Globis Capital Partners
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 | |
Native name | グロービス・キャピタル・パートナーズ株式会社 |
|---|---|
Romanized name | Gurōbisu Kyapitaru Paatonaazu kabushiki gaisha |
| Formerly | Apax Globis Partners & Co. |
| Company type | private |
| Industry | Private equity Venture capital |
| Founded | commenced operations 1996 as capital division of Globis; incorporated March 1999 as Apax Globis Partners & Co.; renamed April 2004 |
| Founders | Yoshito Hori |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
Key people | Yoshito Hori (Founding Partner) Soichi Kariyazono (Co-Founding Partner)[1] |
| Products | Investment Private equity fund |
| AUM | ¥180 billion JPY (2023)[2] |
| Parent | Globis  |
| Website | www |
Globis Capital Partners Co., Ltd. (Japanese: グロービス・キャピタル・パートナーズ株式会社, Hepburn: Gurōbisu Kyapitaru Paatonaazu kabushiki gaisha; English: /ɡloʊbɪs/), commonly referred to as GCP, and formerly known as Apax Globis Partners & Co., is a Japanese private hands-on venture capital firm headquartered in Banchō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.[3] GCP is part of the Globis Group.[4] As of April 2023, GCP manages a cumulative fund size of over ¥180 billion JPY (approximately US$1.3 billion).[2]
In 1996 Yoshito Hori founded Globis Capital Partners (GCP) as a hands-on venture capital business inside Globis Corporation to support Japanese startup portfolio companies [5][3] That same year an initial 540 million yen GLOBIS Incubation Fund was raised. Globis Corporation, Yoshito Hori as general partner, and Soichi Kariyazono as managing partner contributed a combined 40 million yen to the fund. The remaining amount was covered by institutional investors and other companies, including about $1 million invested by Sega Enterprises’ chairman Isao Okawa.[6][7][8]
In 1999 Alan Patricof, the head of Apax Patricof selected Globis as a local partner in Japan to create Apax Globis Partners & Co. (AGP), a joint VC.[9] The resulting Apax Globis Japan Fund raised $187 million.[10]
In April 2004, Apax Globis Partners & Co. changed its name to Globis Capital Partners.[11] In 2006, GLOBIS Fund III was raised. Globis Capital Partners Co., Ltd. was established as an independent advisory company to oversee the fund, becoming a separate entity from Globis Corporation.[6]
Four additional funds were raised in 2013, 2016, 2019 and 2022. Globis Capital Partners reached a cumulative fund size of over ¥180 billion JPY (approximately $1.3 billion) with investments in over 200 Japanese companies in 2023.[12]
In 2019 GCP established G-STARTUP, a startup accelerator program aimed at producing 100 unicorn companies. By 2023 the program had provided support to 173 startups.[13]
On January 14, 2020, GCP announced the formation of GCP X, a specialized value-added team tasked organizational development, CXO-level recruitment support, and operational support.[14]
Globis Fund VII LP became the biggest private equity fund launched in 2022 that includes Japan as geographic focus.[15] Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) disclosed that same year that it would invest in Globis Capital Partners’ latest VC fund, a first in Japan.[16]
In April 2024 GCP established a local office in San Francisco to support the global expansion of its portfolio companies.[17]
Investments
1990s
- In 1999, Apax Globis Partners invested $3.5 million in ERP system manufacturer Works Applications.[18]
2000s
- In August 2000, Apax Globis Partners invested $8.7 million in TV anime producer Gonzo Digimation Holdings.[19]
- In July 2005, GCP invested about 100 million yen in internet media company Gree.[20]
2010s
- In April 2011, GCP joined a 350 million yen funding round in internet company KAYAC Inc.[21]
- In May 2012, GCP led a $3.6 million Series A round in e-learning platform Quipper.[22][23]
- In May 2013, GCP together with GMO VenturePartners invested a combined 300 million yen in crowdsourcing platform Lancers[24]
- In August 2013, GCP invested a 420 million yen in Gocro, Inc., the company behind smartphone news app SmartNews.[25]
- In December 2013, GCP joined a $6 million funding round for EV sports car startup GLM.[26]
- In March 2014, GCP helped to raise $14 million in funding for C2C marketplace Mercari.[27] GCP also participated in a $5.8 million Series A2 round in e-learning platform Quipper.[28]
- In September 2014, GCP participated in a 472 million yen Series C fundraiser for business intelligence platform Uzabase.[29]
- In March 2015, GCP participated in a $10 million funding round in news app SmartNews.[30]
- In March 2016, GCP joined a $75 million Series D fundraiser for peer-to-peer marketplace app Mercari[31]
- In May 2016, GCP helped to raise 1.1 billion yen for handmade marketplace Creema.[32]
- In October 2019, GCP joined a $42.9 million Series B for AI Medical Service, which develops AI-based software for gastric cancer detection.[33]
- In November 2019, GCP participated in a $92 million funding round for news app SmartNews.[34]
2020s
- In August 2021, GCP co-led a $73 million Series B round in B2B supply chain marketplace CADDi with World Innovation Lab.[35]
- In July 2023, GCP joined a $170 million Series B round of funding in Japanese robotics startup Telexistence.[36] GCP increased its investment in B2B supply chain marketplace CADDi during a $89 million Series C round.[37]
- In September 2023, GCP led a $93 million Series B round with Global Brain for Josys, a SaaS and device management platform startup.[38][39]
- In August 2023, GCP joined the final close of the $100 million Series E fundraising for social impact and microfinancing startup Gojo & Company.[40]
- In April 2024, GCP led a 2.92 billion yen pre-series A round in AI manga localization startup Orange.[41]
- In October 2024, GCP joined a Series B funding round in Japanese real estate database provider estie. together with Vertex Growth, University of Tokyo Edge Capital, and Global Brain.[42] GCP led the funding of startup Ookuma Diamond Device (ODD), which raised a total of approximately $45 million (6.7 billion yen).[43] GCP joined a $21 million Series A funding round for Sun Metalon, a startup specialized in sustainable metal manufacturing.[44]
- In April 2025, GCP led a 480 million yen third-party allotment of shares in sports DX startup Knowhere.[45]
- In May 2025, GCP invested 100 million yen in Tensor Energy which operates cloud platform “Tensor Cloud” aimed at renewable energy power plants.[46] It also joined a $23 million Series B round in edtech startup Manabie.[47]
Investment funds
| Fund | Vintage Year | Capital (¥ JPY) |
|---|---|---|
| GLOBIS Incubation Fund[8][12] | 1996 | ¥540 million |
| Apax GLOBIS Japan Fund (joint fund with Apax Partners[10][48] | 1999 | ¥20 billion |
| GLOBIS Fund III[49] | 2006 | ¥18 billion |
| GLOBIS Fund IV[12] | 2013 | ¥11.5 billion |
| GLOBIS Fund V[12] | 2016 | ¥20 billion |
| GLOBIS Fund VI[50][51] | 2019 | ¥40 billion |
| GLOBIS Fund VII[52][53] | 2022 | ¥72.7 billion |
