Japan
VCs invest $6.4m in Japan's Monstar Lab
A group of venture capital investors including YJ Capital and Fenox Venture Capital has led a JPY700 million ($6.4 million) funding round for Japanese global outsourcing service developer Monstar Lab.
Token sales: Cryptic beginnings
The sale of digitized contracts known as tokens has become a dominating force in early-stage start-up funding. Venture capitalists are beginning to cautiously participate as the phenomenon matures
VCs commit $9m to Japan blockchain platform
Nippon Technology Venture Partners, Fisco Capital, and ABBALab have committed $9 million to Japanese cryptocurrency platform Tech Bureau.
CLSA-backed BC Ings makes Japan education bolt-on
BC Ings, a Japanese cram school operator owned by CLSA Capital Partners (CLSA CP), has acquired local counterpart Akasaka Gakuin.
INCJ joins $4.3m round for Japan AI player
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) and Bank of Kochi have agreed to jointly invest JPY470 million ($4.3 million) in Japanese artificial intelligence (AI) technology developer Nextremer.
China's GSR to acquire Nissan's electric battery business
Japan’s Nissan Motor has agreed to sell its electric battery operations and production facilities to Chinese private equity firm GSR Capital. Financial terms were not disclosed.
VCs back Asia expansion by Japan's Sansan
Japanese cloud-based professional services company Sansan has received a fresh round of expansion funding from Mirai Creation Investment and existing backers DCM and Salesforce Ventures.
Japan's KDDI to acquire VC-backed Soracom
Soracom, a Japanese internet of things (IoT) communications platform that has several VC backers, will be acquired by domestic telecom operator KDDI Corporation.
Q&A: Permira's Alex Emery
Alex Emery, head of Asia at Permira, on global funds versus regional funds, escalations in dry powder and deal size, and how to lay the ground for when the current bull run inevitably comes to an end
Japan VC: Culture club
The Cool Japan policy aims to internationalize a large but lagging economy beyond its manufacturing roots. Venture capital will be the key to reimagining unique overlaps of culture and technology
Secondary buyouts: Peer to peer
Maligned by some investors, sponsor-to-sponsor deals are gradually becoming more prevalent in Asia as the private equity industry matures. What is the early verdict?
Jafco buys back $577m in shares from investors
Japanese venture capital firm Jafco has agreed to buy back JPY63.8 billion ($577.4 million) worth of shares from its major shareholders, including Nomura Holdings.
J-Star completes Japanese veterinary bolt-on
J-star has acquired Japanese veterinary chain VIS Corporation for an undisclosed amount in a bolt-on to existing portfolio company JVCC.
Korea's SK invests $334m in PE-backed e-Shang Redwood
Korean conglomerate SK Group has agreed to invest KRW372 billion ($334 million) in pan-Asian logistics player e-Shang Redwood (ESR), valuing the private equity-backed business at approximately $2.8 billion.
Japan's Marubeni buys beef supplier from US GP
Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp. has acquired Creekstone Farms Premium Beef, a US-based supplier of beef and pork products, from Sun Capital Partners.
Bain to make partial exit from Japanese mushroom producer
Bain Capital Private Equity has agreed to sell a 49% in Yukiguni Maitake, a Japanese mushroom producer, to domestic food company Shinmei. The size of the transaction was not disclosed.
IoT in Asia: Things to come
A number of political factors have positioned Asia Pacific to be a global leader in internet-of-things development. Investors must now navigate an unwieldy field of technologies, markets and social drivers
J-Star exits Japanese document scanning business to Orix
Mid-market private equity firm J-Star has exited its entire holding in Japanese document scanning company Primagest to local financial services conglomerate Orix Corporation.
Baring Asia completes Joyful Honda exit, secures 45% IRR
Baring Private Equity Asia has completed its exit from Japanese home improvement center operator Joyful Honda – the first joint investment by the firm’s private equity and real estate funds – generating a gross IRR of around 45%.
Japan's Floadia closes $14m Series B
Floadia, a Japan-based company specializing in microchip memory technology, has closed a JPY1.6 billion ($14.1 million) Series B fund round from a number of Taiwanese, Japanese and US venture capital firms.
French VC joins $13m round for Japanese biopharma player
France-based venture capital firm Seventure Partners has joined a $13.1 million funding round for Japanese biopharmaceuticals development company Anaeropharma Science.
Japanese LPs: Building consensus
Japanese institutional investors are taking their time with decisions about launching alternative investment programs. Strong support from internal stakeholders is a key consideration
Western Digital, KKR resubmit bid for Toshiba memory unit
Western Digital and KKR have resubmitted an offer for Toshiba’s Nand flash memory business, despite the Japanese conglomerate last week naming a consortium featuring Bain Capital as the preferred bidder in the JPY2 trillion ($18 billion) deal.
Japanese LPs' PE programs slowed by internal resistance - AVCJ Forum
Japanese institutional investors are increasingly interested in private equity, but investment programs are often slow to get off the ground due to an innate aversion to risk among internal stakeholders.