Investor Growth Capital Becomes One Of The Major (21%) Shareholders Of Zephyr Corp, A New Energy Company

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zephyr Corporation (headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Ryosuke Ito), a dedicated manufacturer of small wind turbines, has recently closed an agreement for a private placement of new shares with the private equity division of Investor AB, the financing vehicle for Sweden's Wallenberg family listed on the Swedish Stock Exchange, Investor Growth Capital Holding's SPC, Investor Investment ZPR B.V., Inc. The amount for the new offering is JPY 500 million. Zephyr's capitalization and international strategies advisor, Quantum Leaps Corporation (Founder & CEO: Nobuyuki Idei) has provided advices for the negotiation.

As global warming becomes an increasingly large problem for the countries across the planet, various responses are being considered. Within the renewable, clean energy market, the wind power industry has seen double-digit growth in both Western countries and in East Asia, due to easier implementation and superior cost-effectiveness of wind power technology. The reasons that support Investor Growth Capital's investment in Zephyr are as follows.

• The demand for increasingly advanced small wind turbines has been expanding globally, particularly for the 1-kilowatt class
• Small wind turbines are considered to be most suitable, particularly in Europe, as a private individual strategy for combating global warming
• There is an expectation that growth in demand for small wind turbines will be stable for both home-use as well as small to mid-sized business use
• Within Europe, increasing more national or local government support systems are being established to aid in the purpose of solar panels and small wind turbines.
• The ability to sell power back to electric power companies is attractive
• The demand for small wind turbines on the global market is expected to grow rapidly in the immediate future
• Zephyr is an important manufacturer of small wind turbines in the 1-kilowatt class

According to Ryosuke Ito, President of Zephyr, "This new agreement will give a powerful boost to advance our international strategy. The increased investment will enable our company to greatly expand production volumes and will also expand its presence in global markets."

Beginning in 2002 with a joint project that brought together participants from industry, academia and the government, Zephyr developed its Airdolphin (rated power: 1kW), a light-weight and highly efficient small wind turbine that sets global standards. Sales began in the spring of 2007.

Investors Group

Investors Group is a member of the Wallenberg Group; its core company, Investor AB, the largest industry holding company in Scandinavia founded in 1916, is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Investors Group companies include several excellent international firms based mainly in Europe, major examples of which include ABB, SAAB, Ericsson and Electrolux. They are also developing more private equity business with long-term holdings in European, Asian and North American companies.

Zephyr Corporation

Established in June of 1997, Zephyr Corporation has been active in the development of small wind turbines designed to fight global warming, and in developing the markets for those products. They have been used to produce power in venues, from building rooftops to the open sea and remote islands and atop 3,000 meter-high mountains, demonstrating the unparalleled energy production, which captured the lead for market share in Japan as a result.

For more information, please visit http://www.zephyreco.co.jp/en/

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