Top 50 Automotive Startup Investors in Japan (August 2026)

Portfolio highlights

• Yondemy — Yondemy is an online platform for children reading books.
• Yokohama Vanilla — Yokohama Vanilla is a Company which operates Yokohama-based gift sweets brand.
• Zeal Boxing Fitness — Zeal Boxing Fitness combines power of sports with the power of technology to provide a service that allows to enjoy fitness.

Portfolio highlights

• CMerTV — CMer TV is a platform that connects advertisers with newspapers, magazines, and specialized media by video
• Link Therapeutics — Link Therapeutics specializes in developing therapeutic methods for targeting autoantibodies and identifying pathogenic autoantibodies.
• Pixie Dust Technologies — Pixie Dust Technologies is a developer of computational technologies, including its ultrasonic phased array system with which one can generate force in mid-air; transport things in mid-air without touching anything; target and deliver different sounds from person to person in a crowd; direct guide-dogs; and even apply this in agricultural farming.

Portfolio highlights

• DennoKotsu — Denno Kotsu is a Taxi dispatch system development and provision, taxi company contract dispatch service

Portfolio highlights

• Triorb — The corporate website of TriOrb Inc., revolutionizing production lines with our ball-driven omnidirectional mobility platform.
• FullDepth — FullDepth is a company that creates marine drones to aid with underwater monitoring. The company's drones work in tandem with marine navigation technology, which monitors and captures aquatic life, communicates data to connected devices, and provides infiltration information that can be freely used with a cloud service, allowing customers towitness and study marine life for educational and recreational purposes.FullDepth is a company that creates marine drones to aid with underwater monitoring. The company's drones work in tandem with marine navigation technology, which monitors and captures aquatic life, communicates data to connected devices, and provides infiltration information that can be freely used with a cloud service, allowing customers to witness and study marine life for educational and recreational purposes.
• Sunflower Labs — Fully autonomous AI-powered drone security with thermal imaging and real-time threat detection for commercial, industrial, and residential properties.

Portfolio highlights

• Carstay — Carstay Comfortable Overnight in car or tentdo itCar tripWith guests who want to enjoy.

Portfolio highlights

• DennoKotsu — Denno Kotsu is a Taxi dispatch system development and provision, taxi company contract dispatch service

Portfolio highlights

• Carstay — Carstay Comfortable Overnight in car or tentdo itCar tripWith guests who want to enjoy.
• Redcliff — Redcliff is a drone management company that organizes aerial shows and events for private and public organizations.
• AROUSAL Tech. — AROUSAL Tech is a consulting company that offers a wide range of AI consulting services. It provides digital training, AI reskilling, AI consulting, and AI integration services.

Portfolio highlights

• ASUENE — Asuene involves in clean power retail business, retail SaaS business, etc.
• Flosfia — FLOSFIA is a spin-off from a research of Kyoto University, specializing in film-formation by mist chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Making use of physical properties of gallium oxide (Ga2O3), FLOSFIA has devoted to development of low-loss power devices.
• TWO — TWO is a health and wellness company that offers innovative lifestyle solutions 2foods, a line of healthy and delicious food products.

Portfolio highlights

• Kinish — Kinish is a company leading a revolution in dairy products. To achieve environmentally friendly and delicious dairy products, we are developing a special rice variety that produces milk proteins.
• Kwahuu Ocean — Kwahuu Ocean develops sustainable squid farming systems.
• Spine Chronicle — Spine chronicle is a medical device manufacturing firm that specializes in developing orthopedic medical equipment.

Portfolio highlights

• Lean Mobility — Lean Mobility is a motor vehicle manufacturing company that manufactures and supplies electric motorcycles and motorcycle parts.

Portfolio highlights

• APTJ — Automotive Platform Technology Japan (APTJ) primarily engages in the development, sale, and licensing of automotive software and hardware products. It was founded on September 16, 2015.

