North Asia
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.
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.