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Top 50 Transportation Angel Investors in Japan in January 2025

Last updated: Jan 2025 A list of 50 angel investors that invest in Transportation startups based in Japan. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Transportation companies from Japan. We update this investor list every month.

Top 50 Transportation Angel Investors in Japan in January 2025

Investor	Transportation Japan investments
Nobuhiro Ariyasu	3
Yu Akasaka	3
Daisaku Harada	2
Masao Ito	2
Takao Ozawa	2
Yusuke Sato	2
Kensuke Furukawa	2
Mamoru Taniya	2
Kazuma Ieiri	2
Jun Ogawa	1
Nishio Kentaro	1
Soichiro Kawai	1
Masaru Tange	1
Koji Yamada	1
Hidetoshi Takano	1
Yuto Nagashima	1
Yuma Umeda	1
Koichiro Yoshida	1
Toru Yoshikawa	1
Ryosuke Matsumoto	1
Shoji Miyata	1
Kiyoshi Nishikawa	1
Tatsuya Ota	1
Nagatsuka Masayoshi	1
Kotaro Yamagishi	1
Takeyuki Aritomi	1
Yusuke Murata	1
Shintaro Tabata	1
Shinji Yamamoto	1
Noguchi Keito	1
Kotaro Chiba	1
Yuki Sugigami	1
Soga Takeshi	1
Tatsuya Shiga	1
Minoru Moriya	1
Akiyuki Minami	1
Shuhei Morofuji	1
Bart Joseph Broadman	1
Nobuyuki Idei	1
Jun Nishikawa	1
Kiyohiro Sugashita	1
Makoto Takano	1
Kenji Kasahara	1
Yuya Taketani	1
Keisuke Wada	1
Kataoka Shinya	1
Hiroaki Watatani	1
Ken Soga	1
Yusuke Mitsumoto	1
Koya Arikawa	1

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Investor list

Nobuhiro Ariyasu is the CEO at Coach United.

Investment focus

Finance, Internet, Content
Seed, Angel, Funding Round
Japan, Singapore

Portfolio highlights

PeopleX — PeopleX encourages and assists employees in their professional development.
PICK — PICK is a startup that provides a digital transformation platform for the real estate and construction industries.
Collectest — Collectest specializes in integrating AI into trading card appraisal procedures that show current market pricing and verify authenticity.

During Hosei University student, and intern at Hakuhodo C & D. After joining the Image-net, I do media monetization of EC site as a media planner. Then, new business, engaged in Alliance. Launched a crowdsourcing site "MILLION DESIGNS" of design in the individual, sold to Ransazu Corporation. Established the Eureka Co., Ltd., wasappointed Representative Director CEO.

Investment focus

Food and Beverage, Content, Internet
Seed, Angel, Funding Round
Japan, Australia, Hong Kong

Portfolio highlights

Now Do — Now Do provides online growth revolution platform.
RE — RE specializes in smartphone application design and development.
Vitalogue Health — Vitalogue Health offers Canvas, a home-based hormone testing service for women.

Daisaku Harada is the Director of Management Strategy at Mercari. Daisaku attended Chuo University.

Investment focus

Finance, Tourism, Automotive
Seed, Pre-Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Carstay — Carstay Comfortable Overnight in car or tentdo itCar tripWith guests who want to enjoy.

Masao Ito is a Founder & CEO at User Local.

Investment focus

Content, Social Media, Information Technology
Seed, Series A, Angel
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Illusil — Illusil is a service that makes it easier for anyone to generate slide materials and reduces the amount of time needed to do it. Additionally, presentations can be automatically generated from text input by AI, and over 1,000 design templates can be used to build original slides.
Aruya Umu — Aryaum supports "regional revitalization through NFT" by offering local governments all around the nation hometown tax and tourism NFT solutions.
Driver Technologies — Driver Technologies is a cloud logistics platform provider. It provides a solution for driver matching and cargo vehicle demands.