Portfolio highlights

• Aplaca.Lab — Aplaca.Lab is a driver substitution platform that provides an unprecedented new driving experience. They released a driving agency application for providing comfortable driving experiences. It enables driving agencies to optimize their resources and clients' safety, prevent accidents, and receive assistance in areas with limited transportationoptions.

Portfolio highlights

• IDOM CaaS Technology — IDOM CaaS Technology provides a free car life that is not limited to buying and selling cars.

Portfolio highlights

• DennoKotsu — Denno Kotsu is a Taxi dispatch system development and provision, taxi company contract dispatch service

Portfolio highlights

• APTJ — Automotive Platform Technology Japan (APTJ) primarily engages in the development, sale, and licensing of automotive software and hardware products. It was founded on September 16, 2015.

Portfolio highlights

• EF Polymer — EF Polymer Private Limited providing 100% Organic and fully Biodegradable Super Absorbent Polymer cum Fertilizer to reduce Water and Fertilizer requirement for your plant. Let's grow organically.
• HerLifeLab — HerLifeLab is healthcare consulting company working for women health and empowerment.
• Think Nature — Think Nature is a researcher startup that specializes in the solutions related to the sustainability of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Portfolio highlights

• CoA Nexus — CoA Nexus develops and operates a skillshare matching platform for human resource research and development.
• bestat — bestat is a developer of platforms for 3D data creation, management, and utilization using AI and offers digital twins services.
• Openverse Global — Openverse operates as a Layer 0 hub, providing a foundational framework for decentralized applications and services.

Portfolio highlights

• Boings.AI — Boings.AI is a Web3 value collaboration network designed for the AI era.
• OptiView — Optiview is a Web3-native Intelligent Asset OS that transforms fragmented multi-chain reality into sovereign intelligence using a four-layered architecture.
• Fortune Protocol — Fortune Protocol brings the age- old tradition of fortune cookies to the modern prediction market.

Portfolio highlights

• Tradoor — Tradoor protects traders, LPs, and the protocol against unforeseen market fluctuations by using clever math and safety measures to enable traders to trade with confidence.
• Fireverse — Fireverse is an AI-powered musical and Web-3 platform.
• Mango Network — Multi-VM Omni-Chain Infra Network | Integrates the core advantages of OPStack & #Move | EVM & MoveVM support https://t.co/CCQMfVARnv

Portfolio highlights

• Kowro (株式会社) — KOWRO is an AI entertainment startup studio that builds entertainment experiences using generative AI, focusing on AI-powered character chat services and AI translation to export Japanese entertainment content globally. The company was established as a new entity following the restructuring of Algorithmatic Co., Ltd., a DMM Group company, andoperates with a philosophy of launching multiple projects and focusing on profitable ones while exiting unprofitable ventures.
• Mantra — MANTRA is a developer of machine translation technology.
• MyAnimeList — Welcome to MyAnimeList, the world's most active online anime and manga community and database. Join the online community, create your anime and manga list, read reviews, explore the forums, follow news, and so much more!

Portfolio highlights

• Joyride — Joyride powers the largest global network of micromobility operators. They offer turnkey software solutions for dockless bike-share and electric scooter operators. Their platform includes a white-label mobile application for end-users and a web-based dashboard for fleet operators. They currently power customers in 100-plus markets worldwide, andtheir management software enables an any-sized business to launch their fleet within 24 hours and seamlessly scale their operations from five to 500,000-plus vehicles.
• River — Empowering people, improving lives.
• eve autonomy — eve autonomy is an autonomous transportation service that offers logistics solutions utilizing the latest technology for society.

