Japanese private equity firm Advantage Partners (AP) has formally forged a multi-billion peso investment deal with local IT systems integrator Micro-D International Inc. (MDI) and fully-owned subsidiary Novare Technologies.

“The transaction represents the first investment in the Philippines by AP Funds,” AP Head of Asia Emmett Thomas said. “Advantage Partners is thrilled at the opportunity to help MDI fulfill its digital transformation mission in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.”

Advantage Partners, LLP is a private equity investment company established in Japan in 1992. It has so far invested in 43 companies globally across different industries. AP keeps a global portfolio comprising of investment management, financial planning, investment advisory, and consulting services.

For its part, MDI Novare is one of the leaders in the country’s IT market. It caters to blue-chip firms and helps its clientele drive their digital transformation via application development, data analytics, infrastructure, and IT security. It also keeps industry expertise in the sectors of financial services, telecommunications, domestic conglomerates, and public industries.

MDI takes this partnership with the Japanese investor firm as a reinforcement of its renewed commitment for further development of its digitalization initiatives so it could be globally competitive.

“It has always been my goal to make MDI the Philippines’ national champion in technology,” said MDI and Novare Technologies founder Myla Villanueva. “The partnership simply came at the most perfect time, when digital transformation became even more of an imperative for corporations to serve the evolving needs of their customers.”

“As we enter into this milestone partnership, we are confident that this will pave the way for more expansion opportunities for MDI and introduce more innovations and digital solutions that would help the country prepare for the next future, towards a more digitized world,” Villanueva concluded.