United States, June 3, 2021 /Big PRwire/ —  International law firm Withers advised on the launch of MPower Partners Fund L.P., Japan’s first environment, social and governance (ESG) focused global venture capital fund led by Japanese financial industry experts Kathy Matsui, Yumiko Murakami, Miwa Seki and Eriko Suzuki.

MPower Partners empowers entrepreneurs by providing tech-enabled solutions to societal challenges and driving sustainable growth through ESG integration.

The fund will focus on investments into growth to late-stage Japanese startups, and the remainder into earlier-stage overseas startups, in industries such as healthcare and wellness, fintech, next-generation work and education, next-generation consumers, and environment and sustainability.

The Withers team comprising Tokyo-based partners Koji Yamamoto, Yoshiyuki Omori, Takeo Mizutani, Eric Roose and New York-based partners David Guin and Elliot Galler, advised on the entire spectrum of fund formation, regulatory and tax. They were supported by associates Erin Gutierrez and Brian Yu.

Koji Yamamoto comments: “The team leading MPower Partners are recognized ESG thought leaders and I cannot think of an investment fund that is more well suited for the times that we live in. The unparalleled success of MPower Partners to raise capital is a testament to the support and belief that the market has for its unique strategy. We are honoured to work with them on this launch.”

Kathy Matsui, General Partner of MPower Partners, comments: “Our ability to successfully launch a sizable venture capital fund during a global pandemic was made possible due to the tremendous support we received from Koji Yamamoto and the Withers team. Since the initial stage of our fund conception, they provided valuable guidance and were very responsive to our needs. Given the global nature of our fund, we appreciated their ability to deliver the entire Withers network to support us every step of the way.”

The target of capital commitments is anticipated to be US$150 million, and currently committed limited partners include three leading Japanese financial institutions which are aligned with MPower Partners’ mission of driving ESG throughout the venture ecosystem: The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited, Sompo Holdings, Inc., and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group (in alphabetical order), alongside other global investors.

The fund plans to leverage its extensive global expertise and network to support startups’ ESG integration, business scaling and global expansion and facilitate overseas startups’ entry into Japan.

About Withers’ Investment Funds Practice in Japan

Our investment funds team is one of the few practices amongst international law firms in Japan focusing on providing domestic and international investment managers and financial institutions with integrated legal and tax advice.

Apart from advising fund managers on Japan regulatory work matters or acting as Japan local counsel for investment funds, our team also acts as lead counsel for a wide range of open-ended and closed-ended funds.

We also work in collaboration with our real estate and corporate investments teams to expand our clients’ investment funds portfolio and to create the most appropriate structure that best suits their needs.

About Withers

Withers is an international law firm with a broad-ranging client base including multinational corporations, governments, international institutions and individuals and their businesses.

With over 180 partners and more than 500 other lawyers, we have unparalleled expertise in commercial, tax, trusts, estate planning, financial services, litigation and international arbitration, public international law, real estate, charities, philanthropy, employment, family law and other legal issues facing individuals and their families. The firm has advised 70% of the top 100 UK Sunday Times Rich List, 25% of the Forbes 400 List, 35% of the Hong Kong Forbes Rich List, and 35% of Forbes Asia’s Richest Families list.

Withers has 17 offices worldwide in London, New York, New Haven, Greenwich (Connecticut), San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Rancho Santa Fe, Boston, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, the British Virgin Islands, Geneva, Milan, Padua and Cambridge.

Press Contact: Rafiq Jalil, Senior Executive (PR), Withers +65 6922 4098

For more, visit withersworldwide.com

Source: Withers