Stanley to focus on entrepreneurial pursuits.
Leveraging CJ and Homer’s extensive private equity experience, LDS's investment objective is to achieve long-term, outsized returns by focusing on lower middle market (LMM) private equity co-investments and LMM managers with a focus on North America and Europe. LDS believes the LMM offers unique access to less efficient price discovery, multiple levers to create value and, ultimately, high alpha opportunities with the right manager and deal selection.
We strongly believe the key to achieving our goal lies in forming strong partnerships with like-minded investors. We are motivated to combine our investing experience and expansive network in Asia with the expertise and drive of our partners. We strive to build long-term relationships with these partners that extend far beyond economic gain, where through the journey of investing we can become friends.
OUR VALUES
LONG-TERM
As permanent capital, the long-term time horizon is at the core of everything we do. We believe that while short-term movements can swing performance either way, consistent results over the long run define who we are and how we invest.
RELATIONSHIPS
Relationships are at the heart of our activities and investments. We firmly believe that the kind of value we strive to create can only be achieved through actively helping our partners. Many of the firms and individuals with whom we partner have become long time friends.
INTEREST ALIGNMENT
Actively aligning our interest with our managers and funds, and constantly reviewing this alignment is very important for us. We achieve this by actively participating in co-investments, introducing our network to opportunities, sharing new strategy ideas, and assisting in divestment ideas and opportunities. By opening up our network to the best managers, and assisting our managers by introducing them to our network, we ensure all interests are continuously examined and aligned.
NETWORK
We recognize a strong and diverse network is key to achieving our goals. Throughout the years we have amassed a network of investors, funds, leading corporates in their industries, and family offices across Asia. We consistently work together with them to share and compare ideas, invest together, check references, and make meaningful referrals and introductions. Building upon this network and bringing as many as possible into our circle of long-term partners and friends is at the heart of our success.
WHAT WE DO
Our investments are executed through two main initiatives.
The first is a core portfolio consisting of investments in outstanding external managers who share our values and whom we believe to be the best-in-class. While we invest in established players, we welcome smaller, emerging managers who have unique and differentiated perspectives and value propositions.
The second initiative consists of direct investments that seek to take advantage of existing or emerging secular trends, or tactical investments that take advantage of market dislocation and near-term inefficiencies.