Japan
CVC adds to Japan team
CVC Capital Partners has boosted its Japan team with two hires from domestic GP Advantage Partners. Atsushi Akaike and Yukinori Sugiyama have joined as partner and senior managing director, respectively.
VC-backed news app Gunosy sees modest gain after Tokyo IPO
Shares in Gunosy - a Japanese news app developer backed by the venture capital firm Jafco, telecoms company KDDI Corp. and B Dash Ventures - is up marginally on its IPO price after two days trading in Tokyo.
Unison sells Asahi Tec casting assets to India's Amtek Auto
Asahi Tec, a Japanese auto-parts supplier controlled by Unison Capital, has agreed to sell a portfolio of companies covering casting and forging to India's Amtek Auto.
Mitsui leads $21m round for India's Naaptol
Japanese trading house Mitsui has led a INR1.36 billion ($21 million) round for India home shopping and e-commerce start-up Naaptol Online Shopping. Existing investors New Enterprises Associates (NEA), Canaan Partners and Saama Capital also took part....
Japan's Rebright launches $20m fund for India start-ups
Rebright Partners - an early-stage investor backed by a consortium of Japanese internet companies - has formed a JPY2.4 billion ($20 million) fund to invest technology start-ups in India.
Integral, ANA agree joint sponsorship of Japan's Skymark
Tokyo-based private equity firm Integral Corp. has reached an agreement with local airline operator ANA Holdings to invest JPY18 billion ($150 million) in ailing Japanese carrier Skymark.
Japan crowd translation start-up raises $5.4m
Japan's Recruit Holdings has led a $5.4 million Series C round of funding for crowdsourced translation company Gengo.
Rakuten invests in VC-backed China discount site Fanli
Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten has bought a less than 10% stake in VC-backed Chinese discounts site Fanli in a Series C round of funding that values the business at about $1 billion.
Sprinklr raises Series A round to launch Japan unit
US-based social media management software developer Sprinklr has raised JPY1 billion ($8.4 million) in a Series A round to support its Japan branch, with participation by Recruit Holdings and Suneight.
Japan's Dentsu launches $42m corporate venture fund
Japanese advertising agency Dentsu has established a new corporate venture capital arm, Dentsu Ventures, and launched a new fund with a corpus of JPY5 billion ($42 million).
Accel, Recruit Holdings back Australia's 99designs
Australia-founded online design marketplace 99designs has raised $10 million in a Series B round led by Recruit Strategic Partners, with existing investor Accel Partners also participating.
SoftBank joins $13.3m Series B for Japan e-commerce app
Japanese tech giant SoftBank Group, credit card firm Credit Saison, and Makoto Takaono - editor-in-chief of Forbes Japan - have invested JPY 1.6 billion ($13.3 million) in Origami, a Tokyo-based mobile commerce platform.
Japanese biotech firm targets $42m venture fund
An investment unit of Japanese biotech company Euglena is looking to raise JPY5 billion ($41.5 million) for a VC vehicle it has launched alongside SMBC Nikko - which is controlled by Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group - and science start-up incubator Leave...
Japan news app raises another $10m from VCs
SmartNews, the Tokyo-based start-up behind the news curation app of the same name, has raised $10 million in another round of funding led by Japanese internet gaming firm Gree.
Japan's Beenos leads $2.5m Series A for flea market app
Japanese e-commerce incubator Beenos has led a $2.5 million Series A round of funding for Southeast Asian flea market app Duriana. Existing investors also took part in the round.
Japan's Zozotown acquires VC-backed Aratana
Start Today - the Japanese start-up behind fashion site Zozotown - has acquired VC-backed e-commerce solution provider Aratana.
Japan's Livesense buys VC-backed e-commerce start-up
Livesense - a Japanese internet company known for its flagship career search site Jobsense - has acquired a 71.7% stake in VC-backed e-commerce start-up Waja for JPY400 million ($3.3 million).
VC-backed Gunosy files for Tokyo IPO
Gunosy - a Japanese news app developer backed by the venture capital firm Jafco, telecoms company KDDI Corp. and B Dash Ventures - has filed for a Tokyo IPO.
INCJ consortium invests $21m in Japan stem cell start-up
Megakaryon, a Japan-based stem cell technology developer, has raised JPY2.54 billion ($21.2 million) from a consortium of investors including existing backers Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, SMBC Venture Capital...
Bain to acquire Japan Wind Development for $80 million
Bain Capital Partners is set to acquire Japan Wind Development (JWD) - a leading Japanese wind farm developer - in a JPY9.7 billion ($80 million) take-private transaction.
Japan's Rakuten to acquire VC-backed US eBook firm
Japan's Rakuten will pay $410 million to acquire US-based digital book marketplace OverDrive from Insight Venture Partners, a US private equity and venture capital firm.
INCJ invests in Japan laser manufacturer Spectronix
The government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) has agreed to invest up to JPY500 million ($4.2 million) in laser manufacturer Spectronix.
Japanese ticketing platform gets $5m Series B round
Japanese online ticketing platform Peatix has raised $5 million in a Series B round of funding led by DG Incubation, with strategic investment from SPH Media Fund and Japanese media company Sunny Side Up.
Mizuho Capital raises $170m for third mezzanine fund
Mizuho Capital Partners has launched its third fund focused on small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with initial commitments of JPY20.6 billion ($170 million).