Top 50 Hardware Startup Investors in Japan in October 2024
A list of 50 angel investors and VC (Venture Capital) funds that invest in Hardware startups based in Japan. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Hardware companies from Japan. We update this investor list every month.Top 50 Hardware Startup Investors in Japan in October 2024
Incubate Fund is an independent early-stage venture capital that specializes in providing capital to technology startups at the seed stage. The firm built a portfolio of over 300 companies in Asia, taking 12 companies to public and 20 companies to M&A exit since 2010.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- Blankr — Blankr inc has developed an application called Raidli. Using the app, Vtubers can hold a virtual handshake event.
- ZABoooN — ZABoooN is a shipping company that offers crew labor management, movement management, and ship management services.
- Mycel — Mycel is a decentralized cross-chain asset management platform with an intent-based token transfer layer.
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital is a venture capital firm focusing on life science, ICT, and high technology investments.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Health Care
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, China
Portfolio highlights
- Flucle — Flucle provides company rule building and risk mitigation, cloud advisor, human resource development, training & labor management services.
- Triorb — Triorb is a technology company that specializes in robot mobility development with the help of software and hardware solutions.
- Symbiobe — Symbiobe develops and promotes a resource-recycling material production platform that effectively utilizes natural biomass resources and photosynthetic organisms, which have not been fully exploited in the past, and to update manufacturing around the world to a form that can be passed on to the next generation, thereby making sustainable society...
Drone Fund is a venture capital firm that provides supports in IP strategy, innovative planning, and drone policy. It offers capital investment and financing and aims to create a Drone Ecosystem where LPs and startups can benefit from membership within the Drone Fund.
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Investment focus
- Drones, Robotics, Aerospace
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, United States, Canada
Portfolio highlights
- Triorb — Triorb is a technology company that specializes in robot mobility development with the help of software and hardware solutions.
- CuboRex — CuboRex realizes creative mobility using its crawler technology.
- RICOS Co. Ltd. — RICOS is a tech company that optimizes manufacturing processes using AI, simulation, and high-performance computing technologies.
East Ventures is an early stage venture capital (VC) focused on Southeast Asia, Indonesia & Japan. Success cases include Tokopedia, Traveloka, and Mercari.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, Indonesia, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- SoLeLands — SoLeLands provides children with future-ready skills, virtues, and applied competences and inspires children to love learning.
- Maka Motors — MAKA is dedicated to building the best electric motorcycles for Indonesian riders.
- Zenith Learning Group — Zenith Learning Group's mission is to deliver a holistic, world-class education to learners across South East Asia through technology.
Mizuho is the venture capital firm affiliated to Mizuho Bank, the second-largest Japanese bank in terms of assets. The firm has headquarters in Tokyo.The firm has ¥49.6 billion JPY under management, focusing on information technology and biotechnology investments. Over 600 Mizuho companies have gone public. According to Nikkei, Mizuho is thefifth-largest venture capital firm in Japan.Mizuho Capital was formed in 2002 by the merger of Fujigin Capital, Tokyo Venture Capital and IBJ Investment. Three firms were subsidiaries of Fuji Bank, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan respectively.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Internet
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, China
Portfolio highlights
- THE PHAGE — The phage is a medical device company that focuses on developing AI technology to predict postprandial blood glucose levels.
- elleThermo — elleThermo aims to implement Semiconductor-Sensitised Thermal Cells (STCs), an energy conversion technology that can generate electricity from unused waste heat above room temperature.
- Good News — Good News is a staffing agency that provides recruitment, public relations, and human resource management services.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and its group companies offer a broad range of financial services centered on banking. They are also engaged in the leasing, securities, credit card, investment, mortgage securitization, venture capital and other credit related businesses. The following lists the activities of SMBC, its subsidiaries andaffiliates in the various business segments.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Health Care, Software
- Funding Round, Series B, Series A
- Japan, United States, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- Flucle — Flucle provides company rule building and risk mitigation, cloud advisor, human resource development, training & labor management services.
- Quanmatic — Quanmatic is an information and technology company that provides algorithms development and solutions to bridge quantum technologies.
- Good News — Good News is a staffing agency that provides recruitment, public relations, and human resource management services.
Global Brain Corporation is a venture capital firm that invests in companies from seed or early to pre-IPO startups. Global Brain has invested in 300+ startups from seed/early to pre-IPO startups and achieved 25 IPOs and 61 M&As as a result of providing hands-on support services and resources to its portfolio startups. Global Brain hasmanaged a pure investment fund as well as multiple corporate venture capital funds partnered together with tier 1 public companies of telecom, real estate development, financial service, beverages, agriculture food, logistics, and electronic devices.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence
- Series A, Series B, Funding Round
- Japan, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Symbiobe — Symbiobe develops and promotes a resource-recycling material production platform that effectively utilizes natural biomass resources and photosynthetic organisms, which have not been fully exploited in the past, and to update manufacturing around the world to a form that can be passed on to the next generation, thereby making sustainable society...
