North Asia
Japan's Coral Capital raises $127m for latest VC fund
Japan’s Coral Capital has confirmed a first and final close of JPY14 billion ($127.4 million) for its third venture capital fund. The vehicle is more than twice the size of its predecessor.
VIG makes partial exit from Korea funeral services business
Korea’s VIG Partners has sold a 10% stake in funeral services provider Preed Life to Mastern Partners, a local PE platform, for KRW50 billion ($43.2 million).
VIG buys Korea waste-to-energy business
Korean private equity firm VIG Partners has acquired a controlling stake in waste-to-energy (WTE) facility operator BioEnergyFarmAsan for about $100 million.
Japan's Shiseido sells US makeup brands to Advent
Japan’s Shiseido has extended a program of non-core divestments with the sale of three of its US makeup brands to Advent International for $700 million.
CBC-led consortium buys Bain's stake in Korean botox maker
A consortium led by Asia healthcare-focused private equity firm CBC Group has agreed to acquire a 46.9% interest in Hugel, a South Korean manufacturer of botox and other health-related pharmaceuticals, for KRW1.7 trillion ($1.5 billion).
Korea's Danggeun Market raises $162m at $2.7b valuation
DST Global has led a $162 million Series D round for Danggeun Market, operator of Korean flea market app Karrot, at a valuation of $2.7 billion.
Affirma invests $100m in Korea cloud services provider
Affirma Capital has secured a third deal for its latest Korea fund, with an agreement to invest $100 million in Metanet T Platform, a local cloud managed service provider (MSP).
Singapore's Antler opens Korea office
Antler is extending an aggressive expansion with the opening of a Korean office. The Singapore-based incubator and VC investor has set up 11 overseas bases since its inception in 2017.
Vision Fund pulls back from China amid regulatory uncertainty
SoftBank Vision Fund is taking a “wait and see” approach to China, holding back on new investments in the country until the full ramifications of regulatory action in the technology sector are known.
Affirma invests $77m in Korean steelmakers
Affirma Capital has acquired a majority stake in two steel manufacturing subsidiaries of Korea-based industrial conglomerate SeAH Group for $76.9 million.
Japan's iSpace raises $46m Series C
Japan’s Incubate Fund has led a JPY5.1 billion ($46.5 million) Series C round for iSpace, a local lunar exploration technology developer firming up an ambitious calendar of missions.
Activist target Japan Asia Group agrees asset sale to Carlyle
Japan Asia Group (JAG) has revived plans to sell stakes in two key subsidiaries to The Carlyle Group, six months after a similar transaction was abandoned in the face of opposition from activist investors. The deal is worth JPY58.5 billion ($534 million)....
Japan sneaker marketplace raises $56m
SoftBank Ventures Asia has led a JPY6.2 billion ($56.4 million) Series C round for Japanese sneaker marketplace and e-commerce start-up Soda.
Deal focus: IMM sees structural change in home decor
Having agreed to provide a succession solution to the founder of Korean furniture retailer and interior designer Hanssem, IMM Private Equity wants to harness growth through demographics and differentiation
J-GIA carves out furniture business from Japan's Seven & i
Japan Growth Investments Alliance (J-GIA) has agreed to buy a majority stake in furniture and home décor business Francfranc – which has stores in Japan and Hong Kong – from Seven & i Holdings, the parent of 7-Eleven.
Deal focus: Fujitsu Ventures updates ancient grains
Fujitsu is bringing blockchain to the rice industry with a ramped up corporate VC agenda. Digital transformation is the goal; food security and sustainable trade are the outcomes
Portfolio: Integral Corporation and Nitto FC
Japan’s Integral Corporation treads lightly in the conservative agriculture space as it helps fertilizer maker Nitto FC evolve from an owner-centric culture to a more distributed power structure
Vision Fund commits $1.7b to Korean travel start-up Yanolja
Yanolja, which claims to be South Korea’s only travel industry unicorn, has received $1.7 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2. There are no other investors in the round.
Fujitsu VC unit backs rice trading platform
Fujitsu, one of Japan’s largest IT companies, is backing the world’s first digital global rice trading platform in the debut deal from its latest corporate VC fund.
GP profile: Unison Capital
Unison Capital hones its game and holds tight to its heritage as one of the pioneers of private equity in Japan, even as its tentacles begin to span the breadth of Asia
Korea's Kurly raises $200m, targets domestic listing
Korean grocery delivery platform operator Kurly has raised a $200 million Series F round at a valuation of $2.2 billion, as plans for a US IPO are scrapped in favor of a local listing.
Advantage, Tokyo Century agree Japan battery carve-out
Advantage Partners is making another investment alongside Tokyo Century Corporation – which bought a stake in the GP two years ago – with an agreement to buy a battery business controlled by local conglomerate Showa Denko.
Baring Asia secures $324m exit from Korean courier business
Baring Private Equity Asia has sold Korean courier company Logen, ending an eight-year holding period that featured a disputed – and aborted – sale to CVC Capital Partners followed by an arbitration proceeding.
Japan's Advantage adds renewables strategy
Japan’s Advantage Partners has broadened its investment scope with the introduction of a renewables and sustainability strategy.