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Hello reader,
A month ago, I spent two weeks alone in Tokyo. It was my first time in Japan in seven years, and the biggest difference I noticed from the last time I’d been there was how much more accessible everything was – more signs were in English, and more people were comfortable speaking the language.
This, on top of the world-famous Japanese hospitality, made for an unforgettable trip. (It also helped that I can speak Japanese well enough to order things and hold simple conversations.)
For all of the stereotypes about the country being insular, it’s clear that – at least in Tokyo – people are opening up more and more to other cultures. As this (hopefully) continues to be the case, we can probably expect to see more top-funding deals from Japan, like in today’s newsletter issue.
You can find all other important investment deals that happened in the last few days in our weekly funding news wrap-up.
Let’s dive into the biggest deals and M&A that recently took place.
— Winston
The biggest deals by country
🇯🇵 Japan-based robotics firm Mujin has raised US$233 million in the first close of its series D round, combining US$133 million in equity and US$100 million in debt financing. NTT Group led the equity investment, with Qatar Investment Authority, Mitsubishi HC Capital Realty, and Salesforce Ventures also participating.
🇸🇦 Erad, an SME financing platform headquartered in Saudi Arabia, has announced an agreement for a US$125 million credit facility led by Jefferies, with co-investment from Channel Capital, which is pending finalization.
🇮🇳 Ripplr, a distribution-as-a-service firm from India, has closed a US$45 million series C round. The participating investors were Zephyr Peacock India, 3one4 Capital, State Bank of India, and Sojitz Corporation.
🇨🇳 GenePlus is a China-based healthcare firm. It has locked in US$42.3 million in a series D round, with participation from Bc-tid and the Science and Technology Innovation and Talent Introduction Fund.
🇰🇷 South Korean AI firm Aitrics has secured US$24.5 million in series C funding from Premier Partners, BSK Investment, and KB Securities, among others.
M&A
Startups that are raising funds
Behind the Glasswall
Exclusive listicles
Thoughtful reads
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