Top 20 Social VC (Venture Capital) Funds in Japan in July 2025

Investor	Social Japan investments
East Ventures	2
Nissay Capital	2
ANRI	2
ON & BOARD	1
Archetype Ventures	1
Makuake	1
Maezawa Fund	1
Taliki	1
UNITED	1
Global Brain Corporation	1
Recruit Strategic Partners	1
Startup Factory	1
Hakuhodo DY Ventures	1
Spurcle	1
Kodansha	1
Sansei Capital Investment	1
WERU Investment	1
Venture Labo Investment	1
Shochiku Ventures	1
Mizuho Capital	1

East Ventures is an early stage venture capital (VC) focused on Southeast Asia, Indonesia & Japan. Success cases include Tokopedia, Traveloka, and Mercari.

Investment focus

Software, Information Technology, Internet
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan, Indonesia, Singapore

Portfolio highlights

AccordX — Cookpy operates a ghost restaurant service for individuals, allowing anyone to open a virtual restaurant, prepare food at cloud kitchens, and sell food via online delivery platforms.
Napcial — Napcial is an innovative AI-powered legal application designed to help couples update and personalize their wedding vows in a way that reflects their evolving relationship, values, and legal commitments.
Ness — Ness is a tech company that offers 3 service websites and analytic tools for NFT marketing tool, TikTok product and NFT holders.

Nissay Capital is a venture capital Company specializing in seed, start-up, growth capital, middle stage, and later stage investment.

Investment focus

Health Care, Internet, Information Technology
Funding Round, Seed, Series A
Japan, United States, Ethiopia

Portfolio highlights

Blackbox — Blackbox is an entertainment firm that is involved in businesses, including VTuber production, media mix, and live music events.
Knowhere — Knowhere is a company that applies high-performance AI to sports.
Linea Innovations — Linea Innovations is an energy production company that develops commercial fusion reactors with advanced fuel technology.

ANRI is a Japanese venture capital firm that mainly invests in seed and early-stage startups.

Investment focus

Software, Information Technology, Health Care
Seed, Funding Round, Series A
Japan, United States, India

Portfolio highlights

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
Linea Innovations — Linea Innovations is an energy production company that develops commercial fusion reactors with advanced fuel technology.

ON & BOARD is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments.

Investment focus

Seed

Portfolio highlights

Herix — Herix is an AI SaaS that streamlines due diligence (DD) and the developer of "Aidiligence."
LobbyAI — LobbyAI provides a wide range of services related to artificial intelligence, particularly around database construction and management.
Linea Innovations — Linea Innovations is an energy production company that develops commercial fusion reactors with advanced fuel technology.

Archetype Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in B2B Tech seed and early stage venture investments.

Investment focus

Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

Diggle — DIGGLE is a service that provides fundamental management accounting management on the cloud called fraud management. It is possible to reduce the mistakes and man-hours of the fraud management task and easily carry out the fraud management task even if it is not an expert in finance or accounting.DIGGLE covers budget creation work and budgetrecord comparison work, especially in the foreman management work. In the budget creation work, the KPI and the budget are automatically created by inputting the target numerical value to the preset parameters utilizing the budget generator function, while the forecast contrasting work is made up of the financial information, non-financial information It is easy to calculate by simply entering the numerical value, and it is possible to carry out calculation of the forecast contrast.
FLUX — FLUX provide “FLUX Header Bidding Solution” that creates fair competition opportunities and significantly increases advertising revenue within the header bidding server, ad requests are sent to SSPs and ad exchanges all at once, so it is possible to have a pure price competition without prioritization, and to determine the highest bid amount andvalue of the advertising space. I can. Then, the price of the highest bid ad in the header bidding and the ad set in the ad server are competed, and the ad with the higher bid is delivered.
Hubble — Cloud-based software specialized for contracts and other legal documents

Makuake is a operation of various support services centered on the cloud funding platform "Makuake".It is a product production support project utilizing R & D technology.