Portfolio highlights

• Spike Studio — Spike Studio Inc., established in November 2023, is a Tokyo-based company specializing in generative AI and large language models. Their mission is to enhance Japan’s labor productivity tenfold by integrating advanced AI solutions into client operations and services. The company offers customized AI solutions, system integration, data analysis,predictive modeling, and training programs to help clients leverage generative AI effectively. Co-founded by CEO Shigeru Kuroyanagi and COO Hirohide Sano, Spike Studio aims to address challenges such as declining international competitiveness, an aging population, and labor shortages in Japan.
• Yosemite — Yosemite is a wellness company that provides health and wellness products, supplements, skincare, and personal care items.
• Innovative Space Carrier — Innovative Space Carrier is a aerospace company that offers space transportation systems, planning, drafting and technology strategies.

Portfolio highlights

• Akari Hosho — Akari Hosho provides a group of trusted professionals, including lawyers and judicial scriveners. Akari Hosho provides a guarantee service.
• Black Cat Carnival — Black Cat Carnival Inc. is a communication service development company.
• Carbon CryoCapture — Carbon CryoCapture specializes in the carbon dioxide separation systems aimed at creating economically viable, energy-efficient, and genuinely sustainable CO2 separation and recovery technologies. The company is dedicated to deploying cost-effective, efficient systems for CO2 capture that integrate smoothly with current infrastructures, all whileenhancing energy consumption and production. This enables clients to attain zero emissions throughout the development and application of resources.

Portfolio highlights

• Pyrenee — Pyrenee provides traffic data collection and analysis in addition to developing, producing, and selling AI driving aids. The addition of an AI driving assistance system to existing vehicles. It improves safe driving and reduces traffic accidents as a capable driver's assistant.
• Antescofo — Antescofo is the mariage of world-class R&D and Business endeavours. Their technology is the result of 7+ years of R&D in the world’s largest laboratory dedicated to Music and Technology, IRCAM in Paris, and public experience with the most important musicians and orchestras around the world. The principle? Through Intelligent MachineListening, they recognize how humans perform music in real-time and use that information to synchronize content and provide an immersive experience! Antescofo was incorporated in July 2016 and based in Paris, France.
• Stake Technologies — Stake Technologies is a technology company that provides blockchain solutions to enterprises.

Portfolio highlights

• Direava — Direava is a medical device company that manufactures, sells, leases, and maintains medical equipments along with consulting services.
• Local Motors — Local Motors were known for their open-source motor vehicle designs, their cutting-edge expertise in 3D-printing cars, and their impressive self-driving vehicle technology.
• Nanofiber Quantum Technologies — Discover how NanoQT builds the foundation for scalable quantum computing with nanofiber cavity-QED technology and high-fidelity quantum connectivity.

Portfolio highlights

• Space BD — Space BD aims to become a one-stop shop to respond to all issues related to industrialization of space, and alleviate the work of businesses that are developing new technologies.
• KUZEN — KUZEN provides enterprise-grade chatbot technologies, especially the bot framework and NLP, via a visual UI without coding. The company is utilizing technology to develop a system that broadens the scope of dialogue. They use technology to provide their customers with next-generation standard procedures that broaden the possibilities ofconversation, resulting in unprecedented business practices.
• Neusignal Therapeutics — Neusignal Therapeutics is a medical company that develops therapeutic medicines for dementia and psychiatric illnesses.

Portfolio highlights

• TieUps — TieUps develops and operates SNS integrated marketing services.
• Seibii — Transforming traditional car maintenance, repair, after-parts installation, road service industry of Japan by leveraging Technology.
• Leading Mark — Leading Mark, a rising human resources startup in Japan. Leading Mark is branching out into mid-career and international hiring. It currently has a one-man team in China working to bring the top Japanese-speaking Chinese students to domestic companies. He also touts his startup’s focus on the average job seeker. “We want to make sure that the usersget the info that he or she needs the most,” he says. Large scale, legacy players can sometimes prioritize the needs of the hiring company, and their commission, over the needs of applicants themselves. This leads to frustration and short-circuited careers.

