Top 5 Startup Investors in Japan in May 2025

Last updated: May 2025 A list of 5 angel investors and VC (Venture Capital) funds that invest in Venture capital startups based in Japan. We rank investors based on the number of investments they made in Venture capital companies from Japan. We update this investor list every month.

Top 5 Startup Investors in Japan in May 2025

Investor	Venture Capital Japan investments
Kakao Investment	1
Headline	1
Kevin Ryan	1
David Smilow	1
Kiyoshi Nishikawa	1

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Investor list

Incorporated in 2015, Kakao Investment is a 100% subsidiary of Kakao which specializes in venture capital investments.Based on Kakao’s philosophy of “Connect Everything”, Kakao Investment seeks to invest and support innovative start-ups that can realize interpersonal connection and the connection of all of us to the things around us. Also KakaoInvestment strives to foster a virtuous circle with in the venture environment by facilitating M&As and IPOs.

Investment focus

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

Portfolio highlights

Snaptag — Snaptag is a developer of an invisible watermark technology intended for image data engine processing.
Zehitomo — Zehitomo is an Japanese online platform that enables user to hire local service professionals, from photographers to personal trainers.
Superb AI — Automate data preparation, label and manage images and videos, and find annotation services with one training data platform. Fast, precise, and easy to use.

Headline is a Venture Capital firm actively on the ground in 7 cities around the world. We invest across categories and geographies, leading rounds at every stage. Once we commit to a team, we go to the ends of the earth to make their success global.

Investment focus

Software, E-Commerce, Information Technology
Series A, Series B, Seed
United States, Germany, Brazil

Portfolio highlights

Blips — Blips is a platform in Brazil that aims to bridge the gap between investors and entrepreneurs. The company connects and drives investors and entrepreneurs with tangible assets that enable productive business activities, allowing customers to buy and finance supplies and inputs, as well as an educational platform to support the entrepreneurs'journey, teaching management techniques, growth, and technical knowledge for equipment use.
trawa — The partner for renewable and affordable electricity for businesses. Get electricity directly from solar and windparks with corporate PPAs.
Owner — Owner gives you the same tools that major national brands use to drive sales. Online ordering proven to grow sales. Mobile app with rewards. And more.

Kevin Ryan is the Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp. He previously worked at MongoDB as a Founder and Chairman. Kevin Ryan attended Yale University.

Investment focus

Real Estate, Software, Health Care
Seed, Series A, Series B
United States, Japan, Canada

Portfolio highlights

OYE — From Latin America to the world, we’re building a community to make emotional wellness part of everyday life.
Everphone — Everphone is the clever way to equip your workforce with smartphones and tablets. It's flexible, safe and cost efficient. everphone reduces your costs while making employees happier and more productive.
Knock — Buy before you sell, for people who are buying and selling homes, we partner with their lenders and agents to provide cash flow and more certainty, convenience, and competitiveness. Partner with Knock Today!

Mr. Smilow serves as Managing Director of Avenida and is a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Smilow is a founder of Avenida, where he is responsible for portfolio and risk management. Mr. Smilow has been a sponsor of over a dozen start-up companies and has acquired approximately USD $250 million of real estate assets in the United States andLatin America over the course of his career. Mr. Smilow was the Founder and Chairman of Jefferson National Financial (“JNF”), an insurance company with over USD $2 billion of assets that offers variable annuity and other retirement products. Mr. Smilow oversaw investment activities and strategic planning for JNF, which was sold to Citibank in 2011.In addition, Mr. Smilow was the Founder, Chairman, CEO and CIO of TeleBanc (now E*Trade Bank). Under his direction, Telebanc became the largest Internet bank worldwide before its sale to E*Trade in 1999. Prior to founding TeleBanc, Mr. Smilow was a fixed income portfolio manager and trader at Goldman Sachs and Drexel Burnham Lambert.Mr. Smilow serves or has served on the Board of Directors of nine different companies, as well on the Board of Outward Bound Minnesota, Trust for Public Land Maine, and the Johns Hopkins Second Decade Society. Mr. Smilow has also lectured at Harvard Business School, New York University and Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Smilow received a BA from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Investment focus

Incubators, Venture Capital
Series A
Japan

Portfolio highlights

LaunchCenter 39 — LaunchCenter 39 works hand-in-hand with entrepreneurs to build Internet and technology businesses from the ground up, providing full-service incubation that generates the fastest time to market and best potential for returns. Through dedicated teams of specialists and generalists, and continual infusion of outside talent through our on-siterecruiting efforts, LaunchCenter 39 transforms breakthrough ideas into dynamic companies by equipping partners with the skills and talented people required for success.

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.