North Asia
AVCJ Awards 2018: Firm of the Year - Large Cap: Bain Capital
Bain Capital’s recent investment and exit activity underlines the importance of cross-border competencies. The GP also won the awards for Deal of the Year - Large Cap and Exit of the Year - Large Cap
Wooseok Jun to lead ICG Asia Pacific
Wooseok Jun, currently managing director and head of South Korea at Intermediate Capital Group (ICG), has been named head of Asia Pacific for the firm. He replaces Chris Heine, who retired at the end of 2018.
Venture capital: The battle to be different
VC fundraising has been on a roll in Asia as managers raise larger sums to address fast-growing investment opportunities. GPs must consider what – and how much – makes them stand out from the crowd
Rohatyn's Korea team spins out
The Rohatyn Group’s (TRG) Korea team has spun out to form a new private equity firm called Elevation Equity Partners.
AVCJ Awards 2018: Deal of the Year - Mid Cap: Joy Rent a Car
Joy Rent a Car was a small-ticket acquisition by Hahn & Company’s standards, but the GP has big plans to turn the company into a change agent in Korean used car financing
CLSA buys Japan parking lot operator
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has acquired 100% of Ecolo Holdings, a Japanese parking lot business that operates primarily under the name Ecolocity.
Polaris buys filling station technology business from Hitachi
Japan’s Polaris Capital Group has agreed to buy Hitachi Automotive Systems Measurement (HASM), an automotive components subsidiary of Hitachi Corporation.
Axiom Asia completes $1.6b fundraise
Axiom Asia has closed its fifth regional fund-of-funds at $1.39 billion - beating the target of $1.01 billion - and also raised $210 million for its first dedicated co-investment vehicle.
AVCJ Awards 2018: Fundraising of the Year - Mid Cap: Japan Industrial Partners
With $1.4 billion in dry powder at its disposal, Japan Industrial Partners has the firepower to target a wider variety of corporate carve-out opportunities
Deal focus: Cool Japan helps Spiber spin chic new web
Cool Japan has taken a new angle on its cultural investment thesis with Spiber, a biotechnology developer bringing next-generation materials to the apparel industry
The crystal ball: Predictions for 2019
Industry participants share their outlooks on some of the biggest economic drivers of the day, including fast-growing sectors and shifting deal making factors across Asia’s varied markets
Deal focus: Bonchon flies the coop
VIG Partners acquires Bonchon, a Korean-headquartered fried chicken restaurant chain with a global presence, with an eye to growing the business worldwide
CVC makes partial exit as Arteria raises $193m in Japan IPO
CVC Capital Partners has made a partial exit from Arteria Networks as the Japanese enterprise-focused broadband provider raised JPY21.9 billion ($193 million) in its Tokyo IPO.
2018 in review: Volatility vortex
Pan-regional funds attract the bulk of capital while the renminbi space withers; mixed fortunes for internet IPOs and trade sales; big buyouts fail to deliver but growth-stage tech stays strong
Japan's Axelspace gets $23m Series B
Axelspace, a Japanese start-up focused on ready-to-launch microsatellite technology, has raised a JPY2.6 billion ($23 million) Series B round led by Global Brain and property developer Mitsui Fudosan.
Korea's Viva Republica raises $80m at $1.2b valuation
Kleiner Perkins and Ribbit Capital have led an $80 million funding round for Viva Republica that values the Korean financial technology start-up at about $1.2 billion.
Baring Asia pursues privatization of Japan's Pioneer
Baring Private Equity Asia has agreed to privatize Pioneer Corporation through a two-stage revitalization plan that will see it invest JPY102 billion ($905 million) in the struggling Japanese conglomerate.
Japan Post Capital leads $26m Series E for Sansan
Japan Post Capital has led a JPY3 billion ($26.4 million) Series E round for Sansan, a Tokyo-based company that applies cloud technology to business card management services.
Salesforce launches $100m Japan VC fund
Enterprise software giant Salesforce has launched a $100 million fund via its venture investment unit that will focus on cloud-based technologies in Japan.
Google joins Series C round for Japan's Abeja
Google has participated in a Series C round for Japanese corporate analytics player Abeja, taking the company's cumulative funding to JPY6 billion ($53 million).
Ardian opens Korea office
Ardian has opened an office in South Korea – its fourth in Asia – in order to service the needs of a growing investor base in the region.
Cool Japan leads $44m round for Spiber
Cool Japan Fund has led a JPY5 billion ($44 million) round for Spiber, a domestic biotechnology developer focused on synthesizing protein-based materials that simulate characteristics of spiderwebs.
Morgan Stanley's Matsuyama joins Carlyle Japan
The Carlyle Group has named Tomofumi Matsuyama (pictured), a former executive at Morgan Stanley, as a managing director of its Japan buyout team.
VIG buys global Korean fried chicken franchise
VIG Partners has agreed to buy a 55% stake in Bonchon International, a Korean fried chicken restaurant brand with 325 outlets across eight countries. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