Portfolio highlights

• CBcloud — CBCLOUD is offers outsourcing services. The Company provides light cargo crowdsourcing and other services.
• Re:Build — Re:Build is to create the world where we can help each other. Re:Build company was born from the desire to help those who challenge.Our mission is to create a world where help and support circulate throughout the business .
• Aplaca.Lab — Aplaca.Lab is a driver substitution platform that provides an unprecedented new driving experience. They released a driving agency application for providing comfortable driving experiences. It enables driving agencies to optimize their resources and clients' safety, prevent accidents, and receive assistance in areas with limited transportationoptions.

Portfolio highlights

• Any Style — Any Style develops a messaging app from voice actors that regularly sends messages via subscription. It also engages in the planning and production of audio content and the VTuber production business.
• Chaintope — Chaintope is specializes in blockchain technology with a focus for FinTech and non-FinTech sectors.
• Smile Robotics — Smile Robotics provides Service Robots in Japan.

Portfolio highlights

• JPYC — JPYC is a financial institution that issues the community stablecoin JPYC, which is pegged to the yen of Japanese. They want to create a society where everyone can develop by fusing the real world with the world of cryptocurrencies and increasing the liquidity of capital to achieve their goal of overcoming the social conundrum. It will promotecapital's liquidity and create an environment that helps in development for all.
• Torihada — Torihada is a creative firm specializing in influencer marketing, creating content, and digital marketing.
• Experisus — Experisus provides Website production, development and management, and software.

Portfolio highlights

• NanoVita — Nanotechnology for the next human upgrade. AI-driven DeSci. RWA-backed health data.
• Voran — Voran is a decentralized computing platform that develops an AI compute and intelligence ecosystem.
• Fortune Protocol — Fortune Protocol brings the age- old tradition of fortune cookies to the modern prediction market.

Portfolio highlights

• LSP Finance — Decentralized Liquidity/Yield-Asset Exchange. Elevate Staking, Maximize Earnings, Capture the Next Alpha
• Zerobase — Trust layer of global finance. A proving network for real yield, with verifiable execution for capital, settlement, and risk. https://t.co/Y71G4wo3H9
• Fortune Protocol — Fortune Protocol brings the age- old tradition of fortune cookies to the modern prediction market.

Portfolio highlights

• Seibii — Transforming traditional car maintenance, repair, after-parts installation, road service industry of Japan by leveraging Technology.

Portfolio highlights

• SkyDrive — SkyDrive is a start-up for development,manufacturing,sales of the “Flying cars” established by CARTIVATOR members.

Portfolio highlights

• Treinta — Treinta powers 7 million SMBs across the US and Latin America with simple finance, inventory, and sales tools.
• Ferveret — Ferveret develops liquid cooling technology for data centers and other infrastructure. Our company is backed by Y Combinator and MIT Media Lab's E14.
• Kriya AI is now Kalendar AI — Kalendar AI books new revenue on autopilot

Portfolio highlights

• ASUENE — Asuene involves in clean power retail business, retail SaaS business, etc.
• Recompound — Recompound is a financial services startup that acts as a personal investment advisor for individuals to grow their stock market portfolios.
• Testsigma — Powerful cloud-based test automation platform that lets you automate tests for web, mobile, desktop apps, and APIs in minutes. Sign up now!

Portfolio highlights

• D-Chain — D-Chain offers services related to IT development and production in the Web3 and Web2 fields.
• Rayout — Rayout is a business consulting company that provides creative content development, recruitment videos, and web production services.
• CAREER BIJIN — Career bijin is a total support company.