Takao is the former CEO of YJ Capital. He is also the President of Shopping Company at Yahoo Japan. Prior to Yahoo, he founded Bizseek, Inc. in 1999 which was acquired by Rakuten, Inc. in 2001. He joined Rakuten after the acquisition and was the Corporate Officer in charge of auctions. During his career in Rakuten, he was engaged in projects suchas formation of Rakuten Eagles. He left Rakuten in 2006 and founded Ozawa Research Institute where he enhanced business in areas such as investments to start-up companies and consulting. In 2011, he founded Crocos, Inc. which was sold to Yahoo Japan in 2012. As an angel investor, he invested/founded companies like nanapi, Appgrooves, STARFESTIVAL, Crocos, Netage and many others.

Investment focus

E-Commerce, News, B2B
Seed, Series A, Angel
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Tokyo — Tokyo provides consistently-designed signage and projector installation, as well as maintenance company support. All customers need is “product selection” considering installation. This is a service that does not take time and effort!
Astroscale — Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
Driver Technologies — Driver Technologies is a cloud logistics platform provider. It provides a solution for driver matching and cargo vehicle demands.

Yusuke Sato is the Co-Representative and Co-Founder of Pulit.

Investment focus

Internet, Content, Food and Beverage
Seed, Funding Round, Angel
Japan, Indonesia, United States

Portfolio highlights

Kaimak — Kaymak is a recruitment platform that focuses on creating a recruitment website, planning a recruitment strategy, and managing candidates.
Paytner — yup is providing services to support freelance people's funding.The freelance population in Japan has been shown to continue to increase in many Chosa. While working styles are diversified, they are not able to respond to the development of the working environment, and they will develop their business to change the situation where problemssuch as funding, credit, sexual harassment, and power harassment are accumulated.
Meetscare — Meetscare provides correct information and supports the self-awareness of all people involved in care. The company provides a wealth of information to ensure optimal care and create a mechanism for the realization. Users can make a telephone consultation and web diagnosis and search for free information using the system.Meetscare was founded on2016 and is headquartered in Arakawa, Tokyo.

Kensuke Furukawa was born in June 2, 1981. He graduated Waseda University majoring Political Science and Economics, and in 2000, he launched "Milkcafe", a student community, which has grown to a site with 10 million PV per month. In 2004, he became the CEO of Media Clip, which operates a rental bulletin board service "ShitarabaBBS". After that year, he had transfer "Shitaraba BBS" to Livedoor, and took charge of starting up the Consumer Generated Media sector. In 2006, he joined Recruit, and took charge of starting up a new business at Business development sector. In June of 2009, he left Recruit, and became the CEO of nanapi （formerly Rocket Start), which operates the How-to Site "nanapi".

Investment focus

Content, Media and Entertainment, Social Media
Seed, Funding Round, Angel
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Plott — Plott producing youtube animation platform under Vision “Become a Content holder from YouTube”. In August 2019, the company name was changed from Fabo to Plott. Plott, the new company name, is derived from the plot that you make before writing novels, etc., and the idea that “I want to make content all the time” is put in the company name.
Tohakusha — Tohakusha is a creative agency that offers design, production and sale of digital content and EC websites, and content creation services.
Neighbor — The creative universe of Fortnite is infinite. To give an example , building fantasy and science fiction worlds, creating simple games and full-scale battle games can all be completed with Fortnite. Is the world of Fortnite, played by 350 million users worldwide, is it real or unreal? We will try to combining the vast world of Fortnite with the real world.

After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, he joined Solomon Brothers, where he became the youngest managing director in Asia, where he was in charge of Asian investment. After that, he created one of the largest independent Asuka assets. He also launched Japan's first independent online life insurance company,LifeNet Life Insurance, and inspired Japan's first International.

Investment focus

Apps, Content, FinTech
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan, Singapore, Spain

Portfolio highlights

Revorf — Revorf analyzes data and develops AI-related to infectious diseases and healthcare.
abillion — Find tips for plant-based food & products near you. Join the community to share reviews of restaurants & brands. Raise funds & drive sustainability!
RIMM Sustainability — RIMM Sustainability provides a SaaS platform that enables companies of all sizes to optimise their sustainability management effort. It builds tools for sustainability management, reporting and optimisation.