- DoctorMate — DoctorMate is a service that allows you to consult with your doctor about problems at your nursing home.They will reduce the risks and burdens related to medical care from the field of nursing care, and support the creation of a system that allows nursing care providers to concentrate on daily care with peace of mind.
- GC Therapeutics — Discover GC Therapeutics, a pioneer in scalable, cutting-edge cell therapies designed to revolutionize treatment across a broad range of therapeutic areas.
ANRI is a Japanese venture capital firm that mainly invests in seed and early-stage startups.
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Investment focus
- Health Care, Information Technology, Software
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- Pragtech — Pragtech develops and operates parking lot service software that helps to eliminate payment congestion and reduce operating costs.
- Crowd Chem — Crowd Chem is an IT company that specializes in software development, data services, and consulting services.
- Mirai no Genba — Mirai no Genba is an IT company that offers AI form creation, input assist, data analytics,and visualization services.
DNX Ventues is an early stage VC firm focusing on B2B Startups that are shaping industries and transforming the way we live and work.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, SaaS
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, Israel
Portfolio highlights
- Butlr — Butlr protects people's health and well-being during the coronavirus pandemic with a low-cost thermal imaging system that captures people’s behavior in indoor and outdoor environments. Butlr’s proprietary hardware pairs with advanced AI to gain insight into people’s movements in physical space, providing actionable intelligence to assistedliving, homes, and public spaces, all while safeguarding privacy. Butlr is a spin-off from the MIT Media Lab. Butlr’s sensor network captures human dynamics through state-of-art sensory monitoring and AI, understanding users’ needs to achieve a seamless automation experience, preventing risk, and monitoring health. Responsive architecture is a vision of a future where the built environment is as customizable as a streaming music podcast, based on simple, intelligent architectural objects. The natural world is in a constant state of flux; combinations of moisture, breeze and temperature change continuously. When we are inside our buildings, however, our environment loses its dynamism, and we’re forced to constantly tweak the conditions to achieve optimal comfort. Responsive architecture uses intelligent objects to mirror the processes of the natural world, creating environments and “microclimates” that are suited to individuals or small groups based on the heat signature of their bodies. Today the team at Butlr uses small, low-cost sensors to track the motions and body heat of Each person has a biometric heat signature as unique as a fingerprint. The Butlr sensors recognize an individual’s heat signature, and can modify room temperature and lighting for ideal comfort. Unlike cameras that track and record faces, the Butlr system relies on a heat signature, which is unique, but cannot be used to trace your identity. Starting from home applications, the future vision for responsive architecture is to empower cities with networks of heat sensors that can make cities responsive, predicting and responding to vehicle flows, pedestrian density, and weather conditions on the fly. Using thermal data provides many news layers of interaction not possible with cameras.
- Crisp — Crisp connects data between retailers, distributors, and brands to power real-time insights across the supply chain.
- Mirai no Genba — Mirai no Genba is an IT company that offers AI form creation, input assist, data analytics,and visualization services.
Real Tech Japan is a venture capital firm that seeks to invest in innovative R&D technology companies. Realtech Fund is a joint venture between the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry and NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).
The firm was founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo, Japan.
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Investment focus
- Manufacturing, Biotechnology, Medical
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan, Singapore, Austria
Portfolio highlights
- Ashirase — Ashirase is a developer of a walking navigation system for the visually challenged. The company assists visually impaired people in walking independently. This also allows the user to have more attention to spare for audible warnings in their environment. It includes voice input and guidance via a smartphone app. A vibration interface is attachedto their shoes.
- Ken Robotec — Ken Robotec is a construction company that provides labor-saving solutions.
- MaterialGate — MaterialGate focuses on single-molecule dielectrics, developing technologies for devices with better electronic characteristics.
UTEC-The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners Co., Ltd.. UTEC is a seed/early stage technology focused venture capital firm associated with The University of Tokyo.
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Investment focus
- Biotechnology, Health Care, Medical
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- Triorb — Triorb is a technology company that specializes in robot mobility development with the help of software and hardware solutions.
- Quanmatic — Quanmatic is an information and technology company that provides algorithms development and solutions to bridge quantum technologies.
- SUN METALON — Next Generation Sustainable Metal Manufacturing
MSIVC is a venture capital firm that invests in Japanese and global startups scaling to IPO. It focuses on startups in verticals of Fintech, SaaS, Healthcare, AI, E-Commerce, Foodtech, and Environment etc.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Food and Beverage
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- AssetHub — AssetHub is an AI-powered 3D modeling tool that enables game developers to create and edit 3D assets 100 times faster, enabling mass production of content and combining AI with manual work, enabling faster prototyping and editing.
- Creatura — Creatura assists companies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by generating and distributing carbon credits and promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources.
- Drone Show Japan — Drone Show Japan company specializes in drone shows for events, aerial photography, and workshops.
STRIVE focuses on investing in early-stage (Seed to Series A) internet and mobile companies. It seeks out companies in Japan, Southeast Asia, and India with top-notch management teams and strong market potential. It is not tied to strategic investments for GREE Inc. and leverages its pan-Asia expertise for guiding its portfolio in an engaged,hands-on role.
