SunBridge Partners (SBP), a venture capital firm targeting investments in enterprise software specialists in the US and Japan, has sold its holdings in Kyriba Japan, a Japan-based joint venture between Kyriba Corporation (Kyriba) and SunBridge, as part of Bridgepoint’s recent investment in Kyriba.
SunBridge Partners teamed with Kyriba in 2012 to help establish its Japan operations via SBP’s proven Japan-entry Joint Venture (JV) model. Previous SunBridge Japan entry JVs also include Concur Japan, Marketo Japan and Demandware Japan. SBP was also fortunate to have Marc Benioff, Steve Singh, Mizuho Capital, and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital as strategic partners and co-investors in the JV.
SunBridge worked side-by-side with Kyriba to launch operations in Japan, identify potential customers, and assist the company through several generations of growth in Kyriba Japan, including the hiring of President Shintaro Komatsu, and partnered with the team to help maximize the growth and success of the Japan business.
“SunBridge Partners has been an invaluable partner in Japan; accessing their broad network of contacts and customers, an extensive understanding of the Japan market, and the ability to know what local customers demand from their software suppliers have all been critical to our success in Japan to date,” says Jean-Luc Robert, Kyriba CEO. “SBP’s support, proactive assistance and valuable insights were key to the success of our engagement together.”
“Kyriba is the global leader in cloud treasury and finance solutions, and is poised for incredible growth in the next phase of their journey with Bridgepoint,” says SBP Partner Ken Ehrhart, who led SBP’s relationship with Kyriba Japan. “It has been an honour to have the chance to work with pioneers like Jean-Luc and Komatsu-san and help to contribute in extending their market leadership.”
