Japan
Indonesia’s Berrybenka gets funding from Gree Ventures
Gree Ventures, the VC arm of social Japanese social networking giant Gree, has completed its third investment in Indonesia, providing a Series A round of funding to fashion-focused e-commerce start-up Berrybenka. The size of the investment was not disclosed.
Carlyle exits Japan’s Qualicaps to Mitsubishi Chemical
The Carlyle Group has exited its holding in Qualicaps, a supplier of pharma-grade capsules, to Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings for JPY55.8billion ($639 million).
VCs and mobile internet: The race to stay relevant
Venture capital investors targeting the mobile and social media space are only as good as their understanding of the consumer habits and technologies that underpin industry trends
Taiwan's Chinatrust in talks to buy Tokyo Star Bank - report
Chinatrust Commercial Bank, one of Taiwan's largest commercial banks, is reportedly in talks to acquire Tokyo Star Bank for JPY50 billion ($582 million). Tokyo Star's shareholders, which include Lone Star Funds, have previously struggled to find interested...
Advantage Partners buys Sanyo’s camera business
Advantage Partners has acquired Sanyo Electric’s digital camera unit. Panasonic, which took control of its former competitor in 2009 in a JPY400 billion ($4.6 billion) acquisition, said it chose to do business with Advantage because of the private equity...
Carlyle relists Chimney, completes partial exit
The Carlyle Group has completed a partial exit from Japanese restaurant chain Chimney having relisted the company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange three years after taking it private. It is the private equity firm’s first IPO in Japan this year, having abandoned...
Fortress closes second Japan distress fund at $1.6b
Fortress Investment Group has closed its second distress fund, Fortress Japan Opportunity Fund II, at its hard cap of JPY130 billion ($1.65 billion). It is the successor fund to Fortress Japan Opportunity Domestic Fund (FJOF) which closed in June 2010...
Japan’s Fuller gets $1.2m seed round
Japanese internet service provider ASAHI Net and m8 Capital, a London-based VC firm, are leading a JPY100 million ($1.2 million) round of seed funding for Japan-based start-up Fuller Inc.
Advantage Partners in possible Sanyo acquisition - report
Panasonic may sell its Sanyo digital camera unit to Advantage Partners by the end of March.
2012: That was the year that was
The broad trends and particular highlights of private equity fundraising, investment and exit activity in Asia
Renesas sells $1.8b in shares to INCJ-led consortium
Ailing Japanese chip-maker Renesas will sell JPY150 billion ($1.8 billion) of new shares to a consortium led by government-backed Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ).
Composition Capital invests in four Asian projects
Composition Capital Partners has invested in four projects in Macau, Taiwan and Malaysia through its local joint venture partners. The property-focused investor has also exited a Tokyo office development within a year of acquisition.
Fenox VC invests in Japan's Dream Link Entertainment
Silicon Valley-based Fenox VC has invested in Japanese flash animation studio Dream Link Entertainment (DLE).
Asia Awards: Firm of the Year – Bain Capital
In the past 12 months, Bain Capital has raised its second Asia fund, closed sizeable deals in Japan and India, and completed a strong China exit. Jonathan Zhu, a managing director at the PE firm, looks back and forward
Iris Capital opens offices in Tokyo and Beijing
Iris Capital has opened offices in Tokyo and Beijing as part of an international expansion which also sees the French venture capital firm open three offices in North America.
Baird appoints Satoshi Matsumoto as Japan-focused MD
Baird has appointed Satoshi Matsumoto to its investment banking group as managing director and director of Japan M&A.
CITIC Captial to acquire Japan’s Polymatech
CITIC Capital Partners has agreed to acquire 100% of Polymatech, a manufacturer of polymer parts for the electronics industry, based in Fukushima.
Japan’s GPIF selects groups for PE feasibility study
Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) has chosen four companies to conduct feasibility studies for possible future investments in alternative assets, including private equity.
CyberAgent Ventures backs Vietnam food review site
CyberAgent Ventures has made an undisclosed commitment to Vietnamese food review site, Foody. The venture capital arm of Tokyo-based internet firm CyberAgent made the investment through its CA Asia Internet Fund I, a Southeast Asia-focused VC vehicle.
Nomura launches private equity index
Japanese investment bank Nomura claims to have launched the world's first daily investable private equity index.
Carlyle to list Chimney in December
The Carlyle Group is to sell part of its stake in Japanese restaurant chain operator Chimney through an IPO in December, its third attempt to list a Japanese asset this year.
PE & PR: Private equity’s public face
Private equity is more entrenched and better understood in some Asian markets than others. What do the various stakeholders - entrepreneurs, government, media, public - make of the asset class?
Asia buyouts: The privatization play
Take-private transactions have created headlines in a climate of low public market valuations. Companies are being targeted in Australia, Japan and the US, but a bid doesn’t necessarily result in a deal
Japan's CyberAgent invests in Taiwanese start-up
CyberAgent Ventures has invested $500,000 in Polydice, the Taiwanese start-up behind recipe-themed social network iCook.tw