Japan
Japan Industrial Solutions backs beleaguered Sharp
Turnaround specialist Japan Industrial Solutions (JIS) has invested JPY25 billion ($208 million) in ailing electronics group Sharp as part of JPY225 billion bailout.
Japanese e-payment service Paidy expands Series A to $8.3m
Arbor Ventures has led an additional $5 million round of funding for Exchange Corporation (ExCo), the Japanese start-up behind e-commerce payment and instant credit service Paidy.
CLSA backs Japanese food and beverage maker
CLSA Capital Partners have invested an undisclosed sum in Asamiya, a Japanese low-cost food and beverage (F&B) manufacturer.
Deal focus: CITIC tries Mark Styler on for size
China's appetite for fashion is massive and growing. A recent report by the Fung Business Intelligence Centre put the country’s apparel retail market at around RMB1.14 trillion ($187 billion) in 2013, up 11.6% from the previous year. China is expected...
Q&A: Unison Capital's Tatsuo Kawasaki
Unison Capital is in the process of raising its fourth Japan-focused fund. Tatsuo Kawasaki, a partner at the firm, discusses how government policy and market dynamics might impact its deployment
SIMI's Arora appointed COO of SoftBank Group
SoftBank Corp. has named Nikesh Arora - CEO of SoftBank investment unit SoftBank Internet & Media Inc.(SIMI) - as the Japanese telecom and internet conglomerate's new president and COO.
Babson closes Asia mezzanine fund at $177m
Babson Capital Management has reached a final close of $177.2 million on its latest Asia-focused mezzanine fund.
PE to exit as Japan's Recruit buys Wahanda
Japan’s Recruit Holdings has acquired UK-based Hotspring Ventures, the company behind online hair and beauty marketplace Wahanda, for JPY4.5 billion ($37.6 million), providing an exit for the company’s VC backers.
Thailand payment services provider gets Series A round
Indonesian venture capital fund SMDV has a $2.6 million Series A round for Thailand-based payment solutions start-up Omise.
CITIC Capital buys Japan apparel brand
CITIC Capital has acquired Japanese women's apparel company Mark Styler for an undisclosed sum.
Fund focus: Unison hones in on South Korea
Comparisons can be drawn between Unison Capital’s debut Korea buyout fund and its first Japan vehicle raised more than 15 years ago. The targets are small- to mid-size companies that have growth potential but need help realizing it, particularly in...
Unison closes debut Korea fund at $280m - update
Japan-based private equity firm Unison Capital has closed its first-ever Korea-dedicated buyout fund at approximately KRW300 billion ($280 million).
Indonesia's Kudo gets Gree Ventures, East Ventures backing
Japan's Gree Ventures and East Ventures have led a undisclosed Series A round investment in Indonesian online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce start-up Kudo.
CVC adds to Japan team
CVC Capital Partners has boosted its Japan team with two hires from domestic GP Advantage Partners. Atsushi Akaike and Yukinori Sugiyama have joined as partner and senior managing director, respectively.
VC-backed news app Gunosy sees modest gain after Tokyo IPO
Shares in Gunosy - a Japanese news app developer backed by the venture capital firm Jafco, telecoms company KDDI Corp. and B Dash Ventures - is up marginally on its IPO price after two days trading in Tokyo.
Unison sells Asahi Tec casting assets to India's Amtek Auto
Asahi Tec, a Japanese auto-parts supplier controlled by Unison Capital, has agreed to sell a portfolio of companies covering casting and forging to India's Amtek Auto.
Mitsui leads $21m round for India's Naaptol
Japanese trading house Mitsui has led a INR1.36 billion ($21 million) round for India home shopping and e-commerce start-up Naaptol Online Shopping. Existing investors New Enterprises Associates (NEA), Canaan Partners and Saama Capital also took part.
Japan's Rebright launches $20m fund for India start-ups
Rebright Partners - an early-stage investor backed by a consortium of Japanese internet companies - has formed a JPY2.4 billion ($20 million) fund to invest technology start-ups in India.
Integral, ANA agree joint sponsorship of Japan's Skymark
Tokyo-based private equity firm Integral Corp. has reached an agreement with local airline operator ANA Holdings to invest JPY18 billion ($150 million) in ailing Japanese carrier Skymark.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
Japan's Dentsu launches $42m corporate venture fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu has established a new corporate venture capital arm, Dentsu Ventures, and launched a new fund with a corpus of JPY5 billion ($42 million).
Accel, Recruit Holdings back Australia's 99designs
Australia-founded online design marketplace 99designs has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Recruit Strategic Partners, with existing investor Accel Partners also participating.