Born in 1978 and raised in Fukuoka prefecture, Kazuma founded paperboy&co. inc. (currently GMO Pepabo) and went on to become the youngest CEO ever (at the time) to take a company public in Japan by taking paperboy&co. public on the JASDAQ Japanese stock exchange. After leaving paperboy&co, he continued his startup trail by foundingBASE, CAMPFIRE, and XIMERA. Kazuma also dabbled in the food services industry via the founding of On The Corner (a cafe) and is active in the startup investment scene. He also started the Liverty-house project which attempts to create shared housing for young people in need.

Investment focus

Content, Fashion, Recruiting
Seed, Angel, Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Taliki — Taliki is a Coworking Space Operates Social Entrepreneurs Development Support for Intrepreneur Development.
ONE NOVA — One Nova (ワンノバ) is a lifestyle brand and online platform that offers a range of innerwear products, such as men's boxers.
Vivid Garden — vivid garden is an Agriculture company.

Jun Ogawa is the Managing Director at Pixie Dust Technologies. He was a former Country Manager at Kaizen Platform.

Investment focus

Software, Education, Information Technology
Seed, Angel, Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Qurate Inc. (Japan) — Plan, create and manage all your content, across all your channels with all your teams. Try for free now.
Kakedas — Kakedas specializes in the development and operation of web services.
noFRAME schools — noFRAME schools is an EdTech startup is a mission to reinvent a textbook.

Nishio Kentaro is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer & President at Game8.

Investment focus

Information Technology, Internet, Software
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Morght — Morght is an information technology service company.
YOUTRUST — YOUTRUST is a startup to operate YOUTRUST a referral recruitment platform for side-job change.
Cloud Franchise — Cloud Franchise is a cloud kitchen model that aims to maximize the kitchen occupancy rate of restaurants.

Soichiro Kawai - CEO @ ReBoost

Investment focus

Media and Entertainment, Information Technology, Internet
Seed, Funding Round, Angel
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Villio — Villio provides talent experience SaaS which helps companies with human resource development and recruitment of talented engineers.
Back Dooor — Back Dooor is an app that provides 1on1 chatting services with favorite player of the users.
SPeak Corporation — SPeak Corporation operates JPort Match that is involved in direct recruiting service. It is a global career platform for budding new talents.

Masaru Tange graduated from Kyoto University and joined Incs Inc. in 2000 where he started their IT business and strategy consulting group with only 2 members and developed it into the company's main business with a team of 140 consultants with annual revenue of $50M in 5 years. He then founded SHIFT Inc in 2005 in his studio apartment. He wasthe only employee. The business world wasn't very kind to him - he made no revenue for a while but he kept experimenting with the business model listening to the needs of customers. In 2009, he finally found traction in the "software testing industry." In 2014, Masaru successfully IPO'ed the company. Shift now has 500 employees.

Investment focus

Internet, E-Commerce, SaaS
Seed, Series A
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

Timee — Timee is a Planning, development and management of Internet media company.
S-Mat — Smartmat is an eco-friendly IoT purchase system for on-demand, no-hassle grocery with cost-effective shipping.
Launchable — Shorter test runs, smarter test triaging, test health insights, and test failure analysis. Remove friction from the dev-test loop to iterate & ship faster.

Participated in the management of a student venture company while attending Keio University's Faculty of Policy Management. After graduation, he worked at Accenture Co., Ltd. for consulting services for companies in different industries such as media, apparel, finance and entertainment. In 2012, founded boundary spanner Co., Ltd. He alsoserved as a project manager for JAPAN CON-TECH FUND and a director of the Japan Home Party Association.

Investment focus

Software, Logistics, Food Delivery
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Best Beer Japan — Best Beer Japan provides a barrel tracking software for craft beer and barrel sharing. The company was founded in 2018.

Joined Intelligence in 1999. Established Key Players Inc. in 2005. Consultation with more than 3,000 managers and career counseling for more than 10,000 individuals. In addition, we have invested in more than 55 outside directors, advisors and angels in Silicon Valley and Bangladesh in Japan. Over 100 lectures on careers, entrepreneurship andstartups.

