Top 15 Local VC (Venture Capital) Funds in Japan in May 2025
A list of 15 VC (Venture Capital) funds that invest in Local startups based in Japan. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Local companies from Japan. We update this investor list every month.Top 15 Local VC (Venture Capital) Funds in Japan in May 2025
Investor | Local Japan investments |
---|---|
Global Brain Corporation | 4 |
ANRI | 3 |
Incubate Fund | 3 |
Chiba Dojo | 3 |
SBI Investment | 2 |
Mizuho Capital | 1 |
Energy & Environment Investment | 1 |
F Ventures | 1 |
GMO VenturePartners | 1 |
Recruit Strategic Partners | 1 |
OPT Ventures | 1 |
JAFCO | 1 |
NetAge | 1 |
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group | 1 |
Adways | 1 |
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
- Information Technology, Software, Artificial Intelligence
- Series A, Series B, Funding Round
- Japan, United States, United Kingdom
Portfolio highlights
- 10x — 10x provides One-stop service from meal planning to grocery shopping.
- Otetsutabi — Otetsutabi is a regional revitalization platform that offers the opportunity for participants to help at accommodations and breweries in rural areas that struggle with seasonal labor shortages. The locals offer transportation expenses and places to stay in return, so participants can travel to the areas with ease.
- Japan Culture and Technology — Japan Culture and Technology assists artists and craftspeople in expanding their activities by providing IT support.
ANRI is a Japanese venture capital firm that mainly invests in seed and early-stage startups.
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Investment focus
- Software, Information Technology, Health Care
- Seed, Funding Round, Series A
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- iiba — Iiba is a geospatial platform that specializes in providing location information related to child-rearing.
- AiCAN — AiCAN provides system planning and development, data analysis, IT, and consulting services related to child welfare.
- Asusola — Asusola engaged in the renewable energy power generation business
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
- Gatebox — It is a research laboratory beyond dimension" which is researching and developing to realize "a world where you can live with a character". Therefore, Gatebox Co., Ltd. refers to itself as "Gatebox Lab" and conducts research and development beyond dimension in the area of Akihabara day and night. Dreaming that day,coming to meet beyond dimension.
- NABLA Mobility — Solving the complexities involved in the "Operation of Fleets" of Mobility and support its evolution and decarbonization
- Mjolnir Spaceworks — Mjolnir Spaceworks desings and manufactures state-of-the-art novel space rockets with efficient engines as well as other space equipments.
Chiba Dojo is an entrepreneurial community that supports startup companies in various stages from seed to pre-IPO.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Content, E-Commerce
- Seed, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, Singapore, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Manabie — Manabie is an Education Technology start-up company on a mission to provide a new style of online & offline merged learning around the world. We provide students with everything they need for efficient learning; high-quality learning materials, great learning environments, personal coaches and more! We believe that our new method of learning,integrating online and offline will dramatically innovate the way students learn.
- Zaimo.ai — Zaimo's AI-driven SaaS budget planning and management software sounds like AI integration can bring significant advantages in automating tasks like tracking expenses, forecasting future spending patterns, and offering personalized budgeting suggestions.
- MOSH Japan — MOSH is a web page creation services for individual business owners.
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, Series A, Funding Round
- Japan, South Korea, United States
Portfolio highlights
- Zolve — Best neo bank in India offering international banking & financial services online. Apply for a US bank account, credit card & student education loan with Zolve!
- Zerodoor HD — Zerodoor HD specializes in digital transformation in constructing industry.
- TOKYO GameFi — TOKYO GameFi is a Web3 firm formed by a management team of developers and engineers with previous experience at CyberAgent.
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
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
- Asusola — Asusola engaged in the renewable energy power generation business
- Aeterlink — Aeterlink is a wireless device maker and developer. They applied their technology to fields such as FA, robots, smart houses, and medicine and developed practical level technologies such as elemental technology that can wirelessly supply power.
- NABLA Mobility — Solving the complexities involved in the "Operation of Fleets" of Mobility and support its evolution and decarbonization
F Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Japan.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Service Industry
- Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
- Japan, Hong Kong
Portfolio highlights
- Bgrass — bgrass is a consultation support platform for women working in the IT industry.