Portfolio highlights

• Ripplr — Ripplr is a full-stack tech distribution and logistics player that offers data-driven analytics and plugs and play system.
• Tacta Systems — Hand, touch, skill transfer, intelligence. Four building blocks, built as one. The bar for high-value work. Tacta is mastering them all.
• Boldsack Media — Boldsack Media is a brand that offers a range of marketing services aimed at helping businesses build their online and offline presence. It appears their expertise lies in brand strategy, digital marketing, creative development, and media solutions. Here’s a breakdown of what Boldsack Media offers:Creative Strategy – They design bespokemarketing strategies that align with a brand's goals and make its message stand out. Digital Marketing – Services include SEO, social media campaigns, and content marketing to drive online engagement and growth. Brand Development – Boldsack works on crafting brand identities that reflect a company's values and vision. Market Research – They conduct in-depth audience and competitor analysis to aid strategic decision-making. Business Video Production – Creative, high-quality videos designed to capture and communicate brand messages effectively. Tailored Marketing Strategies – Custom marketing plans aligned with each business’s objectives. Brand Development – Building brand identity, narrative, and differentiation. Location & LeadershipLocation: Boldsack Media is based in Bhadrak, Odisha, India. Leadership: Name Of The CEO Is Sidhanta Kumar Behera .

Portfolio highlights

• Yuime — Yuime is an HR consulting firm that offers agricultural staffing, contract farming, and recruitment services.
• RLWRLD — RLWRLD specializes in "Physical AI" by creating robotics foundation models (RFMs) designed to enable robots to function autonomously in real-world environments.
• Bounce — Luggage Storage Near Me 24/7 - Store your baggage in 32,000+ worldwide locations. Bounce is the BEST luggage storage app for finding and booking left luggage & lockers near you!

Portfolio highlights

• Onepair — Onepair is a job consulting and recruiting company. Onepair is to co-creating careers by talking about real-world ace with active ace.
• Strainer — Strainer Co., Ltd. is an information distribution platform that conveys corporate information centered on financial data. Although there are not a few media to deliver financial information, the company's strengths are strong to be easily viewed, including financial information of overseas companies.
• LAMILA — LAMILA develops system that improves the creation of retail stores.

Portfolio highlights

• ADiXi — Adixi is a tech-driven business that supports the idea that people and technology may work together. It strives to open doors by utilizing cutting-edge technology, such as artificial intelligence, to promote long-term, sustainable corporate and societal progress.
• Alxtal — Alxtal is a tech company who optimize the development, design, and manufacturing processes of the manufacturing industry with IT and AI.
• Yokohama Vanilla — Yokohama Vanilla is a Company which operates Yokohama-based gift sweets brand.

Portfolio highlights

• Gunosy — Gunosy is a news curation application that covers a wide range of news from entertainment news to political news. The application finds its news from multiple web sources and presents them according to how hot the topic is. Gunosy’s features include categorized tabs; the ability to customize the categories that users need to follow and create theirown personal magazine; instant access to a wide variety of news; and push notifications to remind users of news updates.The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Japan.
• MySherpa — MySherpa fosters a culture in which people can openly discuss mental health issues.
• Telescope — Telescope Japan Internet Company

Portfolio highlights

• Single Origin — Today, while platforms like Snowflake/GCP/AWS unlock insights and exploration, the volume of pipelines, the complexity of infrastructure, and the increasing cost of computing are overwhelming data teams. Single Origin helps data-driven organizations boost team productivity while realizing cloud cost savings. Our unique query optimizationplatform, operating between data warehouse and data tools/applications, automatically analyzes all of an organization's queries; identifies expensive and inefficient ones; then optimizes queries to be 10X simpler, faster and cheaper. We are the team that built and scaled uMetric at Uber, as well as other data infrastructure tools across snap, Reddit, Amazon, and Microsoft. More at https://docs.singleorigin.tech/
• Sandstone — Relationship management for legal departments.
• dweva.com — System Two Security offers a platform that combines AI agents and assistants to support detection engineering teams in processing intelligence, creating new detections, and managing detection libraries. The system enables users to draft and refine detections based on threat intelligence and coverage gaps.