Investment focus

Internet, Information Technology, Human Resources
Seed, Angel, Funding Round
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

Kaimak — Kaymak is a recruitment platform that focuses on creating a recruitment website, planning a recruitment strategy, and managing candidates.
D-Chain — D-Chain offers services related to IT development and production in the Web3 and Web2 fields.
Rayout — Rayout is a business consulting company that provides creative content development, recruitment videos, and web production services.

Yuto Nagashima is an individual investor.

Investment focus

Logistics, Transportation, Business Development
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Driver Technologies — Driver Technologies is a cloud logistics platform provider. It provides a solution for driver matching and cargo vehicle demands.

Yuma Umeda

Investment focus

Gift, Internet, Software
Seed, Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

XMart — Xmart is a Costs can be reduced by simply sending invoices for one month.
AGRI SMILE — AGRI SMILE is a platform that focuses on sharing agricultural technology.
Another works — Another works is a internet platform & the industry's first service that allows you to directly approach the talent you are interested in from a database of a variety of ready-to-work and multi-tasking personnel. You can also use the performance fee for free.

Founder and CEO at CrowdWorks.

Investment focus

Internet, Software, Human Resources
Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
Japan, Hong Kong, United States

Portfolio highlights

Kaimak — Kaymak is a recruitment platform that focuses on creating a recruitment website, planning a recruitment strategy, and managing candidates.
Recipio — Recipio is an receipt management platform specialized in providing digital receipt solution. Their innovative digital receipt solution and breakthrough receipt-scanning technology.
Mairu tech — Mairu tech that enables traveling by private ambulance and welfare taxi more convenient.

Toru Yoshikawa - CEO @ mybest Japan

Investment focus

Internet, Software, Education
Angel, Series B
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Seibii, Inc. — Transforming traditional car maintenance, repair, after-parts installation, road service industry of Japan by leveraging Technology.
Leading Mark — Leading Mark, a rising human resources startup in Japan. Leading Mark is branching out into mid-career and international hiring. It currently has a one-man team in China working to bring the top Japanese-speaking Chinese students to domestic companies. He also touts his startup’s focus on the average job seeker. “We want to make sure that the usersget the info that he or she needs the most,” he says. Large scale, legacy players can sometimes prioritize the needs of the hiring company, and their commission, over the needs of applicants themselves. This leads to frustration and short-circuited careers.

Ryosuke Matsumoto is the Founder / CEO at Kankak. Ryosuke Matsumoto attended Chuo University.

Investment focus

Art, Reservations, Software
Seed, Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

6curry — 6curry is a brand that creates a new community around “curry”, one of the world's best Japanese foods. The concept is to mix many people and ideas like curry made by mixing various ingredients and spices. Original menu development, weekly events are held in the central kitchen, open only to members. We design and produce communication bornfrom food, such as event catering for over 500 people and communication proposals within the company.
TRiCERA — TRiCERA is a contemporary art global platform management company.
Vivid Garden — vivid garden is an Agriculture company.

Shoji Miyata is the CEO of SmartHR.

Investment focus

Travel, Software, Transportation
Seed, Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

sunblaze — sunblaze is a android-based smartphone users begin to experience stability issues after one to two years of use. For example, their device may get slower or they encounter unexpected app crashes. These stability issues also lead to security vulnerabilities.SUNBLAZE OS features essential functions only, meaning it does not have any unnecessaryfunctions. This allows the system to be more stable and secure, and users are able to use it for a longer period of time.
Epicbase — Epicbase is an AI-based automatic voice transcription service based on voice recognition technology.
Somewhere — Somewhere is engaged in the travel and transportation business.

After working at KDD Corporation ï¼ˆCurrently known as KDDI Corporationï¼‰, Kiyoshi Nishikawa next went to work at Arthur D. Little Inc. in the United States, where he became inspired to start his own company. After returning to Japan, he established a Japanese corporation of the worldâ€™s largest Internet company, America On Line, LLC. Later andbased on this experience and the relationships he developed, he founded the first Internet business incubator, NETAGE, Inc. After serving as the President and CEO of NETAGE Group, he later became and still serves as the Chairman of ngi group, inc. Kiyoshi was one of the main entrepreneurs responsible for proposing and realization of â€œShibuya Bit Valley Conceptâ€ and is well known for his various speeches and writings. He is a graduate of the Department of Education at Tokyo University.

