International: East Meets West In Quester –

LONDON/TOKYO – Quester, a UK-based independent venture capital firm operating in both institutional and venture capital trusts, and NIF Ventures, one of the leading venture capital firms in Japan, recently announced a co-investment agreement. NIF, founded in 1982, is associated with Daiwa Securities Group.

Under the terms of the agreement, Quester will introduce European investment opportunities to NIF Ventures, and in return, NIF Ventures will assist Quester’s portfolio companies in developing their expansion plans in Japan and the Pacific Rim.

Quester’s relationship with NIF dates back to 1990 when NIF invested in one of the firm’s institutional VC funds. Andrew Holmes, managing director of Quester, said, “We are delighted to have developed our relationship with NIF. As one of Japan’s leading VC firms, NIF will be a great partner for us and for our portfolio companies, which are developing plans to grow into Japan, Taiwan and elsewhere in the Far East.”

Both Quester and NIF Ventures have significant overlap in their investment focus. Quester primarily focuses on growth companies in sectors such as information technology, software, telecommunications, new media, leisure, health care and life sciences. NIF Ventures focuses on communications, e-commerce, electronics, security and software.