North Asia
J-Star acquires Japan drug wholesaler Genex
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has taken a controlling stake in local pharmaceuticals wholesaler Genex for an undisclosed sum.
SoftBank joins $60m Series B for Korean payments player
SoftBank Ventures Asia has joined a $60 million Series B round for Korean payments technology start-up Chai.
Deal focus: Japan GPs see upside in specialized staffing
CLSA Capital Partners’ sale of Japanese staffing services player Qit to Advantage Partners reveals enduring private equity interest in potentially shaky categories made sturdy by specialization
Japan's Integral completes $1.2b fundraise
Integral Corporation has become the second independent Japanese private equity manager since the global financial crisis to surpass $1 billion in fund size, closing its fourth mid-market buyout vehicle at the hard cap of JPY123.8 billion ($1.18 billion).
Japan’s JIC invests four local start-ups
Japan Investment Corporation (JIC) has backed four local start-ups via its new VC unit. This includes a JPY3 billion ($29 million) commitment to business digitization consultant Monstar Lab.
Portfolio: VIG Partners and Joun Life/Preed Life
By merging Joun Life with Preed Life, VIG Partners’ groundbreaking venture into Korean funeral services is reimagining an industry beyond its core ceremonies
Korea's MegazoneCloud raises $122m Series B
Korean enterprise cloud services provider MegazoneCloud has closed a $122 million Series B round featuring more than 20 investors, including at least eight private equity firms.
Asia travel & hospitality: Ready to board?
The outlook for international tourism remains uncertain, but this hasn’t stopped some private equity and venture capital investors targeting travel and hospitality assets in Asia. It pays to be selective
VC unit of Japan's KLab spins out, rebrands as Anobaka
KVP, the VC unit of Japanese mobile games company KLab, has spun out as an independent entity under the name Anobaka.
Ex-Capital Dynamics executive gets Japan fund-of-funds mandate
Kazushige Kobayashi, formerly of Capital Dynamics, has won a fund-of-funds mandate from the Tokyo government to be managed by a dedicated team set up under Asian alternatives group MCP Asset Management.
CLSA sells Japan outsourcing business to Advantage
CLSA Capital Partners has sold Japan-based industrial sector human resources outsourcing business Qit to Advantage Partners for an undisclosed sum.
Japan's MedVenture closes second fund at $95m
MedVenture Partners, a Japanese VC firm focused on medical devices, has closed its second fund with JPY9.9 billion ($95 million) in commitments.
J-Star acquires Japanese homeware brand
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has acquired a controlling stake in local homeware brand Shirayuki Fuukin for an undisclosed sum.
Warburg Pincus set for another partial exit from ESR
Warburg Pincus has agreed to make another partial exit from ESR, the pan-Asian logistics real estate platform it established in 2011 and took public last year, which will see its stake fall to 4.56%.
Warburg Pincus, Advantage honored at AVCJ Awards
Warburg Pincus and Advantage Partners triumphed in the firm of the year categories at the 2020 AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Capital Awards, with The Carlyle Group and Affinity Equity Partners also among the winners with two trophies apiece.
KKR agrees $1.6b carve-out of Walmart's Japan business
KKR has agreed to acquire a majority stake in Seiyu, a Japanese supermarket operator controlled by US-headquartered Walmart, in a deal that values the business at JPY172.5 billion ($1.6 billion).
Virtual AGMs & IR: Up in the air
Private equity firms are still finding their feet with annual meetings that no longer take place on the ground. Like it or not, virtual engagement is set to become a larger part of investor relations from now on
J-Star exits Japan TV shopping business via trade sale
J-Star has sold Itty, a Japanese TV shopping business that specializes in healthy living products, to local broadcaster TV Asahi Corporation for an undisclosed sum.
ADIA, OTTP invest $1.2b in renewables-focused Equis
Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTTP) have confirmed a $1.2 billion investment in Asia-focused renewable energy owner-operator Equis Development.
Polaris hits hard cap on fifth Japan fund, prepares for final close
Polaris Capital Group has reached the hard cap of JPY150 billion ($1.4 billion) for its fifth Japan buyout fund and expects to announce a final close later this month, according to CEO Yuji Kimura.
Carlyle targets Japan environmental business buyout - update
The Carlyle Group has launched a JPY37 billion ($355 million) buyout offer that would see it take control of Japan Asia Group, the Tokyo-listed holding company for several Japanese environment-related businesses, and two key subsidiaries.
Japan edge computing start-up raises $19m
Idein, a Japanese start-up focused on device-level data processing technology, also known as edge computing, has raised a JPY2 billion ($19.2 million) round featuring Global Brain.
Japan fundraising: Middle-market machine
Buoyed by strong macro fundamentals and robust returns, Japan’s buyout managers continue to attract capital while most other strategies across Asia struggle. Will this popularity be sustained?
Japan logistics tech provider raises $16.7m
Japanese logistics technology start-up Openlogi has raised JPY1.7 billion ($16.7 million) in an ongoing Series C round featuring Sumitomo Corporation.