Investment focus

E-Commerce, Manufacturing, Food and Beverage
Product Crowdfunding, Equity Crowdfunding, Seed
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

Now Do — Now Do provides online growth revolution platform.
Wakaze — Wakaze is a Japanese sake brewing startup.
Minimal - Bean to Bar Chocolate — Minimal - Bean to Bar Chocolate is a Chocolate startup

The Maezawa Fund is a joint-stock company that invests in entrepreneurs and organizations whose business themes are “solving social issues” and “pursuing hobbies,” and is based on Yusaku Maezawa’s personal assets. It was established for the purpose of investing 100 million yen.

Investment focus

Laser, Beauty, Social
Seed, Funding Round
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

YUKASHIKADO — Yukasikado is developing a business on the axis of nutrition that supports the health of the body.
ARIGATO BANK — Arigato Bank offers financial services, with a focus on solving social issues.
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.

Taliki is a Coworking Space Operates Social Entrepreneurs Development Support for Intrepreneur Development.

Investment focus

Cooking, Retail, Children
Seed, Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

AiCAN — AiCAN provides system planning and development, data analysis, IT, and consulting services related to child welfare.
Gab — Gab is a company that works to solve social problems as well as develops and markets ethical products.
CoCooking — CoCooking uses food and cooking to create ample opportunity for dialogue and thought, fostering creativity, diversity, and well-being of individuals and communities.

UNITED, Inc. is developing the smart phone app and the advertising technology business.

Investment focus

Media and Entertainment, Content, Information Technology
Funding Round, Seed, Series A
Japan, Nigeria, United States

Portfolio highlights

Precal — Precal is an information technology company that develops applications that are common with pharmacies, pharmacists, and dispensing clerks.
Gab — Gab is a company that works to solve social problems as well as develops and markets ethical products.
Brainbuddy — Brainbuddy specializes in sales support, business growth, recruiting, consulting, and training 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.

Investment focus

Information Technology, Software, Artificial Intelligence
Series A, Series B, Funding Round
Japan, United States, United Kingdom

Portfolio highlights

Wiom — Provides affordable and unlimited Internet to Middle and lower middle income households
HIVED — Looking for a greener, cheaper and better way to send your parcels? All parcels tracked and insured. Same-day, next-day and other options. Contact us today.
Things — Things offer product development and various information such as CAD, drawings, parts configuration, and price information.

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.

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.

Startup Factory is a startup fund that provides one-stop support to startups.

Investment focus

Video, Content, Film Production
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

HARTi — HARTi produces iconic artists worldwide. they are always on the lookout for partners who will bring art to expand the business.
Gab — Gab is a company that works to solve social problems as well as develops and markets ethical products.
HA-LU — HA-LU is a Short Drama Label that aims to produce authentic "Youth 2.0 IP Contents" for the next generation.

Hakuhodo DY Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm.

Investment focus

Media and Entertainment, Artificial Intelligence, Task Management
Funding Round, Series B, Series D
Japan, Australia, United States

Portfolio highlights

Castee — Castee provides social collaboration services and also helps with a tool for job requests and overseas projects for creators.
Tribeau — Tribute is a word-of-mouth app for aesthetic medicine for cosmetic surgeries, cosmetic dermatologists, and orthodontists who are not covered by health insurance.
Wunderbar — Wunderbar provides intellectual property along with branding and marketing services.

Spurcle is a venture capital firm.

Investment focus

Sustainability, Artificial Intelligence, Agriculture
Seed, Series A, Pre-Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Gab — Gab is a company that works to solve social problems as well as develops and markets ethical products.
ForestFolks — ForestFolks Provider of forest management and conservation services aimed at protecting forestry and the environment.The company exploits and successfully employs the forest's CO2 absorption potential and conserves and recovers forest resources and biodiversity, allowing for regulatory compliance and supporting environmental protection.
Zip Infrastructure — Inquiry : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfDmxd1TpPP331TY4VoRsvn0yWX3Ca5Jd-bfBiuPwvpD2SKtA/viewform

Kodansha is the largest publisher in Japan and produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo. The Noma family—relatives of the founder—continues toown KodanshaSource: [Wikipedia] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodansha)

Investment focus

Software, Media and Entertainment, News
Corporate Round, Funding Round, Seed
Japan, Indonesia, United States