Portfolio highlights

• The/Studio — Manufacture high-quality custom products in small batches with fast turnaround and free shipping online from The/Studio. Browse our custom products, here.
• Mizzen+Main — Look great. Feel even better. Mizzen+Main combines performance fabrics with modern silhouettes to create comfortable clothes that come with confidence.
• littleBits Electronics — LittleBits is an open source library of over 60 electronic modules that snap together with magnets allows users to view, download, and share designs and make their own Bits through the use of prototypes. Deluxe kit, Smart home kit, Arduino coding kit, Synth kit, hardware development kit, and workshop set are some of the electronics learning modulesprovided by littleBits.LittleBits was launched by Ayah Bdeir in 2011 and is operated from New York, United States.

Portfolio highlights

• Fidra Energy — Fidra Energy is committed to supporting renewable energy generation through efficient battery energy storage production. Learn more.
• Avaada — Business and sustainability can go hand-in-hand. Their unique strategy interweaves business goals with environmental sustainability and social responsibility, producing mutually beneficial results. By contributing to community’s socio-economic development in the short-term, they foresee delivery of continual value to their shareholders. Throughtheir community engagement initiatives, they are contributing to uplift the lifestyle of communities they work with.
• Caliche Development Partners — Caliche Development Partners acquires, develops, and operates subsurface hydrocarbon storage assets and associated pipelines. Caliche Development Partners team brings over 175 years of combined midstream asset development experience, including project finance, facility design, permitting, construction, marketing, and operations.CalicheDevelopment Partners focuses on the development and operation of midstream storage and transportation assets needed to meet the changing demands of the global energy landscape.

Portfolio highlights

• LOGZ Group — LOGZ Group offers employment support for people with disabilities.
• Atlast health — Atlast Health provides high-quality psychological care to patients through technology.
• Better Place — Better place vision is to create a world in which kind people can continue to be kind, as well as a society in which people can work in their own way without worrying about money.

Portfolio highlights

• KAICO — KAICO is a pharmaceuticals, diagnostic drugs production company.
• PXP — We are Japanese green tech startup company established in 2020 aiming to realize clean energy that can be used freely by anyone, anywhere and anytime.
• Flat Collaboration — Flat Collaboration provides neutral, white-label hotel management for a diverse portfolio of luxury and lifestyle properties.

Portfolio highlights

• WOTA — Human history is the history of our relationship with water. Water gave rise to our civilizations. Water has nourished people's livelihoods. This means that humans need water supplies, such as rivers and lakes, to survive. At WOTA, we desire to remove every limitation we have in relation to water. By integrating small water systems into the“big water infrastructure” of the past, we can achieve a more creative and sustainable way of life. That is our belief. In cities and deserts, remote islands, and outer space. We imagine a future where water is freely available to all people. Our work will always continue.
• Gaxi — Gaxie is an IT firm that provides a cloud management system and manages scholarship sites for business.
• EUV Photon — EUV Photon is an irradiation services company that conducts processing, evaluation, and measurement of materials for EUV lights.

Portfolio highlights

• RABO — RABO is a Cat-Tech Company that "watches cat life with technology.
• MICOLY — MICOLY is a operator of a website aimed at publishing and selling creative video lessons. The company hosts lectures that are presented by the creators of all categories who are keen on sharing their techniques and philosophies in areas of nail art, Japanese calligraphy, flower arrangement, knitting and many more, as well as interacting with theirpassionate fans, enabling users to take creative lessons and start a new hobby.
• Asoview — ASOVIEW Inc. is an online booking website that provides booking services for weekend leisure activities like skydiving and rafting. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in Shibuya, Kanagawa.

Portfolio highlights

• ZutaCore — The ZutaCore waterless direct-to-chip liquid cooling solutions is a smart, sustainable alternative to conventional air and water cooling for data centers.
• Sakana AI — We are creating a new kind of foundation model based on nature-inspired intelligence.
• LuMing Robotics — LuMing Robotics is a developer of intelligent robots. LuMing Robotics focuses on the field of embodied intelligent robots, and its business covers intelligent robot R&D and sales, artificial intelligence algorithm development, etc.