Kepple Group Co., Ltd.
“Kepple Liquidity No. 1 Fund” completes recruitment for 10 billion yen Aiming to “take over” startup investors and create unicorn companies ……
Kepple Liquidity No. 1 Investment Limited Partnership (hereinafter referred to as the “Fund”), operated by the Kepple Group, has completed soliciting investments for a total of 10 billion yen, the largest fund specializing in direct secondaries in Japan. I would like to inform you that.
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Purpose of establishing this fund
Kepple Group established this fund in June 2022 with the aim of responding to the need for liquidation of held stocks, which is attracting attention as an issue for the startup ecosystem. In recent years, while the number of new funds flowing into startup investment and the number of venture capital (VC) funds making investments has rapidly expanded, the lack of opportunities to liquidate already issued stocks has emerged as a problem that needs to be resolved. This is due to the expiration of the VC funds established in the early 2010s, and the rapid increase in needs due to the selection and concentration of investment targets in strategic investments such as business companies.
Additionally, by allowing investors to transfer their holdings to secondary funds at an appropriate time other than listing or M&A, startups will have an additional period of time to grow while unlisted, which will strengthen the Japanese startup ecosystem. It is hoped that this will also lead to resolving the “small IPO” problem. Please see here (https://corp.kepple.co.jp/press/20220623) for details on the background of its establishment and the investment policy of this fund.
Investment progress and completion of fund recruitment
In the two years since the fund was announced, the fund has received many inquiries, and as of the end of May 2024, the fund has invested in 13 companies and approximately 3 billion yen*. All of the investee companies are expected to make further strides toward listing within the next few years, and nine of them are growing companies that have raised funds from outside investors within one year before or after acquiring their shares in this fund.
*Includes one company that has been approved but not executed yet. Through these investment activities, we have demonstrated strong demand for direct secondary funds from domestic startups, and our track record of actually building high-quality portfolios has been highly evaluated, and we are receiving investment from financial institutions, business companies, family offices, etc. With investment from my family, I was able to complete the recruitment for 10 billion yen. The Kepple Group will contribute to the development of the domestic startup ecosystem by providing returns to existing
shareholders who have supported startups and providing further support to investees that have inherited growth expectations. Fund overview Partnership name: Kepple Liquidity 1 Investment Limited Partnership Fund management company (GP): Kepple Liquidity 1 Limited Liability Partnership (Kepple Group Co., Ltd., a partnership including Takahiro Kamisaki, Takashi Samejima, and Yasushi Domae)
Total investment commitment: 10 billion yen
Investment target: Mid-to-late stage domestic startups growing with the aim of IPO within 3 years
URL: https://corp.kepple.co.jp/investor/keppleliquidityfund
About Kepple Group
Kepple Group’s mission is “Create New Industries,” and we are developing a variety of businesses to support entrepreneurs and investors in order to contribute to the development of the startup ecosystem. Representative examples include the startup media “KEPPLE”, the startup database “KEPPLE DB”, and the unlisted stock management tool “KEPPLE CRM” for VCs and business companies. We also provide a wide range of services, including outsourced fund settlement services, stock price calculations when investing in startup companies, and support for investment consideration due diligence. In the future, we will further expand our support to startups and investors around the world.
Kepple Group’s various services
・KEPPLE DB
A startup database that promotes innovation activities. In addition to company information and business overviews of over 15,000 companies, it covers the latest market information. It also has a rich search function that allows you to extract information based on various conditions.
https://kepple.co.jp/investor/keppledb・KEPPLE CRM
Unlisted stock management CRM tool for VCs and business companies. We provide a variety of functions, from sourcing to reporting, centering on a platform that can centrally manage all information on investment activities. Supports operational efficiency and decision-making, and contributes to investment activities.
https://kepple.co.jp/investor/kepplecrm・Startup Media KEPPLE A startup media company that disseminates interviews, industry reports, event information, etc. with a focus on fundraising, based on the concept of “visualizing the startup ecosystem and contributing to its development.”
https://kepple.co.jp/・KEPPLE FUND SUPPORT
Our highly specialized and experienced members, including venture capitalists and certified public accountants, act as reliable partners and provide a wide range of flexible support for fund management operations such as fund accounting/settlement.
https://kepple.co.jp/investor/kepplefundsupport・Stock price
calculation・Investment consideration DD
Utilizing our unique startup database and knowledge, we conduct stock price calculations and investment consideration DD specifically for startups.
https://kepple.co.jp/investor/keppledd・Startup Scout
A job change service specializing in stock option recruitment. Experienced professionals such as certified public accountants utilize our unique database information to support high-class startups in changing jobs.
https://startup-scout.kepple.co.jp/・Shareholder meeting cloud Stockholder meeting electronicization tool for startups. Complicated tasks related to shareholder management, such as sending out convocation notices for shareholder meetings and collecting proxies, can be completed online, and it is also packed with useful functions. For inquiries regarding https://kepple.co.jp/startup/mtgcloud services, please use the respective service page or inquiry form. Contact form: https://corp.kepple.co.jp/contact
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