Portfolio highlights

MyAnimeList — Welcome to MyAnimeList, the world's most active online anime and manga community and database. Join the online community, create your anime and manga list, read reviews, explore the forums, follow news, and so much more!
SPORTS BULL — SPORTS BULL is an Internet sports media management company.
Animoca Brands KK — Animoca Brands KK supports the global strategy of Web3.0 for Japanese intellectual property and content (IP) holders such as major publishers, brands, education, sports organizations, athletes, artists, and game companies. rice field. Animoca Brands KK builds and provides a platform that utilizes blockchain technology and provides a mechanism forIP / IP holders to have their own ecosystem in Web3.0 and issue NFTs and tokens within it.

Sansei Capital provides portfolio management, corporate management support, and financing services.

Investment focus

Content, Medical, Task Management
Funding Round, Series A, Series B
Japan, China, Belgium

Portfolio highlights

RABO — RABO is a Cat-Tech Company that "watches cat life with technology.
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.
Asoview — ASOVIEW Inc. is an online booking website that provides booking services for weekend leisure activities like skydiving and rafting. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in Shibuya, Kanagawa.

As a pioneer and innovator in venture capital in Japan for the past 2 decades, we are deeply engaged in developing and supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups by leveraging our strategic position as a conduit between government, business and academia.“WERU” is the first research unit in the field of entrepreneurship in Japan established byprofessors at the graduate school, Waseda University in 1993.　“WERU Investment” is the first venture capital closely associated with university research labs, centers and institutes in japan. WERU Investment provides financial services for institutional investors (e.g. Pension funds and Endowments) as a Japanese discretionary investment manager (DIM) by fully taking advantage of these research resources, accumulated know-how and strong network.

Investment focus

Information Technology, Consulting, Software
Seed, Funding Round, Series A
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

Synfini — Synfini, Inc., a privately held Menlo Park, California-based company, is a pioneer in agile chemistry. Its advanced, automated molecular discovery platform is transforming drug discovery through integrated neuro-symbolic AI, discovery-focused robotic automation, and world-class chemistry data. The patented Synfini platform includes automatedchemical synthesis technologies from SRI International. As a commercial enterprise Synfini will provide accelerated molecular discovery to drug hunters and pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
Novity — Novity offers predictive maintenance, exceptional accuracy, and cold-start prognostics solutions for the chemical, oil, and gas industries.
Cinderelax — Cinderelax is a makeup video app through which individuals can learn makeup.

Venture Labo Investment is venture capital firm that provides financial supports to invested companies at each growth stage.

Investment focus

Financial Services, Internet, Information Technology
Funding Round, Series B, Seed
Japan, Indonesia, South Korea

Portfolio highlights

XDeli — XDeli is a digital application that offers food delivery and meal subsidy service for corporate employees.
Castee — Castee provides social collaboration services and also helps with a tool for job requests and overseas projects for creators.
Batton — Batton is a product-developing company that sells AI-enabled RPA buttons and AI formats that allow papers to be automatically formatted.

Shochiku Ventures is a venture capital firm.

Investment focus

Sales, Space Travel, Manufacturing
Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Castee — Castee provides social collaboration services and also helps with a tool for job requests and overseas projects for creators.
Turing — Turing develops and manufactures fully autonomous vehicles.
Iwaya Giken — Iwaya Giken manufactures and sells gas balloons, airtight cabins, and other space-travel equipment.

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.

Investment focus

Information Technology, Software, Internet
Funding Round, Series A, Series B
Japan, United States, China

Portfolio highlights

Anaguma — Anaguma handles business development based on the philosophy of helping people with a sustainable structure. The company's business objective is to eliminate concerns about purchases and reservations, and it delivers before-sales social networks. It also provides matching services exclusively for housekeepers' personal contracts. Thecompany also offers influencer marketing services with a focus on removing waste completely from advertising and realizing a world in which good products can be sold regardless of advertising costs.Anaguma was founded in January 2016 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Miletos — Miletos is the provider of AI expense scrutiny SaaS services.
Helical Fusion — Helical Fusion is a startup company that aims to commercialize fusion energy using magnetic confinement of high-temperature plasmas.