# Genuine Startups

> Genuine Startups is a VC fund in Shibuya backing FinTech, Computer and Internet. See 4 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shibuya, Japan
- Total investments: 4
- Last investment: Jan 2017
- Lead investor: 0%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- Website: http://genuine-startups.com

Genuine Startups is a seed-stage focused venture fund backed by ex-PIMCO Japan head and experienced startup investor/accelerator. The company's headquarters are in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| FinTech | 1 | 25% |
| Computer | 1 | 25% |
| Internet | 1 | 25% |
| Software | 1 | 25% |
| Education | 1 | 25% |

12 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 2 | 50% |
| Series A | 1 | 25% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 25% |

### Country

| Country | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Japan | 3 | 75% |
| United States | 1 | 25% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Alpaca | Alpaca is a financial technology company that provides developer-first APIs and brokerage infrastructure for programmatic access to stock, options, and cryptocurrency markets, enabling businesses and individual traders to integrate trading and investing capabilities into their applications. Its platform offers REST, WebSocket, and event-driveninterfaces that support algorithmic trading, automated strategy execution, real-time market data, backtesting, and portfolio management workflows. Alpaca’s services also include brokerage account functionality, clearing and settlement services, and tools that allow firms to embed investing features into their products or to build custom trading systems on top of its API-centric architecture. The company supports global fintech partners with solutions such as tokenization, high-yield cash programs, multi-leg options trading, and advanced order types that align with diverse trading and investment use cases. Its technology is used by developers, quant traders, fintech platforms, and financial institutions seeking programmable market access and integrated financial services. | $1.8M | Seed | Jan 24, 2017 |  |
| StreetAcademy | StreetAcademy is Japan's learning market that matches people who want to teach and people who want to learn on the web. | $21.3M |  | Sep 30, 2016 |  |
| BASKET | BASKET is an internet-based home delivery cleaning service company. |  | Seed | Apr 30, 2015 |  |
| Translimit | Translimit was initially launched back in January by Hiroki Takaba and Takuma Kudo, both of whom previously worked at CyberAgent companies. They have been involved in several game projects together, including the virtual avatar service Ameba Pico (which shut down back in 2012) and mobile social game Girl Friend BETA. The Translimit team isparticipating in Movida Japan incubation program here in Tokyo. | $42.5M | Series A | Oct 10, 2014 |  |

4 of 4 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [D4V](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/d4v) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [East Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/east-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Miraidoa](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/future-venture-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [IDEO](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/ideo) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [LINE Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/line-ventures) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Mitsubishi UFJ Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mitsubishi-ufj-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

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### Similar industry
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### Similar country
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## FAQ

### What does Genuine Startups invest in?

Genuine Startups invests primarily in FinTech, Computer and Internet startups, most often at Seed and Series A stage. Most of the 4 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Japan. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Genuine Startups last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Genuine Startups closed in Jan 2017. Shizune tracks 4 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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