North Asia
Walden Riverwood leads $8m Series A for Japan's Atonarp
Walden Riverwood Ventures has led an $8 million Series A round of funding for Atonarp, a Japanese developer of chemical sensors.
CVC to sell Korea's WiniaMando to Hyundai Green Food
CVC Capital Partners has agreed to sell WiniaMando, a South Korean manufacturer of kimchi refrigerators, to Hyundai Green Food, a subsidiary of leading domestic retailer Hyundai Department Store. The deal is worth around KRW150 billion ($146 million)....
Gree, Atomico lead $35m Series B for Japan news app
Japanese internet gaming firm Gree, and tech-focused investor Atomico, have led a JPY3.6 billion ($35.4 million) Series B round investment in SmartNews, the Tokyo-based start-up behind the news curation app of the same name.
Line backs Japan's Gumi, launches $100m developer fund
Messaging app start-up Line Corp. has agreed to acquire a less than 10% stake in Gumi, a VC-backed Japanese game developer. The exact size and value of the deal is still under negotiation.
South Korea's NPS commits $375m to Hamilton Lane co-invest fund
South Korea's National Pension Service (NPS) is committing KRW400 billion ($375 million) to Hamilton Lane's latest co-investment fund - Hamilton Lane Co-Investment Fund III.
South Korea mobile loyalty platform raises $3.9m
Daesung Private Equity and Bokwang Investments have invested $3.9 million in Spoqa, the South Korean start-up behind mobile loyalty platform Dodo Points.
DRC Capital launches Fund III, holds $25m first close
Japanese mid-market buyout shop DRC Capital has launched its third buyout fund - Japanese Limited Partnership DRC III - quickly followed by an initial close of JPY2.5 billion ($25 million).
SingTel Innov8 leads $25m Series B round for Bitglass
SingTel Innov8, the corporate venture arm of Singapore telecoms giant SingTel, has led a $25 million Series B round of investment for US-based Bitglass, a provider of mobile cloud security solutions. Norwest Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates...
Japan's REVIC invests $10m in restaurant chain
The Regional Vitalization Corporation of Japan (REVIC) has invested JPY1 billion ($10 million) in Tokyo-listed restaurant chain Friendly.
Japan VCs invest $3m in Tokyo tech boot camp
Life is Tech, a Tokyo-based IT boot camp program for elementary and junior high school students, has raised JPY310 million (about $3 million) from Japanese investors Jafco, Mistletoe, KCJ Group, DeNA and Recruit Holdings.
INCJ to form LED business with Japan Display, corporates
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is forming a new company with Japan Display, Sony Corp. and Panasonic. The new company will be engaged in the development and commercialization of organic light-emitting diode (OLED)...
Japan game publisher 3rdKind raises $1m from VCs
Nippon Venture Capital (NVCC), early stage investor Global Brain Corp., and Japanese internet firm Adways have together invested $1 million in mobile games publisher 3rdKind.
Human Resources: Hiring for growth
When building the next Baidu or Facebook, finding the right team is as important as raising the next round of capital, if not more so. Early-stage investors can play an active role in the process.
CLSA wins Korea outbound mandate
Nexen Tire Corp. posted net sales of KRW1.73 trillion ($1.7 billion) in 2013 and is responsible for 20% of tire sales in South Korea, the fifth-largest market globally both for auto production and auto exports. The company has an established global presence...
Arbor leads $3.3m Series A round for Japan e-payments service
Arbor Ventures has led a $3.3 million Series A round for Exchange Corporation (ExCo), the Japanese start-up behind e-commerce payment and instant credit service Paidy, with participation from CyberAgent Ventures and Recruit Strategic Partners. Exisiting...
Bain sells Japan's Bellsystem24 stake to Itochu
Bain Capital has sold a 49.9% stake in Bellsystem24 Holdings to trading house Itochu Coporation for an undisclosed amount.
Inflexion Point launches $15m Japan-focused game fund
Singapore venture capital firm Inflexion Point Capital (IPC), has launched a $15 million fund to focus on investments in Japan's mobile gaming start-ups.
Global Brain, others lead $4m Series C round for Japan photo app
Japanese early stage investor Global Brain Corp. has joined Energy and Environment Investment and publishing firm Kodansha to invest JPY400 million (about $4 million) in Toyko-based Mind Palette, the start-up behind fashion-focused photo sharing app Snapeee....
Shunfeng commits $74m in Japan power project PE fund
Hong Kong-listed solar cell manufacturer Shunfeng Photovoltaic International has commited JPY7.5 billion ($74 million) to an unnamed Japanese solar power-focused fund.
CLSA, Korean corporate launch $295m global co-invest fund
CLSA Capital Partners (CLSACP) launched a KRW300 billion ($295 million) global co-investment fund in partnership with South Korean tire manufacturer Nexen. The primary LP is the National Pension Service of Korea (NPS).
VC firm launches $13.6m Anglo-Japanese agri fund
Japanese venture capital firm Tsukuba Technology Seed (TTS) has teamed up with the UK's Adapt Low Carbon Group to launch an Anglo-Japanese VC fund focusing on agricultural innovation.
Coller's Mizuno joins GPIF investment committee
Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has appointed Hiromichi Mizuno, a partner at secondaries specialist Coller Capital, to its investment committee.
Japan fish app start-up raises $4.5m
Hachimenroppi, a Japanese start-up that operates an IT-enabled fresh fish distribution platform, has secured JPY450 million ($4.4 million) in funding from Recruit Holdings, YJ Capital, DeNA, and Monex Ventures.
Orix-led consortium to buy Hyundai logistics unit
A consortium led by Japanese financial group Orix Corp. has agreed to acquire a majority stake in South Korea's Hyundai Logisitics.