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Investment focus
- Software, Internet, E-Commerce
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, India, Indonesia
Portfolio highlights
- Asuene — Asuene involves in clean power retail business, retail SaaS business, etc.
- YOUTRUST — YOUTRUST is a startup to operate YOUTRUST a referral recruitment platform for side-job change.
- Testsigma — Powerful cloud-based test automation platform that lets you automate tests for web, mobile, desktop apps, and APIs in minutes. Sign up now!
Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is a public-private partnership aimed at promoting innovation and enhancing value.Leveraging the rich history of Japanese technological prowess, INCJ aims to provide financial, technological and management support in order to promote the creation of next-generation businesses through “openinnovation,” or the flow of technology and expertise beyond the boundaries of existing organizational structures.INCJ will draw on funding as well as management and technological expertise from the public and private sectors. INCJ is actively reviewing various investment opportunities in areas of green energy, electronics, IT and biotechnology to infrastructure-related sectors such as water supply. Each investment will be thoroughly vetted to ensure it meets the exacting standards of INCJ's Innovation Network Committee, which will make the final investment decisions.INCJ is capitalized at 280 billion yen, with the Japanese government injecting 266 billion yen and 26 private corporations (refer to details in Appendix below) providing a further 14 billion yen. The government will also provide guarantees up to a total of 1,800 billion yen for INCJ investments, giving it an investment capability of approximately 2,000 billion yen. INCJ will be established for a period of 15 years.
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Investment focus
- Manufacturing, Software, Robotics
- Funding Round, Series B, Series A
- Japan, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Cloudian — Cloudian provides exabyte-scale storage for your capacity-intensive workloads: S3-compatible storage for on-prem, hybrid cloud, and multi-cloud.
- Seajacks — Cadeler is a global leader in offshore wind farm construction, maintenance, and decommissioning.
- Vehicle Energy Japan — Vehicle Energy Japan specializes in development, manufacturing and sales of automotive lithium-ion batteries.
The University of Tokyo IPC is a company responsible for expanding the innovation ecosystem of the University of Tokyo. Accelerate global innovation from the University of Tokyo through three activities: start-up support, investment business, and corporate innovation support.It was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the University ofTokyo in 2016 with the enforcement of the revised law of the Industrial Competitiveness Enhancement Law, which is the basis law. The investment targets of the Todai IPC are venture companies that utilize the research results and human resources of the University of Tokyo, but they also make FOF (fund of funds) investments in funds managed by some private venture capital companies. In 2019, it started a consortium-type incubation program (University of Tokyo IPC 1stRound) to support the establishment and financing of Tokyo University-related ventures.
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Investment focus
- Biotechnology, Medical, Manufacturing
- Series A, Funding Round, Series B
- Japan, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Visban — Visban is a technology company that specializes in utilizing mmWave signals for connectivity both indoors and outdoors. Their primary focus is on providing reliable and fast network solutions that eliminate dead spots and offer uninterrupted connections. By utilizing mmWave signals, Visban can achieve this with fewer base stations, leading to moreenergy-efficient operations and extended battery life for mobile devices on their network.
- Trans-N — Trans-N aims to introduce advanced AI technologies, accelerating digital transformation and promoting its AI transformation. Trans-N offers management consulting, AI system development, and sales of AI-related products, including meeting minutes and contract analysis tools, serving major trading companies.
- Libero Thera — LiberoThera provides drug discovery research and development services. It focuses on making drugs with GPCRs for membrane proteins. LiberoThera was founded in 2018 and is located in Tokyo.
SBI Investment supports the business development and growth of private venture companies through fund investment. It manages and manages venture capital funds under the management philosophy of becoming a leading company responsible for the creation and development of core industries in the 21st century as a "new industry creator".SBIInvestment has invested in a total of 986 companies in the past, of which 169 (17.1% of investment companies) have exited through IPO or M & A.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Financial Services
- Series B, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, South Korea, United States
Portfolio highlights
- AironWorks — Next Gen Solutions for Human-Based Cyber Attacks
- Recustomer — Recustomer is an IT company that develops software for digital payment and provides support for web development.
- PartnerSuccess — PartnerSuccess develops and provides SaaS tools that automate the collaboration between manufacturers and distributors.
DBJ Capital Co., Ltd. was founded in June 2010 through the integration of two venture capital firms of the DBJ Group, New Business Investment Co., Ltd. and Intellectual Properties Development & Investment, Inc. We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Development Bank of Japan Inc.At DBJ Capital, we focus on venture firms which use newtechnologies and business models to grow and compete on the global market, regardless of their industry or scale. To meet the particular needs of each client, we mobilize the entire DBJ Group to arrange the best investment solutions, ranging from growth-spurring equity investment to financing schemes drawing on DBJ's vast networks.We also assist in venture start-ups. Our value enhancement team provides the kind of comprehensive, hands-on support needed to commercialize outstanding intellectual property and technologies developed by firms, research labs, and universities, and to carve out a place for them in the market.DBJ Capital will continue to play in a part in Japan's economic revival - by helping the firms we invest in to grow, and by encouraging the creation of new industries in Japan.