- Blankr — Blankr inc has developed an application called Raidli. Using the app, Vtubers can hold a virtual handshake event.
- Tripi — Tripi provides travel media and digital marketing services, as well as the accommodation gift service.
An investment that restructures the value and quality.Supplying big capital is not an essential value of our firm.We have a strong attitude to input and drive critical thinking behind a new startup.After the problem is clarified and solution become established in the world,people could not imagine the society without that solution.An investment that innovates this world.We will become a real partner to execute the strategy together.INVENTION OF THE ESSENCE ----we will keep on doing it.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, FinTech, Finance
- Seed, Series A, Series B
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- 10x — 10x provides One-stop service from meal planning to grocery shopping.
- RightTouch — RightTouch is a media company that offers customer support with KARTE RightSupport, and media CS Mag for tailored solutions and insights.
- Zolve — Best neo bank in India offering international banking & financial services online. Apply for a US bank account, credit card & student education loan with Zolve!
Recruit Strategic Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative startups from all around the world. It is a corporate venture capital arm of Recruit Holdings that seeks to invest in education and financial technology, digital healthcare, and infrastructure sectors.
It was established in 2008 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
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Investment focus
- E-Commerce, Software, Financial Services
- Series A, Seed, Series B
- United States, Japan, India
Portfolio highlights
- Blacklane — Blacklane is the global chauffeur service that offers safety, sustainability, and stress-free travel. Since 2017, the company has been carbon-neutral, combining a five-star guest experience with care for the planet. The customers can book their travels using Blacklane’s mobile app or website.Blacklane was co-founded by Jens Wohltorf and FrankSteuer and is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
- Steady — Home Page Steady Your Income Home Page Steady Your Income Home Page Steady Your Income
- ZenBusiness — Start a new business today for $0 or grow your existing business with the ZenBusiness platform. Get to your first dollar faster without the stress.
OPT Ventures is an investment and incubation firm that offers startups with venture capital, investments, IPO advice, management information services, and more. The company was established on February 27, 2015, and operates as an investment subsidiary of Opt Holding Corporation, an e-marketing company based in Tokyo, Japan.
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Investment focus
- Software, E-Commerce, Task Management
- Funding Round, Series A, Seed
- Japan, United States, India
Portfolio highlights
- CirclePe — Backed by India's Top Investors, connect us with your new Landlord & get a Zero Deposit move-in for the 1st time ever.
- Receptionist — Delighted develops an application for reception services. The company was founded in 2016 and is based in Tokyo, Japan.
- Zeelab Pharmacy — Zeelab Pharmacy brings to you a high quality affordable generic medicines delivered to your doorstep with ecommerce & network of over 200+ stores in India.
Since its founding in 1973, JAFCO has always worked with leading-edge entrepreneurs. The total capital commitments of its investment funds in Japan and overseas have exceeded 1 trillion yen and the number of portfolio IPOs to date has reached over 1,000. In addition to venture investment, JAFCO also carries out buyout investment and commit to thecreations of innovative technologies and services worldwide. As entrepreneurs’ closest partner in bringing their visions to life, JAFCO provides support in areas of HR, marketing/ sales, and back-office operations, in addition to providing financing.
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Investment focus
- Information Technology, Software, Artificial Intelligence
- Series A, Funding Round, Series B
- Japan, United States, Israel
Portfolio highlights
- Sanu — SANU is a subscription service that offers a home in nature.
- Pocket Sign — Pocket Sign develops digital platforms that store e-signatures and other authentication details for it's users privacy and security.
- Tech Doctor — Tech Doctor is a health monitoring service which provides analysis and insights for self care reducing the need for health care workers.
netage, inc. is a venture capital firm specializing in startup and incubation investments. They invests in internet business. netage is located in Tokyo, Japan.
