Japanese companies are increasingly involved in cross-border M&As and international alliances. We are specialized in advising on middle and small sized deals:
Services
1. Cross-border M&A
Key challenges in middle and small sized cross-border deals:
(1) Difficulty in finding right seller/acquirer candidates due to less visibility and distance
(2) Need to run the process effectively with less resources
(3) Need to deal with cultural and value gaps during negotiations and post M&A
With our experience in advising cross-border medium and small sized deals, as well as larger deals, we efficiently and effectively manage the process.
- Listing
- Long-list targets
- Short-list based on discussions with client
- Sounding
- Contact the candidates to sound its preliminary interest
- Sign NDA with interested parties
- Preliminary negotiation
- Preliminary information disclosure
- Meeting
- Preliminary Q&A
- Due diligence
- Business, legal, accounting, tax, and organizational due diligence
- Valuation of the target business
- Negotiation
- Sign agreements with counter party (such as stock purchase agreement, agreement among shareholders)
2. International alliance
Challenges in international alliance resemble M&A in (1) finding the right partner, and (2) build relationship and run the project dealing with cultural and linguistic gaps. We provide with one-stop support for finding the right partner, and for building and managing the relationship.
- Listing
- Long-list alliance candidates
- Short-list by discussing with client
- Sounding
- Contact candidates to sound preliminary interest
- Explain client proposal to interested parties
- Conduct Q&As
- Negotiation
- Negotiate alliance terms with the potential partner
- Draft, negotiate and execute agreement
- Follow-up and project management
- Monitoring of partner performance
- Ongoing communication support and project management
About
Tetsuhiro Akita, Representative Director and CEO
Taking advantage of professional experience in international sales, financial advisory and investments, he founded ThirdForce Inc. to provide with professional advisory services for cross-border M&A and alliance.
He was engaged in private equity investment business at a Japan Industrial Partners and Orix Corporation, serving as vice president and senior vice president, to source investment opportunities and manage post-investment developments. Before that, he pursued investment banking business at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities and Deutsche Bank Securities, serving as analyst, associate, and vice president and engaged in cross boarder and domestic M&A and corporate financing transactions. Prior to that, he conducted international sales and development business at Mitsubishi Corporation, servicing as project manager.
Established: April 2013
Enquiries: please contact support@third-force.com
Address : 3F Placeo Aoyama Bldg. 2-7-13 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan 107-0061
Track records
Track records of middle and small sized M&As and international alliance, as well as market research, international sales and marketing opportunities.
M&A AND ALLIANCE
(1) Cross-border middle and small sized M&A
Sell-side and Buy-side advisory
- US – Sale of cosmetics marketing subsidiary (completed)
- US – Acquisition of beauty salon business (completed)
- Hong Kong – Sale of eyelash extension business (completed)
- Thailand – Investment in international school (completed)
- Singapore – Acquisition of food service business (completed)
- Thailand – Sale of international school (completed)
- Vietnam – Acquisition of food service business (completed)
(2) International alliance
Research, contact, negotiate, and support communications for establishing relationship with international partner
- Health supplement maker – finding sales agent and supporting international sales in Southeast Asia
- IT service provider – finding a business partner in Australia
- Consumer electronics maker – supporting university collaboration in Thailand
OTHER
(3) International market research
Market research, competitive research, and desk research
- Malaysia and Vietnam – Research on food industry, and hearing with key players
- US – Research on specific health food raw materials, its marketability, and competitions
- US – Research on a food item, in terms of E-commerce and logistics
- Southeast Asia – Research on stationary products market research and sales channels
- Taiwan and Vietnam – Research on plastic products
- Vietnam – Research on stationary products
(4) International sales and marketing
Sales, marketing, attending exhibition, and communication
- Metalworking client – sales and marketing to US and Europe customers, and business trip
- Call center operator – research and sales marketing in US
- Energy industry client – business tour on renewable energy industry in Germany
- Communication service business tour to industrial park in Thailand
- IT software developer – market research and sales in Korea
- Cooking goods provider – market research, sales, website building, and meeting support in US
- Communication service provider – business tour in Indonesia
- Gift service – supporting sales in US
- Auto parts maker – research, alliance, and financing in Indonesia
- Electronics maker – closing subsidiary in Malaysia
- Health supplement maker – sales and marketing support in Asia
We can reach out Japanese corporate investors pursuing for acquisitions and investments outside Japan, through our network of allied financial institutions and advisors. We cover most of major regions across Japan.
Businesses and advisors tend to find difficulties in finding right Japanese investors for sale and receiving investment. This is particularly the case for the middle to small sized opportunities. This happens due to the insufficiency of channel to convey seller and buyer needs.
If you look for Japanese investors, we are the right choice.
Indeed, Japanese companies are increasingly keen on acquisition and investment overseas. Such desire has spread from large companies to middle to smaller sized companies, in response to the shrinking domestic population and globalized supply chains.
We connect such gap by effectively conveying seller-side needs to the investors. We match needs, translate and explain, and engage the execution, seamlessly.
We look forward to hear from:
1. Business owners who would like to sell businesses or to receive investment
- We support the sellers in accessing buyer needs and in preparation of teaser and information memorandum.
- We access the potential candidates to sound their interest.
- In execution, we can support either, or both the seller and the buyer.
2. Sell-side advisors
- We work with advisors mainly in Southeast Asia to exchange needs and advise clients on each side. We collaborate on a project basis.
- For your clients in searching for investors, we can create a list of potential candidates, and upon your clearance, we reach them out to sound their interest. We work on the buyer-side in execution.
If you wish to invest in or acquire Japanese companies, please let us know.
- A number of owners of middle to small sized Japanese companies are at retiring ages, however many of them are having difficulties in finding successors of the businesses.
- There are increasing number of domestic M&A transactions where such companies are sold to peer companies, however the pace of such domestic consolidations are not enough to meet the retiring demands.
- Although such owners tend to prefer domestic successors due to language and culture gaps, we are witnessing more precedents of out-in transactions, where international buyers acquire Japanese businesses.
- If you are strategic investors aiming at acquiring such companies with synergy potentials, please let us know.
- We would like to find right targets utilizing our network.
CONTACT US
For contact to ThirdForce Inc. please send message to below e-mail address:
We look forward to the following inquiry types:
- Middle and small sized business owners looking for Japanese acquirer
- Investor expecting to acquire middle and small sized Japanese business
- Needs for finding and managing Japanese partner
- M&A and alliance professionals looking for cross-border M&A opportunities
- Other
E-mail address for inquiry: