North Asia
Activist investors in Japan: Governance gambit
Japan's governance reforms have given activist investors more leverage over underperforming companies. PE firms are well positioned to offer solutions to these targets in the form of carve-outs, privatizations, or partnerships
Japan robotics: Friendly faces
Japan’s home robotics industry is still in its early stages, and considerable work is required to create devices that can both appeal to everyday consumers and meaningfully contribute to their lives
Japan outbound M&A: Looking for growth
Unable to find growth at home, Japanese companies are looking for it overseas. Private equity investors can be helpful in everything from execution to integration, provided they can prove their credentials
Japan demographics: New normal, new entries
Private equity investors see potential for growth in Japan’s demographic contractions. Countercyclical and tangential consolidation strategies are the preferred gambits in a churning macro environment
Q&A: Intel Capital's Takayuki Sasaki
Takayuki Sasaki, investment director for Japan at Intel Capital, discusses how the country fits into Intel’s overall strategy along with Japan’s burgeoning entrepreneurial culture and corporate VC investment
Japanese LPs: Stirring giants
Japan’s LP landscape is in a state of flux as several large-scale investors ramp up their alternatives programs. The industry must prepare itself, in terms of personnel, structures, and expectations
Japan's Mercari set for $1.2b IPO
Japanese consumer-to-consumer marketplace Mercari – which has several VC backers – is set to raise JPY130.5 billion ($1.18 billion) in its domestic IPO after pricing the offering at the top end of the indicative range.
Japanese LPs: The long walk
PE firms have been trying to open up the Japanese LP market for years. Now that local institutions are showing a greater appetite for alternatives, it is unclear who will manage their investment programs
VIG nets 2.1x return on Korea price comparison site deal
VIG Partners has agreed to sell its controlling stake in Summerce Platform, operator of the Korean online price comparison website Enuri.com, to local e-commerce player Koreacenter for KRW105 billion ($97.8 million).
Deal focus: Hahn & Co finds its place in auto retail
Hahn & Co has completed carve-outs of a used-car retailer from SK Group and a car rental business from CJ Group with a view to pursuing consolidation in Korea's automobile retail and services space
Talent shortages hinder Asian LPs' private equity returns
Asian LPs see a shortage of qualified professionals capable of executing investment programs as the biggest obstacle to improving their private equity returns.
VIG invests $129m in Korean eyewear retailer
VIG Partners has agreed to pay KRW137.5 billion ($129 million) for an approximately 42% stake in Korean beauty contact lens and fashion sunglasses retailer Star Vision.
Japan's Advantage buys Malaysian packaging manufacturer
Advantage Partners has completed the buyout of Malaysian plastic bottle manufacturer Plastic Centre through its recently closed $380 million Asia fund.
Japan's Gumi raises $30m for blockchain VC fund
Gumi, a Japanese mobile game publisher backed by a number of VCs, has secured $30 million for a venture capital fund that will invest in blockchain and cryptocurrency start-ups.
Korea Post Insurance to allocate $200m to global buyout funds
Korea Post Insurance plans to allocate $200 million to as many as three managers focusing on global buyouts, predominantly in North America and Europe.
SoftBank's Japanese AI incubator targets $55m fund
Deepcore, a Japanese incubator focused on artificial intelligence (AI) that was set up last year by Softbank Corp, has launched a fund targeting JPY6 billion ($55 million) for seed to early-stage companies.
Longreach to exit Japanese mobile content platform
The Longreach Group has agreed to sell Japanese mobile content provider Cybird to Aeria, a listed online gaming platform, for JPY7 billion ($64 million).
Korean drug developer raises $21.8m Series B round
TiumBio, a South Korean drug developer working on treatments for cancer, diabetes and hemophilia, has secured KRW23.5 billion ($21.8 million) in Series B funding.
Fund focus: Advantage set for Asia ex-Japan push
Advantage Partners aims to build on the firm's experience connecting Asian entrepreneurs with opportunities in Japan in its first Asia-focused fund
Profile: SparkLabs Group's Bernard Moon
Bernard Moon, co-founder of SparkLabs Group, has helped bring a global approach to seed investment. Early work bridging US and Korean start-up cultures clarified the value in going cross-border early
Japan Post Bank targets $76.5b alternatives portfolio
Japan Post Bank plans to increase the size of its alternatives portfolio more than fivefold in the next three years to JPY8.5 trillion ($76.5 billion). More than JPY2 trillion of this will be allocated to private equity.
Bain-led Toshiba carve-out approved by Chinese regulators
A consortium led by Bain Capital Private Equity has won approval for the acquisition of Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC) from China’s antitrust authorities, clearing the last major obstacle to the JPY2 trillion ($17.8 billion) transaction closing.
JD.com invests in PE-backed Asia logistics platform
Chinese online retailer JD.com has invested $306 million in e-Shang Redwood (ESR), a private equity-backed pan-Asia logistics operator and fund manager.
Japan's Advantage closes debut Asia fund at $380m
Japanese GP Advantage Partners has closed its first Asia-focused fund with total commitments of $380 million. Investments have already been made in China, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
