North Asia
Fund focus: Globis doubles down on Japan VC thesis
Having raised nearly twice as much for Fund VII as it did for Fund VI, Globis Capital Partners plans to back more portfolio companies through growth-stage rounds and help them realise global ambitions
Fund focus: Advantage moves fast, scales up
Japan’s Advantage Partners deployed Fund VI faster than expected and only some LPs wanting to delay commitments for budgetary reasons prevented a swift final close on Fund VII
Japan’s Marunouchi launches $1bn climate tech fund
Japan-based Marunouchi Innovation Partners (MIP), a private equity manager controlled by Mitsubishi Corporation, has hit a first close of USD 400m on a climate tech fund. The overall target is USD 1bn.
Advantage closes seventh Japan buyout fund on $971m
Advantage Partners has closed its seventh flagship Japan buyout fund with JPY 130bn (USD 971m) in commitments, beating a target of JPY 120bn.
Japan's Globis closes Fund VII on $544m
Japanese venture capital firm Globis Capital Partners (GCP) has closed its seventh fund on JPY 72.7bn (USD 544m), nearly twice what it raised in the previous vintage.
Japan e-scooter maker raises $33.7m
Japanese e-scooter maker and urban shared micro-mobility developer Luup has raised a JPY 4.5bn round led by local VC firm Spiral Capital.
Japan VCs back hair colouring chain
A group of Japanese VC investors including Global Brain have provided JPY 1.1bn (USD 8.4m) in Series A funding to Fast Beauty, operator of hair colouring shop chain Fufu.
Korea plans $751m venture capital fund-of-funds
The Korean government has sought to counter a steep drop-off in venture capital investment by pledging significant policy support for the industry, including a KRW 1trn (USD 751m) fund-of-funds.
J-Star invests in Japan IT provider
Japanese private equity firm J-Star has invested an undisclosed sum in local IT staffing services provider Miraie in an apparent consolidation play.
Deal focus: The SoftBank effect, one step removed
The new owners of SoftBank Ventures Asia are cut from the same cloth – and even come from the same family – as the VC firm’s corporate parent. They aspire to reconfigure Asia’s tech ecosystem
Japan's Marunouchi Capital hits $303m first close on Fund III
Marunouchi Capital, a Japanese private equity firm controlled by Mitsubishi Corporation, has reached a first close of JPY 40.2bn (USD 303m) on its third fund.
Longreach acquires Japan IT company via bolt-on
The Longreach Group has acquired Japanese IT services provider Blueship as a bolt-on for Japan Systems, an existing portfolio company in the space.
Mistletoe founders to acquire SoftBank Ventures Asia
SoftBank Group has agreed to sell its captive VC unit, SoftBank Ventures Asia (SBVA), to a newly formed entity led by the team behind Japan-headquartered start-up incubation and investment platform Mistletoe.
Japan's J-Star names three new partners
Japanese lower middle-market private equity firm J-Star has elevated three longstanding staff to partner, bringing the total number of partners to nine.
Japan 'deskless workforce' start-up raises $23m
Japan’s Coral Capital has led a JPY 3bn (USD 23m) Series B round for Kaminashi, a local software start-up targeting an under-digitalised blue-collar segment it calls the “deskless workforce.”
GIC takes co-control of Bain-owned Japan software company
Bain Capital has ceded co-control of Japanese HR software provider Works Human Intelligence (WHI) to GIC in a deal ranked among the Singapore sovereign investor’s largest acquisitions.
Japan's Fiducia hits second close on debut fund
Fiducia, a tech investor set up by the former private markets head of Japan Post Bank, has reached a second close of JPY 3.86bn (USD 29m) following a commitment from SBI Group.
JIC Capital backs Japan's Hitachi Astemo
JIC Capital, the private equity unit of Japan Investment Corporation (JIC), has agreed to take a 20% stake in automotive components manufacturer Hitachi Astemo as part of a restructuring that will see Hitachi cede majority ownership.
Japan's EV Motors raises $27m in extended Series C
Japanese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer EV Motors has completed an extended Series C round, raising JPY 3.6bn (USD 27.1m) from at least 23 investors.
D Capital agrees Japan digital marketing carve-out
Japanese mid-market private equity firm D Capital has agreed to buy the local operations of Catalina, a US-headquartered digital marketing company undergoing its second restructuring in four years.
Longreach buys Japan healthcare SaaS player
North Asia buyout specialist The Longreach Group has invested an undisclosed sum in Wellness Communications Corporation (WCC), a Japanese healthcare software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider.
Bain pursues buyout of Australia's Estia Health
Bain Capital has offered to acquire Australia-listed aged care provider Estia Health for AUD 775.1m (USD 517.4m).
JIP wins board approval for $15b Toshiba buyout
The board of Toshiba Corporation has approved a tender offer from Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) that values the company at approximately JPY 2trn (USD 15.3bn).
Polaris picks up Japan advertising, recruitment assets
Polaris Capital Group has acquired Sendenkaigi, which claims to be Japan’s leading publisher of marketing and communications-related content, as well as its recruitment-focused subsidiary.