Our Billion Ventures Orchestrates Premium Take-Private in Japan, Unlocking Exclusive Mid-Market Deal Flow for Global Investors

Transaction fuels growth in workforce upskilling and positions OBV as a gateway to Japan's surging M&A market.

TOKYO, Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid Japan's record-breaking $232 billion in M&A during the first half of 2025, Our Billion Ventures (OBV), a founder-focused advisory and independent sponsor, played a pivotal role in the strategic take-private of Lightworks Corp. (TSE: 4267), a market-leading cloud-based corporate learning platform. Partnering with The Longreach Group, a premier Japan-focused private equity firm, the deal underscores OBV's position as a cross-border M&A partner, delivering proprietary, founder-aligned opportunities in Japan's mid-market.

The tender offer price of JPY 2,179 per common share represents a 68.91% premium over the average closing price for the three-month period prior to the tender offer, demonstrating strong validation of the company's growth prospects.

After originating the opportunity, OBV provided strategic guidance by uncovering untapped growth potential in the Lightworks platform, structuring the transaction with management, securing aligned capital partners, and outlining clear plans for long-term value creation.

This strategic transaction reflects OBV's commitment to empowering founders of Japanese enterprises. OBV focuses on founder-led businesses with substantial untapped growth potential that are often missed in conventional deal processes, developing transformational growth strategies, and securing strategic capital partnerships to unlock their full potential.

Jonathan Hiroshi Rossi, entrepreneur and OBV co-founder, commented:

"Japan's mid-market remains one of the most attractive yet least accessible investment landscapes for foreign capital. Our mission is straightforward – to empower Japanese founders to realize the maximum potential of their businesses. The Lightworks transaction demonstrates how we generate substantial, lasting value by combining strategic vision, operational expertise, and aligned capital solutions. We're proud to partner with one of Japan's leading private equity firms, The Longreach Group, to further accelerate growth in the critical corporate learning sector. The intersection of digital and human capital transformation is a defining issue of our era, and Lightworks is now ideally positioned to continue leading Japan's workforce development."

OBV is committed to strengthening Lightworks as a market leader in corporate training and driving the launch of innovative, value-added solutions. The transaction preserves continuity by retaining CEO Natsuo Eguchi, ensuring strategic direction and growth momentum.

Mr. Natsuo Eguchi, CEO of Lightworks, remarked:

"This transaction unlocks tremendous value and opportunity for the Lightworks platform, a company I founded over 20 years ago. Jonathan Rossi and the Our Billion Ventures team provided exceptional strategic clarity and operational insight. We look forward to the next stage of growth."

Keitaro "KT" Tsuda, Partner from The Longreach Group added:

"Lightworks has been a market leader in Japan's corporate learning and human capital development space for over two decades, consistently serving large enterprise clients through its advanced, fully integrated LMS platform. We are grateful to Jonathan Rossi and the Our Billion Ventures team for their strategic guidance in bringing this opportunity to fruition. We look forward to supporting Lightworks in its next stage of growth under the outstanding leadership of CEO Natsuo Eguchi."

For more information, refer to press releases from the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), The Longreach Group (LRG), and Lightworks announcing the transaction.

About Our Billion Ventures

Our Billion Ventures (OBV) is a founder-focused independent sponsor and advisory dedicated to driving transformational growth in Japan's mid-market. We bring together operational expertise, strategic capital relationships, and an entrepreneurial mindset to align vision and resources, enabling founders to scale their businesses, maintain their legacy and expand their impact.

As a trusted bridge between the U.S. and Japan, OBV sources proprietary opportunities and executes cross-border M&A. Specializing in sectors including corporate training, HR, cybersecurity, B2B SaaS, and tech-enabled services, OBV consistently generates lasting value for employees, clients, investors, and broader society.

For more information, visit www.ourbillionventures.com. 

About Lightworks
Lightworks provides cloud-based Learning Management System ("LMS"), contents for e-learning, and Human Capital Management ("HCM") systems including talent management to Japanese domestic enterprises with a focus on blue-chip clients. With the emphasis on digital transformation ("DX") and labor reskilling, as well as the increasing importance of enhanced human resources ("HR") strategies to combat labor shortages in Japan, Lightworks is uniquely positioned to meet the growing demand for well-developed HR systems.

About The Longreach Group
The Longreach Group is an established independent private equity firm with offices in Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Firm focuses on Japan related control buyouts in the industrial and technology, consumer related and business services sectors. The Firm manages four Funds which have accumulated approximately US$2.7 billion of committed limited partner and co-investment capital and has a strong track record of portfolio company value creation and realizations.

The Longreach Group Companies include the funds that serve as the investment companies, The Longreach Group Limited, which is based in Hong Kong, and The Longreach Group, Inc. which is based in Tokyo, Japan. The Longreach Group, Inc. collects and analyses data and information concerning the Japanese and Asian markets and assists The Longreach Group Limited in identifying potential investment opportunities.

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