North Asia
Global Brain invests $3.3m in Japan group buying site Luxa
Japanese venture capital firm Global Brain has invested JPY330 million ($3.3 million) in luxury group buying site Luxa through its KDDI Open Innovation Fund.
Korea’s Anchor Equity closes debut fund at $500m
Anchor Equity Partners has reached a final close on its debut South Korea-focused fund at the hard cap of $500 million. The firm – set up last year by a group that spun out from Goldman Sachs’ private equity unit – targets buyout, growth capital...
SBI, FMO target up to $125m for Asia financial sector fund
Japan's SBI Holdings and the Netherlands Development Finance Company (FMO) are looking to raise as much as $125 million for their SBI-FMO Emerging Asia Financial Sector Fund.
Japan's SoftBank acquires VC-backed Supercell for $1.5b
Japanese telecom giant SoftBank has acquired SuperCell - a Finnish mobile games developer backed by Index Ventures, Accel Partners and Atomico - paying JPY150 billion ($1.53 billion) for a 51% stake.
3Q analysis: Haves and have nots
Third quarter analysis: Fundraising fortunes become ever more polarized; Korea continues to be the stand-out buyout market, while India shows growth from a very low base; China IPOs are on the comeback trail
South Korea's Troika Resources, Canada's Bellatrix form oil JV
Bellatrix Exploration, a small Canadian oil and gas explorer, has formed a C$240 million ($231 million) joint venture with the South Korea's Troika Resources Private Equity Fund (TRPEF) - which is managed by KDB Bank, SK Energy and Samchully Asset Management...
Oaktree agrees tanker deal with Singapore's Navig8
Oaktree Capital Management and Singaporean shipping management firm Navig8 have agreed to form a shipping joint venture, Navig8 Chemical Tankers.
Japan's Mitsubishi launches energy-focused fund-of-funds
Japan's Mitsubishi Corp. has led the launch of a $300 million US energy-focused private equity fund-of-funds. Energy Opportunity Fund is expected to reach its target by September next year.
MBK closes third North Asia buyout fund at $2.7b hard cap
MBK Partners has closed its third fund at the hard cap of $2.7 billion after just over one year in the market. The North Asia-focused GP, which was founded by Michael B. Kim, former president of Carlyle Asia Partners, set an initial target of around $2.25...
VC-backed Eneres in $25m Japan IPO
Eneres, a venture capital-backed energy resources management firm, saw its stock more than double to JPY717 on its first day of trading in Tokyo yesterday following a JPY2.5 billion ($25 million) IPO.
Japan online fish seller raises $1.5m VC round
Hachimenroppi, a Japanese firm that operates an IT-enabled fresh fish distribution platform, has secured a JPY150 million ($1.5 million) round of investment from Pygmalion No 2, a venture fund managed by Tokyo-based firm Value Create. Two strategic investors...
J-Star buys ‘fourth hand’ Primagest
Primagest, a firm whose primary business is using optical character recognition (OCR) to turn documents in data, appears every bit the tech-savvy up and comer. However, it has been doing the same thing – in one form or another – for 45 years.
Panasonic unit gets KKR cure
KKR's acquisition of Panasonic Healthcare marks a return to form for the firm after its earlier efforts to acquire Japanese chipmaker Renesas were frustrated by the government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ). The deal had raised...
INCJ, VCs back Japan big data firm Smart Insight
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is to invest up to JPY1 billion ($10.3 million) in Smart Insight Corp, a big data analysis software developer for the corporate sector. The business has also secured JPY400 million from Energy & Environment...
J-Star ups stake in Primagest
Japanese GP J-Star has completed its acquisition of a majority stake in image processing firm Primagest. The financial details of this second tranche of investment were not disclosed, but a source with direct knowledge of the matter said the mid-market...
VC-backed Value HR sees shares double after $8.5m Japan IPO
VC-backed Value HR, a Japanese human resources benefits service provider, saw its stock more than double in value to JPY4035 ($41.5) on its trading debut in Tokyo on Friday.
DRC Capital exits Japan's Casa to Ant Capital
DRC Capital has sold Japan's Casa, a rent guarantee provider formerly known as Rento Go, to Ant Capital Partners and the firm's management. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Kyoto University launches $60m venture fund
Japan's Kyoto University has launched its second venture fund, a $60 million vehicle which will invest in start-ups in Japan and the rest of Asia.
Yamaguchi bank launches $30.7m SME restoration fund
Yamaguchi Capital and the Regional Economy Vitalization Corporation of Japan have together set up a JPY3 billion ($30.7m) fund - Yamaguchi Business Restoration Fund - to provide capital to distressed small- and medium-sized businesses (SME).
Japan's Integral backs TBI Group
Japanese private equity firm Integral Corp. has acquired part of TBI Group, a restaurant chain operator with 78 outlets, as part of a management buyout. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
MSPEA completes quiet Korea acquisition
Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia’s (MSPEA) investment in Ssangyong C&B and Monalisa is like an iceberg: only one sixth was immediately visible. When the deal was first announced earlier this year, the information disclosed concerned a South Korean...
KKR acquires Panasonic healthcare unit for $1.67b
KKR has agreed to acquire an 80% stake in Panasonic Healthcare, a unit of the Japanese electronics giant, for JPY165 billion ($1.67 billion) - the buyout firm's biggest deal in the country to date.
India eases offshore listing rules
Indian companies will be allowed to pursue IPOs overseas without first listing domestically in a move that should please private equity and venture capital investors looking for alternative exit routes. The broader policy objective is to shore up capital...
Japanese government panel suggests pensions shift to alternatives
A Japanese government-appointed advisory panel has suggested that the country's JPY160 trillion ($1.6 trillion) public pension system - which includes the JPY120 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) - reallocate a portion of its holdings...