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Investment focus
- News, Local, Big Data
- Pre-Seed, Series A
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- JX Press — The JX PRESS Corporation is Japan’s“virtual news agency.”JX PRESS’s “FASTALERT” service provides breaking news bulletins for urgent information on accidents, natural disasters, and other incidents detected by AI to all six of the major television broadcast stations in Japan, including NHK, and the majority of the 100+ local broadcast stations.FASTALERT works with more companies than any other service that utilizes information gathered from social networking sites for news reporting in Japan.The version offered to ordinary consumers, an app called “NewsDigest,” is the biggest news bulletin app in Japan, boasting over 1 million downloads. It is gaining popularity because of its ability to use AI to automatically detect and deliver news bulletins on information worth reporting. Alongside FASTALERT, it is also gaining more widespread use by news reporters as a standardized service for information.Stakeholders in the JX PRESS Corporation include KYODO NEWS, the leading news agency in Japan, two of the leading commercial broadcast stations (TV Asahi and Fuji TV), and the Nikkei Group. We are a new kind of news agency that provides computerized news reporting to all of the major media groups in Japan.Bloomberg - This Media Startup Is Beating the Competition With a Newsroom Run by Robots https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-27/the-airline-geek-trying-to-build-a-media-giant-with-no-reporters
- Oceans — Oceans Inc. was incorporated on September 16th, 2010 as an internet service company with the expressed goal of making the Internet more useful, more local, more here and now. Specialists from the fields of user interface, user experience, creative, programming and monetization gathered to make this possible. Currently, these development and serviceoperations professionals operate Eyeland(http://eyeland.in), a popular local communications platform.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, is a Japanese bank holding / financial services company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. MUFG manages the affairs of its subsidiaries within the group and the business of the group as a whole along with all relevant ancillary business.The MUFG Group turned its eye toward the expected operatingenvironment changes over the next decade, and launched the new medium-term business plan, which outlines the strategies that will be implemented over the first three years of this period. The new plan is designed to guide us as they strive to realize their corporate vision—“Be the world's most trusted financial group.” By accelerating initiatives that span across business entities, regions, and business groups, they will work to live up to the expectations of their customers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders.The MUFG Group aims to achieve stable and sustainable income growth through seeking diversified revenue bases especially in customer segment both domestically and abroad, and capital efficiency by improving productivity. In addition, they will enhance shareholder value by conducting capital management flexibly taking the balance of (1) enhancement of further shareholder returns, (2) maintenance of a solid capital base and (3) strategic investments for sustainable growth, into consideration.
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Investment focus
- Financial Services, FinTech, Energy
- Debt Financing, Funding Round, Series A
- United States, Japan, Indonesia
Portfolio highlights
- Anthropic — An AI safety and research company that's working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.
- IndiaMART InterMESH — IndiaMART InterMESH is an online B2B marketplace, connecting buyers with suppliers across various industries.
- Reliance Industries — Reliance Industries Limited is committed to innovation-led, exponential growth in the areas of hydrocarbon exploration and production, petroleum refining and marketing, petrochemicals, retail and telecommunications.
Based in Tokyo, Adways is a mobile marketing solution provider mostly known for its Asia’s largest mobile CPI adnetwork “AppDriver” and mobile app measurement & tracking tool “PartyTrack” used by great number of major app developers around the world. Since 2004 when it opened the first overseas office in China, Adways has been aggressivelyexpanding its mobile app distribution network in Asian markets. Now with 1,000 employees in 11 countries (Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and the USA), Adways supports app developers worldwide to maximize their user acquisition and monetization and furthermore thrives to provide new value to the market. Haruhisa Okamura is Founder and CEO of Adways who has grown Adways from a small startup to an international corporation with over a thousand employees around the world. In 2006, Adways went public and Okamura was one of the youngest entrepreneurs to list a company in Japan at that time.You can read his story here: "How a high school dropout became a multi-millionaire entrepreneur" http://www.techinasia.com/high-school-dropout-multimillionaire-entrepreneur/
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Investment focus
- Internet, Media and Entertainment, Software
- Funding Round, Seed, Series A
- Japan
Portfolio highlights
- Brhino — Brhino provides planning, development, and management of web services. The company's product, Monokabu, is a site where people can buy and sell sneakers and things like stock. Brhino is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
- 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.
- MiddleField — MiddleField is a team to make cars the best entertainment and to make the lives of everyone involved in cars into entertainment. They creates a society where a lot of people are involved as a middle point of all people's dreams. MiddleField owns and operates an e-commerce platform offering cars.
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