North Asia
VCs invest $25m in Japan's Plaid
Japanese digital marketing services provider Plaid has raised JPY1.5 billion ($25.1 million) from a group of VCs including existing investor Eight Roads Ventures Japan and Femto Partners.
VCs back $12m Series B for Japan's Optical Comb
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has joined a group of VCs in a JPY1.3 billion ($12 million) Series B round for Optical Comb, a Tokyo-based auto industry supplier that uses advanced 3D scanning technology.
CLSA backs MBO of Japan medical IT systems supplier
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has supported a management buyout of NHOSA Corporation, which provides electronic health record (EHR) systems to dental clinics across Japan.
PAG backs Chinese-led acquisition of Japan's Takata
PAG Asia Capital has supported Chinese-owned auto components manufacturer Key Safety Systems (KSS) in its $1.59 billion acquisition of assets held by Takata Corporation, a Japanese company that filed for bankruptcy following a recall of faulty vehicle...
Panasonic invests $100m in US-Japan VC fund
Panasonic has committed $100 million as the sole LP in a fund managed by US-based Conductive Ventures that will focus on helping technology start-ups access Japanese markets.
Japan's KDDI, Global Brain launch third VC fund
Japan’s KDDI Corporation and Global Brain have established their third VC fund with a view to investing JPY20 billion ($187 million) over the next five years.
IMM invests $56m in Korea's Socar
IMM Private Equity has committed KRW60 billion ($56 million) to Socar, a car sharing company based in South Korea.
Tokio Marine sells Japanese food wholesaler to iSigma
Tokio Marine Capital has sold Japanese food wholesale distribution business Shokukai to iSigma, a buyout firm controlled by trading and investment conglomerate Marubeni.
Unison buys Japanese restaurant chain
Unison Capital has acquired Sukesan, a Japanese udon noodle restaurant operator, for an undisclosed sum.
Japan Industrial Partners set for $1.4b fundraise
Corporate carve-out specialist Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has closed the offshore portion of its latest fund and is poised to raise JPY102.3 billion ($996 million) in total once commitments from onshore investors are finalized. There will also be...
Japan benchmarking: Body of evidence
The Japan Private Equity Association is pushing its members towards a performance benchmarking system in the hope that it will help persuade more foreign LPs to back local managers
Q&A: IMM Private Equity’s Joseph Lee
IMM Private Equity’s Joseph Lee discusses the new sectors taking focus away from Korea’s traditional manufacturers, along with the potential for tender offers, IPOs and secondary sales in the market
Deal focus: SBI helps Japan AI player smarten up the road
SBI Investments backs a Japanese start-up focused on improving decision-making technology in self-driving cars
IMM secures 2x return on Korea pharma investments
IMM Private Equity has fully exited its investments in Korean pharmaceutical developers Handok and Genexine.
Hitachi backs Japan-US cross-border GP
Hitachi has agreed to invest an undisclosed sum in a Japan-US cross-border venture capital fund managed by Geodesic Capital that will focus on social problem solving through technology.
SBI backs Japan autonomous driving start-up Ascent
SBI Investment has made the first investment from its artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology fund, leading a JPY1.1 billion ($10.3 million) round for Japan’s Ascent Robotics.
Asia GPs must spend more time, effort extracting value - survey
Asian PE investors must accustom themselves to longer holding periods and more aggressive value creation initiatives if they are to achieve their target returns in a pricey market, according to Bain & Company.
CLSA buys Japanese online appliance business
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired Moa Group, a Japanese online retailer primarily focused on household appliances.
Korean cross-border fund supports US solar panel buyout
The Corporate Partnership Fund (COPA Fund), a cross-border program backed by Korea's National Pension Service (NPS), has joined Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) in the acquisition of three US solar power projects.
Deal focus: Longreach finds its magic beans
Having acquired Japanese coffee shop chain Kohikan, The Longreach Group now hopes to build the family-owned business into a player capable of rivaling the national leaders
VCs invest $27m in Asian expansion for US-based Yogome
US-based Exceed Capital Partners has led a group of international VCs in a $26.9 million investment aimed at supporting an Asian expansion by domestic educational technology company Yogome.
Longreach to buy Japanese coffee shop business
The Longreach Group has finalized the first investment from its third fund with an agreement to buy Japanese coffee shop chain Kohikan Corporation.
Korea Post seeks managers for global co-investment
Korea Post plans to commit $200 million across two funds that offer global private equity co-investment exposure.
Fenox joins Japan's Aisin for $50m automotive fund
US-based VC firm Fenox Venture Capital has partnered with Japan-based automotive parts and systems maker Aisin Group to launch a $50 million investment vehicle aimed at automotive-related technology start-ups.