Investment focus

News, Social Media, Big Data
Seed, Funding Round, Pre-Seed
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

PoliPoli — PoliPoli is a next-generation politics co-creation platform where you can participate like a game. Politicians from all over Japan post their policies in an easy-to-understand manner, and those who sympathize can enjoy working on the "missions" necessary to realize the policies.
Astroscale — Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
TECHFUND — TechFund is a venture capital firm specializing in incubation and seed stage investments. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. Ota is an International Fencing Federation Director

Investment focus

Medical, Taxi Service, Public Safety
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Mairu tech — Mairu tech that enables traveling by private ambulance and welfare taxi more convenient.

Nagatsuka Masayoshi

Investment focus

Internet, Software, Automotive
Angel
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Seibii, Inc. — Transforming traditional car maintenance, repair, after-parts installation, road service industry of Japan by leveraging Technology.

Kotaro Yamagishi is the Director at GREE. Additionally, Kotaro Yamagishi has had 4 past jobs including Vice President at GREE.

Investment focus

Robotics, Aerospace, Space Travel
Series A, Series B
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Astroscale — Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
Alivexis — Modulus is dedicated to accelerating the discovery of new medicines for patients and their families through the innovative synthesis of computational intelligence, biological inspiration, and global integration.

Takeyuki Aritomi

Investment focus

Travel, Transportation
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Somewhere — Somewhere is engaged in the travel and transportation business.

In 1999, he founded SaaS startup (towards financial institutions). After exited, he joined the NIF Ventures (now Daiwa Corporate Investment) in 2003, and mainly dealt with investment for internet-related startups and fund management. In 2010, founded Incubate Fund as one of co-founder and general partner, and works on investment and incubation inmedia, gaming, digital health, and frontier-tech areas. He won #1 prize of Forbes JAPAN’s MIDAS LIST 2017. Since 2015, he is on the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA) as General Manager of planing department and Chairperson of Fund Eco-System Committee and Director of LP Relationship department.

Investment focus

Nursing and Residential Care, Software, Artificial Intelligence
Series A, Seed, Series B
Japan

Portfolio highlights

KOMPEITO — Office de Yasai is an online platform that enables users to order and get vegetables delivered to their offices. The platform’s operations are based in Tokyo, Japan.
Ark Edge Space — Ark Edge Space provides design, manufacturing & operational services for micro-satellites along with software solutions and consulting.
Woodstock — Woodstock is an investment app that allows to invest in US stocks.

Shintaro Tabata - Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Sales @ Line

Investment focus

Sharing Economy, Audio, Content
Seed, Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Voicy — Voicy is a mobile platform that recruits both media personalities and news organizations; the entertainers read the news so users can get the latest info from their favorite voices.
Carstay — Carstay Comfortable Overnight in car or tentdo itCar tripWith guests who want to enjoy.
Telework — Telework is a multi-location workspace that utilizes vacant seats and rooms.

Shinji Yamamoto - Strategic Advisor @ BLINCAM

Investment focus

Software, Logistics, Service Industry
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

sunblaze — sunblaze is a android-based smartphone users begin to experience stability issues after one to two years of use. For example, their device may get slower or they encounter unexpected app crashes. These stability issues also lead to security vulnerabilities.SUNBLAZE OS features essential functions only, meaning it does not have any unnecessaryfunctions. This allows the system to be more stable and secure, and users are able to use it for a longer period of time.
New Revo — New Revo is a logistics start-up company that provides "strategic logistics".

Noguchi Keito - Founder @ Vapes

Investment focus

Media and Entertainment, Marketing, Financial Services
Seed, Angel
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

DOFA — Dofa aims to develop services that enrich the way of life and work of human resources that are active mainly in sales.
Alliance Cloud — Alliance Cloud primarily engages in the Sales Tech and BtoB Sales Outsourcing Business.
Cloud Franchise — Cloud Franchise is a cloud kitchen model that aims to maximize the kitchen occupancy rate of restaurants.

Kotaro Chiba is the founder of ChibaDojo Fund. Kotaro Chiba attended Keio University.

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.