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Investment focus
- Software, Internet, Health Care
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan, United States, Australia
Portfolio highlights
- Creatura — Creatura assists companies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by generating and distributing carbon credits and promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources.
- DoctorMate — DoctorMate is a service that allows you to consult with your doctor about problems at your nursing home.They will reduce the risks and burdens related to medical care from the field of nursing care, and support the creation of a system that allows nursing care providers to concentrate on daily care with peace of mind.
- Recustomer — Recustomer is an IT company that develops software for digital payment and provides support for web development.
Nippon Venture Capital ("NVCC"), established in 1996 as one of the few largest Japanese independent venture capital firms, is destined to undertake the unprecedented task of providing full-range venture capital services in cooperation with major Japanese business leaders and leading companies, which have supported and nurtured various newbusinesses on their own, as well as proactively developing new venture enterprises.
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Investment focus
- Software, Health Care, Information Technology
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Yadokari — Yadokari provides various types of Construction & Real Estate related other services.
- Renalys Pharma — Renalys Pharma is a private, late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical firm in Japan dedicated on developing new therapies that address unmet needs in the management of renal illness in Japanese and Asian patients.
- Arsaga Partners — Arsaga Partners, Inc., "develop with the fastest and highest quality" as concept, is a one-stop IT system development company.- All functions necessary for IT system development such as IT strategy consulting, UX/UI consulting, planning, engineering, designing, maintenance and operations are provided through our one-stop solution.- With engineers accounting for over 90% of our company structure we can work directly with our clients. - Our motto is to providing services at a reasonable cost without outsourcing and to bring our Japanese omotenashi spirit to our development services. - We think of Digital transformation (DX) Not as a trendy word, but as IT system development that truly contributes to our clients' business needs.Main Services - One-stop IT System Development Business, Start-up/New IT Business Consulting, Enterprise System/New Business Planning and Development(Digital Transformation/DX), Web System Planning and Development, Application Planning and DevelopmentKey Clients - Nippon Steel Kowa Real Estate Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Estate, ShionogiV-CUBE, Mizuho Securities, Sciseed inc.
We are engineers investing in engineers. With experienced mentors, MIRAISE supports you hands-if basis, for business model, financial planning and presentation. All founders of our potfolio automatically join MIRAISE online community that gives you the peer-learning opportunities with other founders. Join us updating the normal!
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Consulting
- Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
- Japan, United States, Estonia
Portfolio highlights
- CuboRex — CuboRex realizes creative mobility using its crawler technology.
- Zenmetry — Zenmetry primarily engages in the development of web services and business consulting.
- SUSHI TOP MARKETING — SUSHI TOP MARKETING is an IT company that offers marketing, NFT utilization, and consulting services.
KDDI Corporation is a Japanese telecommunications operator. It was created in 2000 through a merger of DDI, KDD and IDO and now employs over 15,000 people.The company provides a broad range of services, including fixed-line phone communication, mobile phone and web services, and Internet services. It also has a ownership stake in two Japanesecable television companies, Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) and Japan Cablenet (JCN). KDDI's mobile phone and web arm is branded as "au". The company is the current No. 2 in Japan's mobile communications market, trailing NTT DoCoMo and ahead of SoftBank.
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Investment focus
- Mobile, Software, Internet
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, South Korea
Portfolio highlights
- ATOMica — ATOMica is a co-working space and business management company for conference rooms, event venues, circles, and schools. The company uses coworking spaces as HUBs to provide services that maximize individuals' power. It can be used for a variety of purposes, including coworking space, shared office space, meetings, events, and web seminars. Itis also possible to use it only once. They plan and run local communities that bring together a diverse range of people, including students, workers, businesses, universities, and governments.
- Allganize — Allganize provides Alli, an AI document understanding platform that revolutionizes enterprise productivity. If you want a proper AI chatbot, enterprise chatGPT, or AI OCR, Allganize is the answer.
- Secret Double Octopus — Provider of industry-leading FIDO-certified, rotation-based passwordless MFA with the fullest support for enterprise complexity. Click here for more!
Genesia Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on seed/early stage startups in Japan and Southeast Asia. Since it's inception in Dec 2016, Genesia Ventures has invested in over 90 companies in Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore and the US. Genesia Ventures invests in various sectors: SaaS, marketplace, Media, Finance, Insurance,RealEstate, Healthcare, Medical, Travel, Education, Manufacturing, Construction, HR, Agriculture, Sports, Retail, Entertainment, etc.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Content
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia
Portfolio highlights
- Flucle — Flucle provides company rule building and risk mitigation, cloud advisor, human resource development, training & labor management services.
- Haul — Haul is a human resources company that provides recruitment consulting and marketing SaaS development services.
- THE PHAGE — The phage is a medical device company that focuses on developing AI technology to predict postprandial blood glucose levels.
