North Asia
GP profile: Intermediate Capital Group
In recent years Intermediate Capital Group has branched out beyond traditional mezzanine to embrace deal structures that have no sponsor. It sees ample opportunities in Asia’s developed markets
Carlyle set for $1.2b cash exit from Korea's ADT Caps
The Carlyle Group has agreed to sell ADT Caps, a South Korean security monitoring and dispatch business, to SK Telecom and Macquarie Group for an enterprise valuation of KRW2.97 trillion ($2.7 billion).
Corporate divestments: Time to sell?
Asia Pacific companies are increasingly willing to consider non-core asset sales as they seek to shed dead weight and re-focus on major business areas, especially as technology threatens to overturn established practices
Portfolio: CLSA Capital Partners and Japan's Worldtool
By targeting Japan’s amateur car enthusiast community Worldtool created a new distribution channel for automotive tools in the country. CLSA Capital Partners has helped take the company’s model overseas
PennSERS to invest $75m in Hahn & Co's Korea fund
Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System (PennSERS) has agreed to commit up to $75 million to Hahn & Company’s third Korea-focused fund.
Japan’s D4V closes debut venture fund at $46m
D4V, a firm set up by Japanese seed-stage investor Genuine Startups and US-based design consultancy Ideo, has closed its debut venture capital fund with more than JPY5 billion ($46 million) in commitments.
Japan hiking app provider gets Series B
Japan-based hiking app provider Yamap has raised a JPY1.2 billion ($11.1 million) Series B funding round from a group of domestic investors including Advantage Partners-owned outdoor sports equipment retailer Ishii Sports.
VCs invest $25m in Japan's Plaid
Japanese digital marketing services provider Plaid has raised JPY1.5 billion ($25.1 million) from a group of VCs including existing investor Eight Roads Ventures Japan and Femto Partners.
VCs back $12m Series B for Japan's Optical Comb
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has joined a group of VCs in a JPY1.3 billion ($12 million) Series B round for Optical Comb, a Tokyo-based auto industry supplier that uses advanced 3D scanning technology.
CLSA backs MBO of Japan medical IT systems supplier
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP) has supported a management buyout of NHOSA Corporation, which provides electronic health record (EHR) systems to dental clinics across Japan.
PAG backs Chinese-led acquisition of Japan's Takata
PAG Asia Capital has supported Chinese-owned auto components manufacturer Key Safety Systems (KSS) in its $1.59 billion acquisition of assets held by Takata Corporation, a Japanese company that filed for bankruptcy following a recall of faulty vehicle...
Panasonic invests $100m in US-Japan VC fund
Panasonic has committed $100 million as the sole LP in a fund managed by US-based Conductive Ventures that will focus on helping technology start-ups access Japanese markets.
Japan's KDDI, Global Brain launch third VC fund
Japan’s KDDI Corporation and Global Brain have established their third VC fund with a view to investing JPY20 billion ($187 million) over the next five years.
IMM invests $56m in Korea's Socar
IMM Private Equity has committed KRW60 billion ($56 million) to Socar, a car sharing company based in South Korea.
Tokio Marine sells Japanese food wholesaler to iSigma
Tokio Marine Capital has sold Japanese food wholesale distribution business Shokukai to iSigma, a buyout firm controlled by trading and investment conglomerate Marubeni.
Unison buys Japanese restaurant chain
Unison Capital has acquired Sukesan, a Japanese udon noodle restaurant operator, for an undisclosed sum.
Japan Industrial Partners set for $1.4b fundraise
Corporate carve-out specialist Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) has closed the offshore portion of its latest fund and is poised to raise JPY102.3 billion ($996 million) in total once commitments from onshore investors are finalized. There will also be...
Japan benchmarking: Body of evidence
The Japan Private Equity Association is pushing its members towards a performance benchmarking system in the hope that it will help persuade more foreign LPs to back local managers
Q&A: IMM Private Equity’s Joseph Lee
IMM Private Equity’s Joseph Lee discusses the new sectors taking focus away from Korea’s traditional manufacturers, along with the potential for tender offers, IPOs and secondary sales in the market
Deal focus: SBI helps Japan AI player smarten up the road
SBI Investments backs a Japanese start-up focused on improving decision-making technology in self-driving cars
IMM secures 2x return on Korea pharma investments
IMM Private Equity has fully exited its investments in Korean pharmaceutical developers Handok and Genexine.
Hitachi backs Japan-US cross-border GP
Hitachi has agreed to invest an undisclosed sum in a Japan-US cross-border venture capital fund managed by Geodesic Capital that will focus on social problem solving through technology.
SBI backs Japan autonomous driving start-up Ascent
SBI Investment has made the first investment from its artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain technology fund, leading a JPY1.1 billion ($10.3 million) round for Japan’s Ascent Robotics.
Asia GPs must spend more time, effort extracting value - survey
Asian PE investors must accustom themselves to longer holding periods and more aggressive value creation initiatives if they are to achieve their target returns in a pricey market, according to Bain & Company.