Top 5 Startup Investors in Japan in September 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 September 2025
Investor | Venture Capital Japan investments |
---|---|
Kakao Investment | 1 |
Headline | 1 |
Kevin Ryan | 1 |
David Smilow | 1 |
Kiyoshi Nishikawa | 1 |
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.
Show more
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.
- FuriosaAI — FuriosaAI develops system semiconductors optimized for AI, enabling efficient processing of large amounts of data in a short period of time.
- 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.
Show more
Investment focus
- Software, E-Commerce, Information Technology
- Series A, Series B, Seed
- United States, Germany, Brazil
Portfolio highlights
- Vox AI — Voice AI for drive thru
- Hyper — Automating phone calls with voice AI for 311, 911, etc.
- Plancraft — MISSION We empower our customers to focus on what they love: crafts & construction VISION In times of automation, individual and high-quality work of craftsmen will be as demanded as ever. Plancraft paves the way for profitable projects by bringing powerful calculation to an easy-to-use and accessible level.
Kevin Ryan is the Founder and CEO of AlleyCorp. He previously worked at MongoDB as a Founder and Chairman. Kevin Ryan attended Yale University.
Show more
Investment focus
- Real Estate, Health Care, E-Commerce
- 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.
Show more
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 (Currently known as KDDI Corporation), 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 world’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 “Shibuya Bit Valley Concept†and is well known for his various speeches and writings. He is a graduate of the Department of Education at Tokyo University.
Show more
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 one of the few companies in the world proposing to aid in the removal of orbital debris through the provision of End of Life (EOL) and Active Debris Removal (ADR) services. In addition to providing a technical solution, Astroscale is helping to define the business case for this service and are working with national space agencies,international institutions, non-profit organizations, insurance companies and satellite operators to develop norms, regulations and incentives that contribute to the responsible use of space.
- TECHFUND — TechFund is a venture capital firm specializing in incubation and seed stage investments. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.
Investors by industry
Google
Marketplace
Hardware
Energy
Proptech
Health Care
Biotech
Artificial intelligence
Climate
Consumer
Community
Impact
Gaming
FinTech
EdTech
Sustainability
Venture Capital
Big Data
Web3
B2B
Financial Services
Finance
Infrastructure
Education
Photography
Payments
Food and Beverage
Video Games
Organic Food
Retail
Beauty
Publishing
Clean Energy
Real Estate
Manufacturing
Art
Music
Android
Internet
Enterprise Software
eSports
Franchise
Sports
Construction
Digital Media
Email
Medical
Social Network
Wellness
Social Media
Mobile
Legal
Local
Recruiting
Cannabis
Platforms
Fitness
Travel
Mobile Advertising
Biotechnology
Hospitality
Social
Automotive
Crowdfunding
Wine And Spirits
Medical Device
CleanTech
Transportation
Mobile Apps
InsurTech
Enterprise
LGBT
Fashion
Oil and Gas
Life Science
Theatre
Film
Non Profit
Renewable Energy
SaaS
Sporting Goods
Restaurants
Social Impact
Software
Celebrity
Cryptocurrency
Machine Learning
Agriculture (agtech)
Media (entertainment)
Facebook
Blockchain
Investors by country
United Kingdom
Canada
South Korea
Ireland
United States
New Zealand
India
Germany
Australia
Armenia
South Africa
Spain
Japan
Africa
China
Sri Lanka
Singapore
Qatar
Asia
Indonesia
Vietnam
Oceania
LATAM
Middle East
Europe
Saudi Arabia
Brazil
Bulgaria
Belize
Bahrain
Croatia
Georgia
Belarus
Hungary
France
Ghana
Liechtenstein
Liberia
Lebanon
Mauritius
Peru
Norway
Israel
Malaysia
Mexico
Nicaragua
Jersey
Panama
Morocco
Mali
Lithuania
Italy
Philippines
Kuwait
Malta
Myanmar
Sierra Leone
El Salvador
Uganda
Venezuela
Sweden
Slovenia
Poland
Uruguay
Ukraine
Tajikistan
Puerto Rico
Portugal
Tunisia
Taiwan
Tanzania
Turkey
San Marino
Senegal
Togo
Uzbekistan
Serbia
Russian Federation
Zambia
Rwanda
Zimbabwe
Thailand
Dominican Republic
Ethiopia
Gibraltar
Azerbaijan
Iceland
Nigeria
Bahamas
Namibia
Iraq
Chile
United Arab Emirates
Jamaica
Honduras
Egypt
Isle of Man
Bolivia
Finland
Luxembourg
Costa Rica
Pakistan
Albania
Greece
Barbados
Belgium
Estonia
Bermuda
Czech Republic
Grenada
Jordan
Romania
Bangladesh
Argentina
Denmark
Algeria
Hong Kong
Ecuador
Faroe Islands
Kenya
Kazakhstan
Cayman Islands
Cambodia
Oman
Latvia
Cyprus
Guatemala
Austria
Switzerland
Cameroon
Colombia
Marshall Islands
Seychelles
Investors in Japan by industry
Restaurants
Real Estate
Financial Services
CleanTech
Transportation
Big Data
Payments
Finance
Food and Beverage
Wine And Spirits
Video Games
Medical
Cryptocurrency
Medical Device
Wellness
Social Media
Digital Media
Manufacturing
Platforms
Art
Music
Mobile
Android
Blockchain
Legal
Software
Local
Venture Capital
Construction
Social Network
Enterprise Software
Sports
eSports
Fitness
Hospitality
Automotive
InsurTech
FinTech
Recruiting
Biotechnology
Enterprise
Consumer
Health Care
Biotech
Energy
EdTech
Climate
Sustainability
Proptech
Crowdfunding
SaaS
Marketplace
Hardware
Gaming
Social
Fashion
Beauty
B2B
Life Science
Sporting Goods
Publishing
Education
Renewable Energy
Community
Retail
Mobile Apps
Web3
Clean Energy
Social Impact
Organic Food
Impact
Artificial intelligence
Internet
Infrastructure
Travel
Photography
Agriculture (agtech)
Media (entertainment)
Machine Learning
Oil and Gas