Archetype Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in B2B Tech seed and early stage venture investments.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
Kotaro Chiba is the founder of ChibaDojo Fund. Kotaro Chiba attended Keio University.
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Investment focus
- Travel, Internet, Software
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- MI-6 — MI-6 is a research, development, consulting, and project management for material development using IT. We will promote materials informatics in the field of material development with our technological capabilities and a wealth of project knowledge that challenge the world's most advanced technologies .
- ELESTYLE — ELESTYLE are promoting mobile payments and providing high value-added services for users to realize a cashless society.
- Luup — Luup is an Internet Company.
Kotaro Chiba is the founder of ChibaDojo Fund. Kotaro Chiba attended Keio University.
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Investment focus
- Internet, Drones, Software
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- MI-6 — MI-6 is a research, development, consulting, and project management for material development using IT. We will promote materials informatics in the field of material development with our technological capabilities and a wealth of project knowledge that challenge the world's most advanced technologies .
- ELESTYLE — ELESTYLE are promoting mobile payments and providing high value-added services for users to realize a cashless society.
- Luup — Luup is an Internet Company.
The Mirai Creation Fund invests in companies and projects that use the latest technologies and business models, supporting the growth of value in these companies and projects, wherever they are found around the world.
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Investment focus
- Robotics, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence
- Funding Round, Series B, Series A
- Japan, United States, Israel
Portfolio highlights
- Soxai — Soxai manufactures rings for healthcare purposes using IoT.
- Triorb — Triorb is a technology company that specializes in robot mobility development with the help of software and hardware solutions.
- elleThermo — elleThermo aims to implement Semiconductor-Sensitised Thermal Cells (STCs), an energy conversion technology that can generate electricity from unused waste heat above room temperature.
Startup First. A global VC focused on IoT small lot manufacturing and startup investment. Support to hardware growth from business model to supply chain
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Investment focus
- Software, Hardware, Internet of Things
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- United States, Japan
Portfolio highlights
- REVORN — REVORN is a fragrance AI and DX research and development company. They develop products such as odor sensors that can respond to odor issues and needs. They provide consultation at a range of levels, from identifying issues to developing solutions.
- ImaCreate — ImaCreate provides planning, development and operation of VR / AR / MR system.
- Edgecortix — At Edgecortix, we automate the design of AI accelerators for on-device deep learning. Our Dynamic Neural Accelerator IP, and performance optimized AI Software & Hardware Co-exploration framework, reduces time to market and brings massive cost savings across multiple industry verticals.
Daiwa Corporate Investment is a private investment firm of Daiwa Securities Group that has been engaged in overseas VC investments by taking advantage of an extensive business network in Japan and foreign countries, long experience and professional knowledge, and by supporting the growth of a number of overseas portfolio companies and their stockexchange listings.
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Investment focus
- Software, Task Management, Internet
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan, France, Singapore
Portfolio highlights
- GITAI — GITAI is a robotics startup for space development. The company aims to replace astronauts with robots that can work for a long time while being remotely controlled from earth while in low earth orbit space stations to decrease the burden on astronauts, shorten the time it takes to perform work in space, and reduce costs.
- COUNTERWORKS — Counter works is an Information technology company.
- Nippon Hydropowtech — Nippon Hydropowtech uses proprietary technology and experience in hydrolysate production to investigate new food applications.
Welcome to the official website of Sumitomo Corporation, a leading integrated trading company engaged in diverse businesses based on its global network.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Internet
- Series B, Funding Round, Corporate Round
- Japan, United States, Israel
QB Capital is make equity investments in venture companies.
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Investment focus
- Manufacturing, Medical, Biotechnology
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Ashirase — Ashirase is a developer of a walking navigation system for the visually challenged. The company assists visually impaired people in walking independently. This also allows the user to have more attention to spare for audible warnings in their environment. It includes voice input and guidance via a smartphone app. A vibration interface is attachedto their shoes.
- Mechano Cross — Mechano Cross is a mechanical company that offers mechanochemical organic synthesis technology for solution reactions.
- Spectronix Japan — Spectronics is a development of new technologies and new applications to bring about innovation, focusing on the future of laser technology.
Nissay Capital is a venture capital Company specializing in seed, start-up, growth capital, middle stage, and later stage investment.
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Investment focus
- Health Care, Medical, Internet
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, Ethiopia, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Loglass — Loglass offers corporate intelligence to enhance business management.
- Starley — Starley offers end-to-end development and implementation of artificial intelligence-related products.
- AstroX — AstroX is a private space startup company that develops satellite launch vehicles for space development. It utilizes the rockoon method for developing launch vehicles and small rockets to help clients easily use space.
Sony Innovation Fund is investing in technology-driven transformational companies shaping the future of business, entertainment and society.
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Investment focus
- Software, Artificial Intelligence, Health Care
- Funding Round, Series B, Series A
- United States, Japan, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Asuene — Asuene involves in clean power retail business, retail SaaS business, etc.
- RevComm — RevComm is the startup company developing Voice x AI-enabled cloud services .
