25
Jun
Mid-Market growth in Japan: Going big
The fragmented, ageing nature of Japan’s small and medium-sized enterprise space and growing momentum in corporate divestments, have resulted in the middle-market scene growing in popularity as more players enter the market. As competition increases, finding talent, sourcing deals and exits at an attractive price, and navigating the complexities of an evolving market are critical. In this session, a group of expert investors will deep dive into the mid-market space.
- How has the mid-market evolved and where do all the participants now fit?
- What are the most active sectors of Japan's mid-market M&A deals?
- Valuations and expectations – what’s changed in the past twelve months?
- What does a downturn mean for middle-market deal flow?
- How is the M&A advisory landscape evolving?
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SpeakersKazushige Kobayashi Managing Director MCP ASSET MANAGEMENT
Reo Goto Managing Director UNISON CAPITAL
Yutaka Tozaki Investment Partner J-STAR CO., LTD.
Hidetaka Kojima Head of M&A, Strategic Planning and Global Business Development, SHIFT INC. Director of the Board, SHIFT GROWTH CAPITAL INC.
Kaz Go Head of Corporate Development & Strategy WIPRO LIMITED
Takuji Ishida Executive Director THE LONGREACH GROUP
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Kazushige has over 30 years of experience in the private equity (PE) business. Kazushige is handling a couple of PE-related businesses in parallel.
He joined MCP Asset Management in 2020 and manages 2 fund of funds programs of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government including a climate tech VC program.
In addition, he serves as an advisor for a couple of GPs including Rhone, a global mid-market PE fund, as an independent consultant.
Until 2020, he was Managing Director – Head of Primary Investments at Capital Dynamics (CD), a global private asset management company. He oversaw CD’s PE investments in Asia and also served as a member of the Global PE Investment Committee and Executive Committee.
Before joining CD in 2010, he worked for Mitsubishi Corporation, and as a part of that, he served as President and CEO of Alternative Investment Capital (AIC), a private equity advisory firm in Tokyo. AIC was established in 2002 and has grown AIC as a globally recognized PE investor.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Hitotsubashi University.
Reo Goto joined Unison Capital in 2017. He is responsible for investment activities mainly in B2B services and consumer services sector, and also serves as a member of Investment Committee. He has been involved in Unison’s investments in Sukesan, SHiDAX, Kids Corporation, and Kurumeshi. Prior to joining Unison, he worked at Mitsui & Co. in Tokyo and Moscow, where he was engaged in business development, strategic investment, and business support for portfolio companies primarily in service business industry.
Reo holds a B.S. in Bioengineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Joined J-STAR in January 2015. He made 8 investments in Tokuyama Shokai Group (Demolition work), Toy Factory (Manufacturing and selling recreational vehicles), Dainichi (processing and sale of cultured fish), WEGO (casual apparel), Sanwa Service (sale of cars), ITTY (D2C of health and beauty-related products), Aisei Pharmacy (management of pharmacies), Japan Hospice Holdings (hospice services, TSE Mothers 7061), and executed 3 successful exits.
He designs tailor-made structures to meet the challenges and needs of owners and their companies. During the investment period, he supports the sustainable growth of each portfolio company by strengthening the organizational structure and implementing individual business improvement projects. He is committed to deepening mutual understanding with the management and other stakeholders of each company.
Before joining J-STAR, he worked in the Investment Bank division of Nomura Securities and the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.
He graduated in political sciences from the Faculty of Law of Keio University. Since 2020, he has been working to diffuse integrated reports as a member of the board of WICI.
Hidetaka Kojima started his career as a financial advisor at Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd. and then moved to GCA (Houlihan Lokey). After that, he joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 2011 upon the establishment of the Food Sciences Division and then SHIFT Inc. in 2020. He was also involved in the establishment of SHIFT Growth Capital Inc. and then appointed as a director in March of 2022.
He has been responsible for the planning and execution of M&A/PMI strategy at these companies. Thus, he has over 15 years’ hands-on M&A/PMI experience both in industry and as an advisor. He achieved Japan's No.1 M&A track records among 4,000 listed companies in 2023. He is also a regular speaker at M&A conferences/seminars and frequently contribute to M&A journals.
Hidetaka Kojima completed PLD course (PLDA) at Harvard Business School. He also received an MBA from Hitotsubashi University and earned a BA from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. He is a certified accountant.
| Presently, Kaz works for a global tech giant to head up its Asian corporate development endeavors, including M&A, JV, CVC investments etc. Prior to this role, at Houlihan Lokey Corporation, Kaz played central roles in originating and executing M&A, investments, licensing and IPO deals in life sciences and healthcare, including biopharma, med device and digital health. Prior to Houlihan Lokey Corporation, he was the Head of Asia Pacific at Deloitte’s Corporate Finance practice. Prior experiences include the ED of the investment banking division of Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities, involved in a number of large-scale transactions (M&A/IPO, etc.), venture capital investment and M&A support in the U.S., research and study at a think tank, and PMI, production/development, SI, etc. at a leading manufacturer. He has a MS in Bioinformatics from the University of Maryland, an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania, and is a CFA. Co-authored three books and published many papers and lectures | |
Takuji Ishida is an Executive Director based in Tokyo. He has been involved in investments including Japan Systems, Blueship, and nobitel (Dr.stretch). Prior to joining Longreach, Takuji was a Managing Director at Polaris Capital Group, a private equity in Japan, where he played key roles in deal originations, transaction execution activities, and value creation for several portfolio companies. Prior to Polaris Capital Group, Takuji worked at Mitsubishi Corporation focusing on investments/project finance in Liquefied Natural Gas projects. Subsequently, at Boston Consulting Group, Takuji was a Project Leader in charge of developing strategies, formulating med-to long-term business plans, and launching new businesses in several sectors.
Takuji received a Bachelor of Laws from Kyoto University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.