Mr. Sugigami is a Part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo & Angel Investor

Investment focus

Medical, Taxi Service, Public Safety
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Mairu tech — Mairu tech that enables traveling by private ambulance and welfare taxi more convenient.

Soga Takeshi

Investment focus

Music, Mobile, Content
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

UNIVRS — UNIVRS is a popular market and entertainment platform.
SAKELOGY — SAKELOGY is a platform enables restaurants and retailers to easily create cloud-based sake menus.
Best Beer Japan — Best Beer Japan provides a barrel tracking software for craft beer and barrel sharing. The company was founded in 2018.

Mr. Shiga is a Part-time lecturer at the University of Tokyo

Investment focus

Medical, Taxi Service, Public Safety
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Mairu tech — Mairu tech that enables traveling by private ambulance and welfare taxi more convenient.

Minoru Moriya is a director at AuB.

Investment focus

Health Care, Nursing and Residential Care, Internet
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

M-Box — M-Box provides IT solutions to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries and operates web services.
HANOWA — HANAWA is a matching platform between freelance dental hygienists and dental clinics.
Willbox — Willbox is an international logistics company providing an international logistics digital platform for shippers and logistics companies. The company's platform "Giho" connects shippers and logistics companies (transportation, packaging, warehousing, customs clearance, etc.) with a direct contract. It visualizes the three elements of[lead time, money, and safety], which have been regarded as a black box, and supports comparative examination and decision making. Willbox digitizes the packing technique of wooden boxes and steel, mandatory for international logistics, and incorporated them into their system. Their mission is to solve the logistics issues focusing on the large cargo of industrial products.The company was founded in 2019 and is based in Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa.

After graduating from Keio University in April 1999, it joined the Sumitomo Bank (now Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation). After experiencing such as transportation and food service industry analyst business, joined Advantage Partners, a pioneer in corporate acquisition fund in January 2004. Of 5 in charge of the investment projects, managementimprovement activities and as an officer of the investee companies, contributing to the realization of a good investment return. In 2009, it completed the Oxford University School of Management (MBA). I met with local other, who led the Japanese corporation (NPO) the establishment of the blast beat youth social entrepreneurship program with music, such as participating in NPO corporation handsome business cards Oxford of synchronization has been established, individual actively participate in activities to support the independence and autonomy. He left the Advantage Partners in June 2011 in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ltd. was established well self (now Corporation Kokonara) himself as a representative.

Investment focus

Software, Freelance, Logistics
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Sollective — Sollective is an invite-only freelancer network where companies can directly hire talent inside and outside of Japan. Sollective connects freelancers and companies that are ready to work together to maximize each's potential and lead the business to success.
Best Beer Japan — Best Beer Japan provides a barrel tracking software for craft beer and barrel sharing. The company was founded in 2018.

Shuhei Morofuji is the CEO of Reapra Japan.He Previously worked at SMS Japan as the Founder and CEO.Shuhei Morofuji attended Kyushu University in 1997.

Investment focus

SNS, Robotics, Aerospace
Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Astroscale — Astroscale is the first private company with a vision to secure the safe and sustainable development of space for the benefit of future generations, and the only company solely dedicated to on-orbit servicing across all orbits.
SMS Japan — The corporate website of SMS Co., Ltd. We disclose a wide range of information, including company overview, investor relations, and sustainability.

Bart Joseph Broadman

Investment focus

Robotics, Machine Learning, Autonomous Vehicles
Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Ascent Robotics — Ascent is a Tokyo-based AI and robotics company developing cutting-edge software with the goal of helping create a more autonomous future.

