HarbourVest to open in Tokyo

Boston-headquartered HarbourVest Partners is to open an office in Tokyo, a source has confirmed.

The firm declined to comment.

HarbourVest, which formed its first fund of funds product in 1982, currently has other offices in London and Hong Kong. It was one of the first fund of funds managers to set up shop in Asia when it established its Hong Kong subsidiary in 1996 to focus on Asian deals and clients.

The firm has been investing in Asian private equity since 1984. 

The firm’s Tokyo office, which will it be its second in Asia, will be headed by Tatsuya Kubo who has been hired as a managing director. Kubo was formerly a managing director at global alternative investment manager Fortress Investment Group in Japan, where he was focused on fundraising, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

Earlier this week, HarbourVest appointed Simon Lund as head of sales and marketing for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Lund, who joined the firm from London-based private equity fund of funds manager SVG Advisers, will focus on the marketing of the firm’s private funds, funds of funds, secondary funds and direct/ co-investment funds. 

HarbourVest currently has more than 230 employees including more than 70 investment professionals. The firm has committed more than $22 billion to new funds managed by about 200 private equity fund managers. Additionally, it has completed more than $6 billion worth of secondary purchases and has invested $4 billion directly in companies.