Top 10 Digital Media Angel Investors in Japan in July 2025
A list of 10 angel investors that invest in Digital media startups based in Japan. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Digital media companies from Japan. We update this investor list every month.Top 10 Digital Media Angel Investors in Japan in July 2025
Investor | Digital Media Japan investments |
---|---|
Takeshi Natsuno | 1 |
Toyoshi Ryuichiro | 1 |
Seiichiro Wada | 1 |
Kiyohiro Sugashita | 1 |
Kiyoshi Nishikawa | 1 |
Nobuhiro Ariyasu | 1 |
Takeshi Aoki Yamato | 1 |
Goshi Yamaguchi | 1 |
Richard Lo | 1 |
Shinichi Misawa | 1 |
Mr. Takeshi Natsuno serves as the Chairman of Japan Operations at Great Wall Club. Mr. Natsuno is a Professor of KEIO University. He served as a General Manager of Consumer Services Division and Manager of Distribution Platform Business Development Division at Pia Corporation since April 2012 and served as its Chief of Sales Promotion Bureau sinceApril 2010. He joined DoCoMo in 1997. He served as the Managing Director of Multimedia Services, Products & Services Division for NTT DoCoMo Inc. until June 23, 2009 and served as its General Manager of i-Mode Planning Division since July 2001, Senior Vice President from June 21, 2005 to June 23, 2009, Executive Officer and General Manager Multimedia Service Division since June 2005. At NTT DoCoMo, he developed the business strategy of all of NTT DoCoMo’s multimedia-related services, including i-mode strategic alliances with global application/content providers and key Internet players. He served as Vice President of Hyper Net Co., Ltd. since June 1996. He started his career with Tokyo Gas. He held key executive positions with HyperNet. He has been a Director of Dwango Co. Ltd., since December 1, 2008. He has been a Outside Director at Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. since June 2008. He has been a Director at Pia Corporation since April 2010. He serves as a Director of D.L.E Co. Ltd. He has been a Director of Gree, Inc. since September 2009 and Trans Cosmos, Inc. since 2008. He serves as a Director of GREE Ventures, Inc. He serves as a Member of Advisory Board at Great Wall Club. He served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of SBI Holdings Inc. from June 27, 2008 to June 28, 2012. He served as a Director of Hyper Net Co., Ltd. since June 1996. He is the Author of i-mode Strategy, published in 2000, a la i-mode, published in 2002, Keitai-no-Mirai, published in 2006, Iccho-yen kaseida otokono shigotojutu, and Google ni izonshi Amazon wo maneru bakakigyou published in 2009. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from Waseda University, Japan in 1988 and an Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, Music, Venture Capital
- Angel, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- ZUU — ZUU is a Japan-based company that supports financial advisors with related consultancies and manages monetary websites. It also supports the asset management and asset advisor business of executives with finance and IT.
- Zuu Online — ZUU online is a Tokyo-based financial media which provides original insights on financial market news,the latest business trend and personal finance advice
- Confidence — Confidence ensures that the entertainment industry's cutting-edge manufacturers will be able to fulfil their objectives in the future.
Toyoshi Ryuichiro - CEO @ Misoca
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Investment focus
- Apps, mHealth, Internet
- Pre-Seed, Funding Round
- Japan
Seiichiro Wada started his career as employee No.5 at a technology startup. He then joined Dwango, the fast-growing startup that operates Japanese Youtube "Niko Niko Douga", incubating new businesses for the company and then helped the company go public. After that, he joined Monex Group, the leading online brokerage group in Japan, andled new businesses there as well. He also helped establish Monex Ventures as the CVC of Monex Group first and then raised funds from external LPs for an independent early-stage venture capital. He has invested in more than 100 early stage startups, including Money Forward (IPO), Uzabase (IPO), Mentalhealth Technologies (IPO), MFS (IPO), Folio, Emerada, Gracia, and orb.
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Investment focus
- Legal, Content, Information Technology
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Chipee — Chipee is a social networking platform that enables its users to send digital gratitude in the form of chips.
- AGRI SMILE — AGRI SMILE is a platform that focuses on sharing agricultural technology.
- CharacterBank — CharacterBank offers game development and production services using VR technology.
