North Asia
Japan's Aspirant buys beauty brand John Masters Organics
Japanese middle-market private equity firm Aspirant Group has agreed to acquire John Masters Organics (JMO), a personal care brand with a sizeable presence in East Asia, for an undisclosed sum.
Deal focus: Hahn finds rich pickings in SK Group
Hahn & Company’s USD 1.3bn acquisition of an industrial materials unit from SKC is its fifth deal involving SK Group in four years. Being a good custodian is regarded as key to securing repeat business
Crypto: Something for everyone?
Traditional VCs are becoming more active in Asia’s blockchain and web3 space, despite structural and philosophical obstacles to participation. Can they withstand the crypto winter?
Deal focus: VCs back steppingstones to immortality
Japan’s Alt is quicky commercialising a suite of learning voice recognition products as part of a plan to capture individuals’ personalities and values in a process it calls digital cloning
Korea's Hahn & Co targets $3.25b for Fund IV
Hahn & Company has set a target of USD 3.25bn for its fourth Korea-focused fund, which will include a co-investment sidecar of unspecified size.
Japan personal 'clone' AI start-up gets $26m
Japan’s Alt, an artificial intelligence (AI) developer that personalises deep learning systems to make what it calls digital clones of people, has raised a JPY 3.5b (USD 26m) round featuring Vertex Ventures.
Japan's Luca Science secures $30m Series B
Luca Science, a Japanese biotech start-up focused on dysfunctional and damaged tissues and organs, has raised a USD 30.3m Series B round led by life sciences specialists 4BIO Capital and DCI Partners.
Affirma targets Korea private debt, secondaries
Affirma Capital is expanding its Korean coverage with the launch of dedicated private debt and secondaries businesses following a relaxation in local regulations.
Japan VC: Late-stage crossroads
Japan’s late-stage technology start-ups are finally beginning to attract meaningful attention from global investors. They should not pop open the champagne
Japan's T Capital buys Fujitsu semiconductor memory assets
Japanese mid-market buyout firm T Capital Partners has agreed to carve out Fujitsu’s semiconductor memory chip business for an undisclosed sum.
Korea autonomous driving tech supplier raises $25.5m
Korea’s Autocrypt, a connected mobility technology supplier targeting the autonomous driving sector, has raised a USD 25.5m Series B round featuring STIC Ventures and Hyundai Venture Investment.
Japan biotech start-up raises $31m Series C
Japanese cancer drug developer Chordia Therapeutics has raised JPY 4bn (USD 31.3m) in Series C funding led by Growth Capital of Japan (GCJ) and UTokyo Innovation Platform.
Mitsui, Nomura acquire real assets manager New Forests
Japan’s Mitsui & Co. and Nomura Holdings have agreed to acquire 100% of New Forests, an Australia-headquartered sustainable real assets investment manager focused on forestry, land management, and conservation.
Japan Industrial Solutions supports troubled local drug maker
Japan Industrial Solutions (JIS) has agreed to invest up to JPY 20bn (USD 155m) in Japan-based generic drug manufacturer Nichi-Iko Pharmaceutical with a view to saving the troubled company.
Deal focus: Elevation targets Lumena uplift
Elevation Equity Partners sees Korean consumer electronics brand Lumena as a diamond in the rough, with high margins, quality products, and scope for domestic and international expansion
DST, WiL lead Series C for Japan's Upsider
DST Global and World Innovation Lab (WiL) have led a JPY 15bn (USD 115m) Series C round for Upsider, a Japan-based corporate credit card issuer. It is said to be the first time DST has taken the lead role in a Japan deal.
Korean home interiors start-up gets $182m Series D
OHouse, a consumer-facing platform in South Korea used for sourcing materials and services relating to home furnishing and interior decorating, has raised USD 182m in Series D funding.
Korea space tech start-up gets $8m
Korean microsatellite and space data analysis start-up NaraSpace Technology has raised KRW 10bn (USD 8m) from Korea Development Bank (KDB) and several local VC firms.
Japan's J-Star closes fifth fund on $574m
Japanese lower middle-market private equity firm J-Star has closed its fifth flagship fund at the hard cap of JPY 75bn (USD 574m). The target was JPY 65m.
KKR launches tender offer for Japan's Hitachi Transport System
KKR has launched a tender offer for Hitachi Transport Systems at a valuation of approximately JPY 749.5bn (USD 5.8bn) after agreeing to acquire parent company Hitachi’s controlling stake in the business.
Deal focus: Goldman embraces Japan robotics
Rapyuta Robotics offers solutions flexible enough to plug into existing warehouse infrastructure and nurtures ambitions to create a cloud-based operating system. This was enough to win over Goldman Sachs
Vision Fund backs Japan's AI Medical Service
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has led a JPY 8bn (USD 70m) Series C funding round for AI Medical Service, a Tokyo-based medical technology company that has developed an artificial intelligence-enabled (AI) endoscopy diagnostic solution.
VIG buys Korean healthy beverage brand
VIG Partners has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Teazen, a South Korean producer of tea-based health drinks, for approximately USD 70m.
Japan's Hitachi mulls divestment of logistics unit
Hitachi has confirmed it may divest its logistics unit, Hitachi Transport System, following a report that KKR was poised to buy the asset for more than JPY 600bn (USD 4.69bn).