Sapphire Capital Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Sapphire") is pleased to announce the 1st close of the Sapphire Investment Fund I L.P. (hereinafter referred to as "Sapphire Fund I") on June 27, 2019.

The fund was launched with participation from institutional investors, led by Mizuho Securities Principal Investment. Sapphire is planning to raise additional investment from financial institutions, corporate pension funds, and business corporations.

Sapphire, General Partner of the fund, was established as a joint venture between Polaris Advisors Inc. (a subsidiary of Polaris Capital Group, one of Japan’s leading buyout funds), Sugashita Partners Inc. (which has a strong network with venture business leaders), and Yasuo Yamada, an investor with extensive experience in growth-stage private equity investment.

Sapphire Fund I focuses on providing growth capital to companies in the expansion phase. Following investment, Sapphire’s well-experienced professionals actively support portfolio companies. Sapphire work closely with the management to enhance the corporate value of the companies.