Our Billion Ventures Orchestrates Delisting of Lightworks, Accelerating Japan’s Workforce Upskilling

Transaction executed at a 69% premium unlocks growth capital to expand technology-led solutions

TOKYO, Japan – [June 17, 2025] – Our Billion Ventures (OBV), a founder-focused advisory and independent sponsor, today announced its instrumental role in successfully concluding a tender offer to strategically delist Lightworks Corp. (TSE: 4267), a leading provider of corporate learning solutions in Japan. The transaction was executed in partnership with The Longreach Group, a prominent Japan-focused private equity firm.

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

After originating the opportunity, OBV provided strategic guidance throughout the transaction that included identifying unrealized growth potential on the Lightworks platform, structuring the transaction alongside management, securing aligned capital partners, and outlining clear pathways for future value creation.

This strategic transaction reflects OBV’s commitment to empowering founders of Japanese enterprises. OBV specializes in identifying founder-led businesses with substantial untapped growth potential overlooked by traditional public markets, developing transformational growth strategies, and securing strategic capital partnerships to unlock their full potential.

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

“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’s efforts are focused on reinforcing Lightworks’ market leadership in corporate training services while enabling Lightworks to launch innovative, value-added solutions. The transaction structure prioritizes continuity, allowing Lightworks CEO, Mr. Natsuo Eguchi, to remain actively involved in his leadership role in order to sustain Lightworks’ 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 advisory and independent sponsor dedicated to transformational growth opportunities within Japanese enterprises. OBV leverages deep operational expertise, flexible capital solutions, and an entrepreneurial philosophy to align capital, vision, and execution capabilities, empowering founders to build globally impactful businesses. Specializing in sectors including corporate training, cybersecurity, B2B SaaS, and tech-enabled services, OBV consistently generates lasting value for employees, clients, investors, and broader society. For more information, visit (URL: www.ourbillionventures.com) or contact OBV co-founder Jonathan Hiroshi Rossi (Email: [e-mail] ).

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.

Our Billion Ventures LLC

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Web：www.ourbillionventures.com