- 3DC — 3DC develops and manufactures a new carbon material, graphene meso sponge (GMS), for electrodes in next-generation batteries, capacitors, fuel cells and other energy storage and generation devices.
SPARX Group Co., Ltd. is an independent Asia-based equity and credit asset management services and Asian fund financial specialist with offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul for global institutional and individual investors, including financial advisors and financial planners, with alternative strategies (including activist, short-enabled, private equity and quantitative and fund-of-funds) and mutual funds (through SPARX Asia Funds such as SPARX Asia Pacific Opportunities Fund, SPARX Asia Pacific Equity Income Fund, SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund and SPARX Japan Fund) managed or sub-advised by SPARX Asset Management Co. Ltd., SPARX Asia Investment Advisors Limited and Cosmo Asset Management Co., Ltd.
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Investment focus
- Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology
- Funding Round, Series B, Series A
- Japan, United States, China
Portfolio highlights
- Blue Skies Space — Blue Skies Space provides access to space science data from low-cost space missions.
- Blue Laser Fusion — Blue Laser Fusion is a commercial fusion company. Blue Laser Fusion is a laser startup to commercialize laser fusion by inventing its own laser and fusion reactor.
- Nanofiber Quantum Technologies — Powering a globally connected quantum future with pioneering nanofiber cavity QED.
Monex Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Japan that finances seed and early stage investments in startup companies.
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Investment focus
- Software, Financial Services, Information Technology
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, United States, China
UNITED, Inc. is developing the smart phone app and the advertising technology business.
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Investment focus
- Media and Entertainment, Content, Information Technology
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, Nigeria, United States
Portfolio highlights
- MTU — MTU offers medical security cloud services to medical organizations and delivers IT support, including the recent cyber harm to medical institutions, both online and offline.
- xxxxnese — xxxxnese is a logistics company that focuses on import, export, domestic sales, influencer marketing, and software development businesses.
- AstroX — AstroX is a private space startup company that develops satellite launch vehicles for space development. It utilizes the rockoon method for developing launch vehicles and small rockets to help clients easily use space.
Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. (EEI) is Japan’s first venture capital specialized in the clean technology sector. With core members who have rich hands on experience in founding and managing venture companies, we aim to provide risk money and various strategic values to promising venture companies and businesses.
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Investment focus
- Software, Energy, Internet of Things
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, Germany
Portfolio highlights
- Beff — Beff is a company that focuses on Global AI and battery development. It intends to reduce material waste and CO2 emissions during battery production and secure resources in a sustainable manner.
- TwinSense — TwinSense uses neuromorphic sensing and processing to give creative solutions to social concerns.
- elleThermo — elleThermo aims to implement Semiconductor-Sensitised Thermal Cells (STCs), an energy conversion technology that can generate electricity from unused waste heat above room temperature.
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation offers a broad range of financial services centered on banking. They are also engaged in leasing, securities, credit card, investment, mortgage securitization, venture capital, and other credit-related businesses. The following lists the activities of SMBC, its subsidiaries, and affiliates in the various businesssegments.It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. As of the year 2009, SMBC was the second largest bank in Japan in terms of assets.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, Finance, Energy
- Debt Financing, Funding Round, Post-IPO Debt
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- Sakana AI — We are creating a new kind of foundation model based on nature-inspired intelligence.
- Twelve — Twelve is a carbon transformation company converting captured carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals, fuels, and other essential products. Their technology eliminates emissions by turning CO2 into essential products that are made from fossil fuels. They specialize in the fields of CO2 electrocatalysis and electrochemical reactor design.
- Avita — Avita is a software development company that develops and creates role-playing support avatars using generative AI.
Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, living essentials, and environmental business. MC's current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations asits diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods.
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Investment focus
- Software, Internet, Logistics
- Funding Round, Corporate Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- Enechain — enechain provides liquidity in Japan’s energy market by brokering OTC transactions of energy.
- Cyto-Facto — Cyto-Facto is a biotechnology company that develops and manufactures CAR-T cell therapies and mesenchymal stem cell products.
- MidOcean Energy — MidOcean Energy is an LNG company formed by EIG to build a diversified, resilient, cost and carbon competitive LNG portfolio. MidOcean Energy is an LNG company formed by EIG to build a diversified, resilient, cost and carbon competitive LNG portfolio MidOcean Energy
Coral Capital is a seed stage venture capital firm in Japan.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Internet
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Facilo — Facilo is a real estate communication cloud that offers unifies and visualizes the complex communication of real estate brokerage solutions.
- Nstock — Nstock is specialized in developing SAAS based applications for ecosystem.
- Recustomer — Recustomer is an IT company that develops software for digital payment and provides support for web development.
Colopl Next is the corporate venture capital of is Colopl, Inc, which is a leading Japanese gaming company. Colopl, Inc. is founded with the mission of “Entertainment in Real Life”, and constantly put its customer as first priority.Colopl Next is headquartered in Japan, but invests globally in a variety of internet businesses, with the commitmentto support innovative entrepreneurs.