Nobuyuki Idei has served as our independent director since June 2007.Being an experienced director, Nobuyuki Idei currently also serves as director of Accenture, director of FreeBit Co, Ltd., director of Lenovo Group, and chairman of the National Conference on Fostering Beautiful Forests in Japan.Nobuyuki Idei is the founder and chief executiveofficer of Quantum Leaps Corporation, a specialist consultancy that advises private and public institutions on the changing role of technology in the 21st century.Nobuyuki Idei is also the founder and chairman of the board of Asia Innovators’ Initiative, a private non-profit organization that he established in 2011 to serve as a catalyst for social innovation in Asia by bringing together a diverse range of individuals and promoting knowledge sharing.Nobuyuki Idei was chairman and chief executive officer of Sony Corporation from 2000 to 2005, chief corporate advisor from 2005 to 2007, and chairman of the advisory board from 2007 to 2012.Prior to that, Nobuyuki Idei held a range of leadership positions at Sony including general manager of the audio division, senior general manager of the home video group, and president and representative director.Nobuyuki Idei has also served in a number of other advisory positions including as counselor to the Bank of Japan, member of Japan’s national IT Strategy Council, and vice-chairman of Nippon Keidanren.Nobuyuki Idei received a bachelor of science degree in economics and politics from Waseda University in Tokyo.

Investment focus

Information Technology, Manufacturing, Internet
Seed, Funding Round, Corporate Round
Japan, France, United States

Portfolio highlights

Pyrenee — Pyrenee is a hardware startup that creates devices that protect people's lives.
Antescofo — Antescofo is the mariage of world-class R&D and Business endeavours. Their technology is the result of 7+ years of R&D in the world’s largest laboratory dedicated to Music and Technology, IRCAM in Paris, and public experience with the most important musicians and orchestras around the world. The principle? Through Intelligent MachineListening, they recognize how humans perform music in real-time and use that information to synchronize content and provide an immersive experience! Antescofo was incorporated in July 2016 and based in Paris, France.
Stake Technologies — Stake Technologies is a technology company that provides blockchain solutions to enterprises.

Jun Nishikawa - Co-founder, Executive Vice President, COO @ Eureka

Investment focus

Food and Beverage, Media and Entertainment, Mobile
Seed, Series A, Angel
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

FamiOne — FamiOne is creating a society that will support the future of couples who want to receive children.
Misaky Tokyo — Marine plant-based, handmade Japanese sweets. These crystal treats are individually handcrafted, the perfect gift idea! Vegan, gluten-free, and additive-free confectionery, with stunning flavors such as Yuzu, Matcha, and Rose. Supporting artisans in their craft. Japanese luxury sweets with a surprise inside.
Reiwa Travel — Reiwa Trave is a digital travel agency intended that optimizes overseas travel. The company's platform uses online travel booking tools that provide digitalized contracts along with trip management, thereby enabling its customers' vacation and leisure experiences.

Mr. Sugashita joined Polaris as Advisor in May 2011. He is Director and CEO of Sugashita Partners, Ltd since 1998 and provides consulting services to financial institutions and ventures in and outside of Japan. Prior to that position, he was CEO of Lazard Japan Asset Management from 1991 to 1998. His business career also includes positions at DaiwaSecurities and Merrill Lynch Securities, Tokyo Branch. On the academic front, Mr. Sugashita received a BA in Economics from Ritsumeikan University and since 2009 is Special Advisor for the Dean of Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.

Investment focus

Marketing, Travel, Media and Entertainment
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan

Portfolio highlights

G NEXT — G NEXT is an Information Technology based company.
Fun — Fun is a sightseeing entertainment company that makes the world even more of a fun place.
Tabinaka — Tabinaka is a Japanese booking & reservation platform for overseas tours and travel activities.

Makoto Takano is CEO of atomixmedia, inc., publisher and editor-in-chief of Forbes Japan and Rolling Stone Japan since June, 2014. Prior to joining Atomixmedia, Inc., he was Managing Director and President of PIMCO Japan Ltd. Before joining PIMCO in 2001, he was head of marketing at Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Makoto's prior experiencealso includes work at Daiwa Securities where he was head of the strategists team at Daiwa Institute of Research. He has published extensively on the capital markets. In 1992, he was awarded Securities Analysts Journal Prize by the Securities Analyst Association of Japan. He has also given lectures on asset management at Waseda University and Kyoto University. He holds master’s and undergraduate degrees in engineering from Waseda University. Makoto serves as Director of Nippon Finance Association and Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation.

Investment focus

Content, Sports, Apps
Seed, Series A, Series B
Japan, Philippines

Portfolio highlights

BeatFit — BeatFit is a fitness-tech startup based in Japan.
PROGRIT — PROGRIT is an English-related media management company.
Luup — Luup is an Internet Company.

