Japan’s DeNA makes rare double acquisition for $50M in an effort to diversify

DeNA added new punch to its business today, announcing acquisitions of Iemo and Peroli. Total cost was not disclosed but a DeNA representative confirmed to Tech in Asia that the two deals are worth US$50 million.

Both are news curation services. Iemo is focused on home-design whereas Peroli’s key product, Mery, targets ladies fashion. “[This is] part of DeNA’s previously-announced strategy to bring digital innovation to offline industries,” a company spokesperson told Tech in Asia.

Both services are young. Mery launched in April 2013 and Iemo followed suit. Mery’s monthly active users exceed 12 million while Iemo is hitting a more modest 1.5 million. Regardless, DeNA intends to make the companies a major part of its business going forward as it becomes a key player in the lifestyle space. Within a few years, it intends to attract 50 million monthly active users.

Leading the charge will be Iemo’s founder Mary Murata, arguably the biggest winner from this deal. She is a senior vice president at DeNA as of today and will oversee the Curation Platform Business. Murata is no stranger to the corporate world either, having worked at CyberAgent prior to striking out as an entrepreneur.

DeNA confirmed to Tech in Asia that both deals came together very quickly. Peroli was in the midst of fundraising when it decided to change course and throw in with DeNA in order to launch an ecommerce business. Talks with Iemo began this past July and accelerated quickly from there. For Iemo, which wants to move into the housing and real estate industry, the opportunity to draw from DeNA’s brand recognition is particularly tempting.

The acquisitions are also notable because they give the Japanese ecosystem a couple sorely needed exit stories. In Japan, a successful exit is often seen as an IPO. It is much more rare to hear companies talk about how they want to be acquired. As tech giants like DeNA continue to search for new ways to keep their businesses strong, the acquisition rate for exits might rise.

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