North Asia
Advantage buys China restaurants from Papa John's
Advantage Partners has acquired 34 restaurants in Beijing and Tianjin from Papa John’s International. The investment is being made through the Japanese private equity firm’s $380 million debut Asia fund, which closed in May.
Japan VC: Acorns to oaks
Japan Post Investment Corporation seeks to fill the late-stage investment gap in Japan's venture capital market that local VC investors lack the capacity to address
VCs invest $8m in Singapore's Umitron
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and D4V, a Japanese seed-stage investor set up by Genuine Startups and US design consultancy Ideo, have joined a S$11.2 million ($8.2 million) investment in Singaporean agricultural technology company Umitron.
World Innovation Lab raises $521m for US-Japan fund
World Innovation Lab (WiL) has raised $521 million for a US-Japan venture capital fund.
GPs require comprehensive responses to technology - AVCJ Forum
Private equity firms looking to future-proof their portfolios and enable companies to take advantage of technological change must be prepared to make significant alterations to their investment approach, industry participants told the AVCJ Japan Forum....
VCs back $40m round for Korea's Fantom Foundation
Fantom Foundation, a Korean blockchain technology company, has received a $40 million funding round from a number of specialist investors, including US-based 8 Decimal Capital and Singapore’s Link VC.
Japanese LPs emphasize portfolio diversification - AVCJ Forum
Diversification – by vintage, geography, and strategy – is the priority for Japan’s largest institutional investors as they develop their private equity programs, but they accept that portfolio-building can be challenging.
Korea's Viva Republica raises $40m
Singapore’s GIC Private and Sequoia Capital China have invested a combined $40 million in Korean financial technology company Viva Republica.
Activist investors in Japan: Governance gambit
Japan's governance reforms have given activist investors more leverage over underperforming companies. PE firms are well positioned to offer solutions to these targets in the form of carve-outs, privatizations, or partnerships
Japan robotics: Friendly faces
Japan’s home robotics industry is still in its early stages, and considerable work is required to create devices that can both appeal to everyday consumers and meaningfully contribute to their lives
Japan outbound M&A: Looking for growth
Unable to find growth at home, Japanese companies are looking for it overseas. Private equity investors can be helpful in everything from execution to integration, provided they can prove their credentials
Japan demographics: New normal, new entries
Private equity investors see potential for growth in Japan’s demographic contractions. Countercyclical and tangential consolidation strategies are the preferred gambits in a churning macro environment
Q&A: Intel Capital's Takayuki Sasaki
Takayuki Sasaki, investment director for Japan at Intel Capital, discusses how the country fits into Intel’s overall strategy along with Japan’s burgeoning entrepreneurial culture and corporate VC investment
Japanese LPs: Stirring giants
Japan’s LP landscape is in a state of flux as several large-scale investors ramp up their alternatives programs. The industry must prepare itself, in terms of personnel, structures, and expectations
Japan's Mercari set for $1.2b IPO
Japanese consumer-to-consumer marketplace Mercari – which has several VC backers – is set to raise JPY130.5 billion ($1.18 billion) in its domestic IPO after pricing the offering at the top end of the indicative range.
Japanese LPs: The long walk
PE firms have been trying to open up the Japanese LP market for years. Now that local institutions are showing a greater appetite for alternatives, it is unclear who will manage their investment programs
VIG nets 2.1x return on Korea price comparison site deal
VIG Partners has agreed to sell its controlling stake in Summerce Platform, operator of the Korean online price comparison website Enuri.com, to local e-commerce player Koreacenter for KRW105 billion ($97.8 million).
Deal focus: Hahn & Co finds its place in auto retail
Hahn & Co has completed carve-outs of a used-car retailer from SK Group and a car rental business from CJ Group with a view to pursuing consolidation in Korea's automobile retail and services space
Talent shortages hinder Asian LPs' private equity returns
Asian LPs see a shortage of qualified professionals capable of executing investment programs as the biggest obstacle to improving their private equity returns.
VIG invests $129m in Korean eyewear retailer
VIG Partners has agreed to pay KRW137.5 billion ($129 million) for an approximately 42% stake in Korean beauty contact lens and fashion sunglasses retailer Star Vision.
Japan's Advantage buys Malaysian packaging manufacturer
Advantage Partners has completed the buyout of Malaysian plastic bottle manufacturer Plastic Centre through its recently closed $380 million Asia fund.
Japan's Gumi raises $30m for blockchain VC fund
Gumi, a Japanese mobile game publisher backed by a number of VCs, has secured $30 million for a venture capital fund that will invest in blockchain and cryptocurrency start-ups.
Korea Post Insurance to allocate $200m to global buyout funds
Korea Post Insurance plans to allocate $200 million to as many as three managers focusing on global buyouts, predominantly in North America and Europe.
SoftBank's Japanese AI incubator targets $55m fund
Deepcore, a Japanese incubator focused on artificial intelligence (AI) that was set up last year by Softbank Corp, has launched a fund targeting JPY6 billion ($55 million) for seed to early-stage companies.