North Asia
Nippon Investment acquires Japan wine brand
Japanese private equity firm Nippon Investment Corporation (NIC) has acquired the local subsidiary of Germany-based winemaker and distributor Pieroth for an undisclosed sum.
Korea's Viva Republica raises $405m at $7.2b valuation
Viva Republica, operator of the Korean money transfer app Toss, has raised a KRW460 billion ($404 million) round led by US-based Alkeon Capital, at a valuation of around $7.2 billion.
Japan activists: Enablers or destabilizers?
The corporate governance scandal at Toshiba underlines the increasing influence of activist investors in Japan. For private equity firms, there are two sides to the coin
Korea delivery platform Barogo gets $72m Series C
Korean delivery platform Barogo has raised KRW80 billion ($72 million) in Series C funding featuring several local private equity investors, including LB Investment and STIC Ventures.
Japan's SmartHR raises $142.5m at $1.6b valuation
Japanese enterprise software supplier SmartHR has confirmed a JPY15.6 billion ($142.5 million) Series D round led by US-based Light Street Capital. It values the company at about $1.6 billion.
Deal focus: CVC gets intimate with A Bathing Ape
CVC Capital Partners has completed a complex carve-out of Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape from diversified Hong Kong retail group I.T
Japan's Dentsu launches second VC fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu Group has set up its second corporate VC fund with a corpus of JPY10 billion ($91.1 million).
Deal focus: Hahn embarks on Korea dairy turnaround
Beleaguered by a string of scandals and unable to turn the tide of negative publicity, the family owner of Namyang Dairy Products opted to sell to private equity. His first call was to Hahn & Company
Ex-Goldman Japan strategist launches ESG VC fund
Kathy Matsui, formerly vice chair and chief Japan strategist at Goldman Sachs, has launched what is described as Japan’s first global venture capital fund focused on environment, social and governance (ESG).
Vision Fund invests $175m in Korea education start-up
SoftBank Vision Fund 2 has invested $175 million in Korean education app Riiid to build out its artificial intelligence (AI) capacities and advance a global expansion.
Japan's CyberAgent raises $55m for latest VC fund
CyberAgent Capital, a unit of Japanese advertising agency CyberAgent also known as CyberAgent Ventures, has raised JPY6 billion ($55 million) for its third flagship VC fund.
Anchor invests $550m in Japan unit of Korea's Kakao
Anchor Equity Partners, a mid-market private equity firm focused on opportunities in North Asia, with a particular focus on Korea, has invested JPY60 billion ($550 million) in the Japan unit of Korean internet giant Kakao.
Advantage backs Japan coffeeshop chain
Advantage Partners has agreed to invest about JPY7 billion ($64.6 billion) in Tokyo-listed coffeeshop and bakery chain Saint Marc.
Korea's Centroid rallies local support for TaylorMade buyout
Korean GP Centroid Investment Partners is tapping local investors to participate in a KRW1 trillion ($886 million) equity pool in support of its $1.7 billion acquisition of US golf club manufacturer TaylorMade.
Japan's UTEC seeks $275m for Fund V
University of Tokyo Edge Capital (UTEC) has secured a first close of undisclosed size on its fifth deep tech fund and expects to exceed a target corpus of JPY30 billion ($275 million) next month.
Japan microsatellite developer gets $24m Series C
Japanese microsatellite developer Axelspace has raised JPY2.6 billion ($24 million) in Series C funding from a group of domestic VCs, including Sparx Group.
NSSK buys Japan power components manufacturer
NSSK has agreed to acquire the power transmission components division of Fujikura, a listed Japanese electrical equipment manufacturer.
SoftBank increases commitment to second Vision Fund
SoftBank Group has increased its commitment to Vision Fund 2 from $10 billion to $30 billion after a revival in the fortunes of Vision Fund 1 meant the company returned to profit over the past 12 months.
Korea's VIG buys The Skin Factory
Korean mid-market private equity firm VIG Partners has acquired 100% of The Skin Factory, operator of domestic home and personal care products brand Kundal.
LG Chem to anchor IMM's Korea battery fund
IMM Private Equity’s recently established credit unit has launched a KRW400 billion ($353 million) Korea-focused fund that will invest in components for electric vehicle (EV) batteries and other environmentally friendly industrial materials.
Korea's Kakao acquires VC-backed storytelling platform
Radish, a Korea and US-based mobile fiction platform, will be acquired by a unit of Kakao Corporation for $440 million. Its backers include SoftBank Ventures Asia and Kakao.
Japan's Infinity Ventures joins global alliance
Japan’s Infinity Ventures has teamed up with US and Europe-based E.ventures as well as its Brazilian affiliate Redpoint Eventures to form a global VC under the name Headline.
Korea's IMM makes debut credit investment
IMM Private Equity has made the first investment under its newly launched credit strategy, picking up a 40% stake in SK Lubricants, which is controlled by Korean conglomerate SK Group, for KRW1.09 trillion ($984 million).
Japan's JGC, Global Brain launch $46m VC fund
Japanese engineering conglomerate JGC Group has teamed up with local VC Global Brain to establish a JPY5 billion ($46 million) fund targeting industrial sector technology start-ups.