# Taira Kobayashi

> Taira Kobayashi is a seed investor at JAFCO (Tokyo) backing Biotechnology and Clinical Trials. See 3 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [JAFCO](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/jafco-co-ltd)
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
- Total investments: 3
- Last investment: Nov 2023
- Lead investor: 33%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taira-kobayashi-b2184a184/?originalSubdomain=jp
- Website: https://www.jafco.co.jp/partners/001331.html
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taira.kobayashi.3

Taira Kobayashi is a seed investor at JAFCO in Tokyo focused on Biotechnology and Clinical Trials. Taira Kobayashi joined JAFCO in 2020. In the Academia-Industry Collaboration and Life Sciences Investment Group, he has invested and supported R&D startups in various sectors ranging from Deep Tech to drug discovery. He also serves as a JST-START project promoter, commercializing university-launched ventures, and gives lectures at universitiesand other institutions based on his career and experience. Taira previously held a Medical Science Liaison - Central Nervous System and was involved in in-house business planning, including digital health business development and METI projects at TAKEDA Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. From 2013 to 2017, he served as a researcher at TOYOTA Central R&D Labs, where he was involved in R&D across all engineering fields and promoted business development in neuroscience and artificial cells at the Strategic Research Division. Before TOYOTA, he served as an academic researcher at the Institute of Medical Science - The University of Tokyo(IMSUT) and promoted basic medical research in bacterial infection and innate immunity of human cells.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Biotechnology | 2 | 67% |
| Clinical Trials | 2 | 67% |
| Medical | 1 | 33% |
| Biopharma | 1 | 33% |
| Therapeutics | 1 | 33% |

11 industries tracked in total.

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Seed | 1 | 33% |
| Series A | 1 | 33% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 33% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| CellFiber | Cell fiber technology was developed as a basic technology for handling cells in the engineering field. | $117.6M |  | Nov 09, 2023 |  |
| CellFiber | Cell fiber technology was developed as a basic technology for handling cells in the engineering field. | $5.5M | Series A | Nov 09, 2023 |  |
| Metagen Therapeutics | Metagen Therapeutics (MGTx) is a clinical-stage company operating Japan’s first GMP-compliant manufacturing platform for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) therapies. The company combines proprietary paired metagenomic datasets with AI/ML-driven donor-recipient matching to advance precision microbiome medicine across ulcerative colitis,immuno-oncology, and neurodegenerative disease. Headquartered in Tsuruoka, Japan, MGTx leverages a cross-border regulatory strategy spanning PMDA and FDA pathways, positioning it as a platform bridging Japanese clinical innovation with global market access. | $344.7K | Seed | Oct 06, 2022 |  |

3 of 3 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [Fast Track Initiative, Inc.](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/fast-track-initiative) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Chiba Dojo](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/chiba-dojo) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [UntroD Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/real-tech-holdings) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Keio Innovation Initiative](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/keio-innovations-initiative) — VC Fund, 1 deal together
- [Universal Materials Incubator](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/universal-materials-incubator-b260) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About JAFCO

VC Fund · Tokyo, Japan

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.

5 contacts available at JAFCO.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Haruyoshi Onuma | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/haruyoshi-onuma |
| Keisuke Miyoshi | President and CEO | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/keisuke-miyoshi |
| Taira Kobayashi | Principal | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/taira-kobayashi |
| Takahara Mizuki | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/takahara-mizuki |
| Tomotake Kitazawa | Partner | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/tomotake-kitazawa |

## Similar investors

### Similar stage
- [Antler](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/antler-be9c) — VC Fund
- [Alumni Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/alumni-ventures-group) — VC Fund
- [Right Side Capital Management](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/right-side-capital-management) — VC Fund

## FAQ

### What does Taira Kobayashi invest in?

Taira Kobayashi invests primarily in Biotechnology, Clinical Trials and Medical startups, most often at Seed and Series A stage. Most of the 3 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in Japan. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Taira Kobayashi last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Taira Kobayashi closed in Nov 2023. Shizune tracks 3 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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