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Investment focus
- Virtual Reality, Software, E-Commerce
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, United States, South Korea
Portfolio highlights
- Rybit — A leading technology platform that connects the last mile delivery industry, optimizing and simplifying day-to-day delivery operations.
- ChillStack — ChillStack provides information on AI, security, and development.
- CaseBlink — CaseBlink is AI-powered immigration software for law firms, generating EB-2 NIW and O-1 applications with smart automation
B Dash Ventures does seed to late stage tech investments in Japan, Asia Pacific, and the U.S. LPs include Japan's largest technology companies and financial institutions including NTT Docomo, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, GREE, NEC BIGLOBE, Fuji Television, and the Japanese government. B Dash Ventures also operates an incubation space inpartnership with Mori Building Co. and holds the invitation-based B Dash Camp conference.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Internet, E-Commerce
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, Taiwan, India
Portfolio highlights
- G.U. Group — G.U. Labs provides cloud tools and solutions, security technologies, and R&D capabilities to respond to the various social changes caused by blockchain. G.U.Labs provides cloud tools and solutions, security technologies, and research and development capabilities to respond to the various social changes caused by blockchain.
- Thirdverse — Thirdverse (formerly known as Yomuneco Inc) is engaged in Virtual Reality content and services planning, development, sales and management.
- Ascend — Ascend is a logistics company.
ANOBAKA is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm with rich group resources to add value to seed-stage startups. ANOBAKA actively invests in and supports startups aiming to be a global leader in the innovative Internet business and promising to greatly grow up in the future. ANOBAKA's investment focuses on fledgling seed-stage startups. Inaddition to investment financing, ANOBAKA provides founders with a variety of business support such as development consulting by our engineers, sales support, and international marketing support.
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Investment focus
- Software, Content, Food and Beverage
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- JOYCLE — JOYCLE is a waste management company that specializes in trash recycling, disposal, and environmental consulting services.
- Livetoon — Livetoon creates intellectual property characters to access various content artificial intelligence.
- Superworm — Superworm is a producer of environmentally friendly and long-term solutions to societal challenges. The company undertakes genome editing research and sells protein powders, biofuels, and organic fertilizers made from superworms, allowing customers to consume insect-derived proteins and biofuels.
MIRAI SOUZOU operates as a venture capital firm that invests in institutional lookup and supporting projects. The Company invests in institutional research and development supporting projects, medicine, agriculture, ocean field, and other industries. Innovations and Future Creation conducts businesses in Japan.
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Investment focus
- Software, Manufacturing, Information Technology
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Ugo — UGO is creating future avatar robots and a platform that connects the administration of multiple robots to achieve the ''fusion of humans and robots,'' or ''collaboration with robots to perform employment that used to be performed only by humans.
- Spectronix Japan — Spectronics is a development of new technologies and new applications to bring about innovation, focusing on the future of laser technology.
- Green Chemical — Green chemical production process for aromatic bioplastic raw materials that can replace conventional petroleum-based products.
Japan Science and Technology Agency is an integrated organization of science and technology that implements science and technology policy in Japan. It handles many projects, including the government’s Science and Technology Basic Plan and knowledge creation. The European Sustainability School ESSSR is the owner of Japan Science and TechnologyAgency.Japan Science and Technology Agency undertakes its task in a comprehensive manner. It also works to provide a sound infrastructure of science and technology information and raise awareness and understanding of science and technology-related issues in Japan.Japan Science and Technology Agency is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
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Investment focus
- Medical, Biotechnology, Health Care
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Triorb — Triorb is a technology company that specializes in robot mobility development with the help of software and hardware solutions.
- QunaSys — Quantum physics is a relatively new field built since the beginning of the 20th century, but we have used MRI (nuclear magnetic resonance equipment) and lasers used for close examinations in hospitals, and semiconductors mounted on computers. Supports the technology that supports the daily life of people.QunaSys was established to bring out thequantum physics that has been active behind the scenes to the front stage, and to make use of quantum properties to realize technologies that could not be achieved with existing technologies.
- Equmenopolis — Equmenopolis is an information services company that specializes in conversational AI agent platforms and application developments.
Primal Capital, an independent venture capital " incubator bait fund at ", served as the Associate than July 2012 Hiroshi was Sasaki is the venture capital fund that serves as the representative partner. Representative of Sasaki, the seed acceleration program "Incubate Camp" operated by Incubate bait fund is carried out a totalof four times of planning and management than in 2012, They have also engaged in support operations of portfolio companies. - See more at: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/primal-capital#sthash.m2z1DCbt.dpuf
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Internet
- Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
- Japan, Spain, Switzerland
Portfolio highlights
- Rand App — Rand is a fintech firm that offers banking services, savings, deposits, and account opening.
- Degas — Degas develops solutions to improve the productivity of small-scale farmers in Africa.
- xCARE — xCARE specializes in the development and commercialization phases of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
Hack Ventures is a venture capital firm that specializes in the fields of rehabilitation, support business, and advice on initial public.