Born in 1975, Kenji Kasahara grew up in Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from the Department of Economics at the University of Tokyo. Inspired by the case studies of IT business he studied in a university seminar on management strategy and by the rapid rise of Internet business in Silicon Valley in the USA, he started up “Find Job !”, an online jobinformation site, in 1997. In 1999 Kasahara established eMercury, Inc. (mixi, Inc.) and assumed the post of representative director.

Investment focus

Aerospace, Information Technology, Robotics
Seed, Pre-Seed, Series B
Japan, United States

Portfolio highlights

AgeWell Japan — Age Well Japan is a conference and festival aimed at understanding Japan's super-aged society and defining new values for the future. The purpose of the gathering is to bring together young people and the elderly to exchange ideas.
ONE — One is a Japanese startup. It primarily creates and operates consumer apps, some of which have been sold to publicly traded Japanese corporations.This runs the BeReal exchange application "BeMatch."
Firstcard — All-in-One Student Credit Builder. Build credit. Earn cashback. Grow your deposit.

Yuya Taketani - Chief Executive Officer @ Gunosy

Investment focus

Apps, News, Mobile
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Gunosy — Gunosy is a news curation application that covers a wide range of news from entertainment news to political news. The application finds its news from multiple web sources and presents them according to how hot the topic is. Gunosy’s features include categorized tabs; the ability to customize the categories that users need to follow and create theirown personal magazine; instant access to a wide variety of news; and push notifications to remind users of news updates.The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Japan.
Telescope Japan — Telescope Japan Internet Company

After graduating from Kyoto University, Future Venture Capital Co., Ltd., CyberAgent Investment: through the (now Cyber Agent Ventures), established Selene Venture Partners (now representative partner). Then, has engaged in incubation activities of Internet ventures, including the establishment of the Corporation Pokerabo. The established:(typical current partner), you are doing investment and incubation activities with a focus on social apps field incubator fund bait in 2010.

Investment focus

Robotics, Software, Human Resources
Seed, Series A, Funding Round
Japan, The Netherlands

Portfolio highlights

ZABoooN — ZABoooN is a shipping company that offers crew labor management, movement management, and ship management services.
MUSE — MUSE is a robotics company that provides robotic solutions for retail stores to support in-store operations.
Ark Edge Space — Ark Edge Space provides design, manufacturing & operational services for micro-satellites along with software solutions and consulting.

Kataoka Shinya - Director @ Strategic Decision Initiative

Investment focus

Logistics, Service Industry, Professional Services
Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Ascend — Ascend is a logistics company.

Hiroaki Watatani is the president of ASAKASHINKAN GROUP.

Investment focus

Content, Software, Logistics
Seed
Japan

Portfolio highlights

TunaGate — TunaGate is a circle community site that boasts the largest number of registrations in Japan.
Best Beer Japan — Best Beer Japan provides a barrel tracking software for craft beer and barrel sharing. The company was founded in 2018.

Ken Soga is an individual investor.

Investment focus

Content, Service Industry, SNS
Seed, Series D
Japan

Portfolio highlights

UNIVRS — UNIVRS is a popular market and entertainment platform.
Jiraffe — jiraffe focusses on Internet service planning, development, and management.
Mono.un — Mono.un provides users with opportunities to meet authors and collaborate on tales and specializes in bringing exciting experiences full of stories of Japanese culture to the world.

Yusuke Mitsumoto is the founder of Cash.

Investment focus

Internet, Financial Services, Consulting
Seed, Angel, Series C
Japan

Portfolio highlights

UPWARDS — UPWARDS develop and operate the “cloud loan” loan platform for individuals.
CrowdLoan — CrowdLoan is a platform that connects financial institutions and individuals with smooth loans.
Luup — Luup is an Internet Company.

Koya Arikawa is the Representative Director and Founder at Hotspring.

Investment focus

Media and Entertainment, Content, SNS
Seed, Angel, Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

Tanp — Gracia is an EC business and media business that provides coloring precious moments and enriching human connections.
Syukatsu Labo — Syukatsu Labo is a leading company that solves various problems in an aging society.
Somewhere — Somewhere is engaged in the travel and transportation business.

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