Mr. Sugashita joined Polaris as Advisor in May 2011. He is Director and CEO of Sugashita Partners, Ltd since 1998 and provides consulting services to financial institutions and ventures in and outside of Japan. Prior to that position, he was CEO of Lazard Japan Asset Management from 1991 to 1998. His business career also includes positions at DaiwaSecurities and Merrill Lynch Securities, Tokyo Branch. On the academic front, Mr. Sugashita received a BA in Economics from Ritsumeikan University and since 2009 is Special Advisor for the Dean of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
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Investment focus
- Marketing, Travel, Media and Entertainment
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan
After working at KDD Corporation (Currently known as KDDI Corporation), Kiyoshi Nishikawa next went to work at Arthur D. Little Inc. in the United States, where he became inspired to start his own company. After returning to Japan, he established a Japanese corporation of the world’s largest Internet company, America On Line, LLC. Later andbased on this experience and the relationships he developed, he founded the first Internet business incubator, NETAGE, Inc. After serving as the President and CEO of NETAGE Group, he later became and still serves as the Chairman of ngi group, inc. Kiyoshi was one of the main entrepreneurs responsible for proposing and realization of “Shibuya Bit Valley Concept†and is well known for his various speeches and writings. He is a graduate of the Department of Education at Tokyo University.
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Investment focus
- News, Social Media, Big Data
- Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- PoliPoli — PoliPoli is a next-generation politics co-creation platform where you can participate like a game. Politicians from all over Japan post their policies in an easy-to-understand manner, and those who sympathize can enjoy working on the "missions" necessary to realize the policies.
- Astroscale — Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
- TECHFUND — TechFund is a venture capital firm specializing in incubation and seed stage investments. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Nobuhiro Ariyasu is the CEO at Coach United.
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Investment focus
- Finance, Content, Internet
- Seed, Angel, Series A
- Japan, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- Mign — Mign offers a generative AI-related SaaS solutions for the construction and real estate fields.
- Finovo — Finovo specializes in the research, development, operation, and maintenance of cutting-edge accounting and financial software solutions.
- Tsunagari AI — Tsunagari specializes in developing and providing AI-powered consultation services tailored for local governments, aiming to enhance administrative efficiency, support citizen engagement, and streamline public service delivery.
Takeshi Aoki Yamato is the Representative Director of Capital Medica Ventures.
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Investment focus
- Social Media, Digital Media, Social Network
- Seed
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Chipee — Chipee is a social networking platform that enables its users to send digital gratitude in the form of chips.
Goshi Yamaguchi
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Investment focus
- Food and Beverage, Digital Media, Apps
- Seed, Pre-Seed, Corporate Round
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- ReadHub — ReadHub is a Information technology , Planning, development and management of Internet media and applications company.
- Pan For You — Pan For You is a Food & Beverage Company. We deliver delicious bread from all over the world with our unique freezing technology and propose a lifestyle where you can enjoy freshly baked bread anytime.
- ZAZA — ZAZA is focus to make the world where people can respect each other even thought they have a different culture and belief.
Richard Lau serves as Head of Wealth and Personal Banking Risk at Hang Seng Bank.
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Investment focus
- Content, Marketing, Digital Media
- Series A
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- DoubleL — Doublel is a general trading company of pop culture that develops Japanese manga, anime, and games internationally. The company was founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo, Japan.
Shinichi Misawa - Director @ Zappallas
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Investment focus
- Content, Marketing, Digital Media
- Series A, Funding Round
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Kudan — Kudan has been providing proprietary Artificial Perception technologies based on SLAM to enable use cases with significant market potential and impact on our lives such as autonomous driving, robotics, AR/VR and smart cities
- DoubleL — Doublel is a general trading company of pop culture that develops Japanese manga, anime, and games internationally. The company was founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo, Japan.
Investors by industry
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Non Profit
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SaaS
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Social Impact
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Agriculture (agtech)
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Facebook
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Angel Investors in Japan by industry
Restaurants
Real Estate
Financial Services
Music
Transportation
Big Data
Finance
Cryptocurrency
Food and Beverage
Video Games
Medical
Wellness
Internet
Digital Media
Biotechnology
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Blockchain
Social Media
Software
Construction
Enterprise Software
Fitness
Sports
Hospitality
Automotive
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Consumer
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Biotech
Energy
EdTech
Climate
Proptech
Hardware
Marketplace
Artificial intelligence
Retail
Legal
Fashion
Social
Beauty
Web3
Education
Manufacturing
Community
Mobile Apps
Payments
Photography
Life Science
Social Network
SaaS
Recruiting
Gaming
Social Impact
Sustainability
Agriculture (agtech)
Machine Learning
Media (entertainment)
Wine And Spirits
Enterprise
Mobile
Impact