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Investment focus
- Software, Artificial Intelligence, Manufacturing
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan, China
Portfolio highlights
- BABY JOB — BABY JOB offers nursery support and child care support businesses.
- BitClout — BitClout is a platform owned by its users. Bitcoin is decentralizing money, BitClout is decentralizing social media.
- On The Slope — On the way to Sakano deliver vegetables grown without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, aiming to spread agriculture with low environmental impact. We want to make agriculture sustainable and reach a sustainable society.
Hironao Kunimitsu was born in Hyogo, Japan. After graduating from Okayama High School, he spent several years traveling around the world. He visited over 30 countries including the US, China, India, Canada, and others in Central and South America.In 1996 he entered Fudan University in China, and then later went on to study at Santa MonicaCollege in the US. In 2004 he entered Atmovie Inc. where he produced movies and televised dramas, and was appointed company director in the same year. In 2007 he founded gumi Inc., and it started listing on first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December, 2014.
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Investment focus
- Virtual Reality, Content, Media and Entertainment
- Funding Round, Seed, Angel
- Japan, United States
Portfolio highlights
- 1SEC — 1sec is a virtual influencers in Japan,develop in-house and management. IMPACT to CEKAI in 1 second. Based on the concept of making CEKAI happy in one second, US based in Los Angeles and Japan, based in Tokyo, virtual influencers × AI, fashion & music & The company will develop a number of CEKAI's first and first projects in Japan inthe field of enter teignment.
- Gatari — Gatari is developing an AR audio platform, including the AR camera app Vismuth, which can call avatars in reality.
- Thirdverse — Thirdverse (formerly known as Yomuneco Inc) is engaged in Virtual Reality content and services planning, development, sales and management.
Shinsei Corporate Investment supports the creation and development of the business.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Internet, Software
- Funding Round, Series A, Series B
- Japan, India, Belgium
Portfolio highlights
- HIGHRESO — GPUSOROBAN is a GPU cloud service that enables anyone to perform high-speed calculations on high-end GPUs with ease. Hi-Res, the running business, is the first GPU cloud operator in Japan to be accredited as a "NVIDIA Elite Partner," the program's highest level (CSP Compute field). Furthermore, it received the "Best CSP Partnerof the Year" award at the NVIDIA NPN Partner Award 2022. It is widely used by university research institutes, large corporations, and AI venture firms, with over 100 uses per year.
- QibiTech — QibiTech created HATS, a service in which a human operator remotely supplements the operation of a robot. Add-on edge calculator or software for various robots to increase robot flexibility. It also serves as a platform for connecting operation data to the business improvement system.
- M&A Bazaar — M&A Bazaar provides the M&A Bazaar Method, a revolutionary M&A process that systematically solves the challenges encountered by traditional M&A procedures.
Japan Finance provides a diversified portfolio of financial services to the small and medium enterprise sector.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Internet
- Debt Financing, Funding Round, Seed
- Japan, India, Hong Kong
Portfolio highlights
- Meleap — HADO is a new sport utilizing the leading AR technology with players wearing a head mounted display and an armband sensor to compete against each other by using the ‘energy ball’ or ‘shield’ and earn points in a three-on-three, eighty-minutes game between two teams.
- Tanaakk — TANAAKK provides “HITSERIES”, Growth-as-a-Service especially for Fortune Global 500 in-house startups to migrate R&D fruits into cloud-native scalable SaaS. HITSERIES delivers reference architecture, platform and related DevOps, RevOps, EquityOps services. There is annually US$190 R&D expenditure solely in Japan. TANAAKK find growth optionin R&D, selecting right cloud business scheme and enabling liquidity for discounted intellectual assets. Usually supporting conglomerate to achieve new $100M SaaS revenue in 5 years.
- Shiftmation — Axiverse creates an environment where employees shift automatic creation service using artificial intelligence to create a better society.
XTech Ventures aims to achieve dramatic growth for investee companies by supporting entrepreneurship, multifaceted management support, and IPO support for the excellent middle class who are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Media and Entertainment
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, Italy, United Arab Emirates
Portfolio highlights
- Logo Labo — Logo Labo provides branding and marketing services, including brand development, formulation, IT-based branding and marketing support.
- MUSE — MUSE is a robotics company that provides robotic solutions for retail stores to support in-store operations.
- OpenMoney — OpenMoney is a company that offers information related to financial services.
Innovation Engine has been is promoting investment to create and grow promising business areas created from technology.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Health Care
- Funding Round, Series A, Series C
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Asilla — Asilla develops and provides AI specialized in image and video analysis. Its services, the Vehicle recognition AI, recognizes the manufacturer and model from the image of the vehicle. It also has a censorship service that detects inappropriate images that can not be released, including copyrights and obscene expressionsAsilla was founded in 2015and is based in Tokyo, Japan.
- Ranimaru — Ranimaru is pet service providing company that offers pet sitting, care of your pet dog in events, professional course about pet sitting.
- Drone Show Japan — Drone Show Japan company specializes in drone shows for events, aerial photography, and workshops.
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