Stockholm-based EQT, which worked with Digital Colony to buy Zayo for US$14.3 billion last year, said the move is the next step in its strategy to grow in the Asia-Pacific region. The investor completed its purchase of EdgeConneX from an investor group led by Providence Equity Partners last November.
Christian Sinding (pictured), EQT’s CEO and managing partner, said about the new move: “Japan is a major and increasingly exciting market for private capital and one of the largest geographic opportunities we have globally.”
EQT said it will set up a partners’ office in Japan, focusing at first on the private equity business line with the team based in Tokyo. It is moving Simon Griffiths from Singapore to Tokyo, said the investor, and will recruit local talent.
“We are now making a long-term commitment to developing EQT’s presence in Japan and believe that our unique value-added approach and industrial heritage will be highly relevant,” said Sinding.
“Core EQT skills such as supporting companies to internationalise, go through a digital transformation and become sustainability leaders, are all areas where we could support many Japanese companies.”
The organisation said it will start by collaborating with private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners (JIP), looking for investment opportunities where global expansion is required. The focus will be on telecoms, media and technology (TMT) as well as healthcare, industrial technology and services.
