As the third-largest economy in the world, Japan's ecosystem and industries are highly developed and sophisticated. The Japanese government's effort in introducing regulations and initiatives to promote foreign investment and startup development has paid off - with a vast pool of investments pumping into the thriving startup ecosystem.
Japan has a strong long-term investment culture, making it an ideal market for startups seeking patient capital. Japan is undoubtedly an appealing destination for entrepreneurs looking to obtain funding for their growth. In this article, we have compiled a comprehensive list of VCs and Angel Investors in Japan, so you may find the right funding partner for you.
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Why Should You Raise Funds in Japan?
Here are some of the main reasons why raising funds in Japan may be an effective growth path for your startup:
High Investment Activity: Japan's venture capital and angel investment scene are growing and thriving. In 2022, startups reached another record high, raising JPY 877.4 billion which broke 2021's record of JPY 850.8 billion. Furthermore, the Japan Foreign Trade Organization estimates that there are roughly 2200 active angel investors in Japan as of 2020, a number that has surely increased since then. Japan has also established programs to promote foreign investment, such as the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), along with a slew of regulations and tax incentives that make investing in Japan easy and attractive for foreign investors.
Strong Government Support: Promoting the startup ecosystem is a domestic policy priority in Japan. The Japanese government designated 2022 as the "first year of startup creation," with a growth plan and supplementary budget prepared for developing Japan's startup ecosystem as a growth engine. These include a slew of deregulations allowing autonomous driving and crowdsourcing, as well as decreasing the period between listing approval and IPO. The Japan Finance Corporation has also developed a fund to invest in startups and small enterprises, while the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry has formed the "J-Startup" program, which provides assistance and resources to entrepreneurs.
Strong Corporate Involvement: Open innovation and collaboration with startups are gaining traction in Japan. Corporate venture capital and accelerator programs have increased in popularity among large corporations seeking to diversify beyond in-house innovation strategies. To respond to the market's rapid technological growth and radical changes in recent years, corporations are keen to invest in and collaborate with startups to seek and promote commercial synergies using their internal reserves and R&D capacities. These corporate partnerships provide startups with numerous opportunities to access resources and networks and receive funds to deploy and pilot their solutions, as well as build their credibility in the market.
Venture Capitalist Funds in Japan
The venture capitalist funds below are actively looking for investments in promising companies throughout various stages and sectors. The stages stated do not limit the possibility of getting funding if your company is at any stage other than what is listed.
Year of Inception: 2011
Stage: Pre Seed
Focus: Hard Tech
Notable Portfolio: Somatic, R-Zero, Formlabs, Drip, Nura
Year of Inception: 2008
Stage: Pre Seed, Seed, Series A
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Classmate, ILEO, Morus, PaylessGate, Ventus
Year of Inception: 2013
Stage: Seed, Series A
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: GrubMarket, OSSO VR, NOOM, Photosynth, Origin, Vidpresso
Year of Inception: 2019
Stage: Seed, Series A
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Aipass, Skysense, Woodstock.club, Zeroboard, AnyReach
Year of Inception: 1996
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Communications & Infrastructure, Components, Internet & Digital Media, Social & Gaming, Software & Services
Notable Portfolio: Analogix, Augmedix, BitTorrent, Coffee Meets Bagel, Honeycomb
Year of Inception: 2006
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Internet
Notable Portfolio: Paidy, Retreat Technologies, Allesgood, Glocalist
Year of Inception: 2011
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Playthink, Qoala, Grab, Galapagos, RABO, Relook, Pintek
Year of Inception: 2018
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Tricot, Spacemarket, Cocolive, Slogan, Monokabu, Rabo
Year of Inception: 1973
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Repro, Money Forward, Chatwork, LayerX, Air Closet, TamaHome
Year of Inception: 2015
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B
Focus: Technology
Notable Portfolio: JALA, Profile Print, Sentient.io, Shiok Meats, Aerodyne
Year of Inception: 1998
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Ad, AgriTech / FoodTech, AI, Blockchain, Climate Tech, Cloud / SaaS, Commerce, Cybersecurity, Education, Electronics and Photonics, Energy, Enterprise, Entertainment Tech, Fintech, Game, HR Tech, IoT, Life Science / Healthcare, Materials, Media, Mobility, Quantum Computing, Real Estate Tech, Robotics, Space, Travel Tech, XR / Metaverse
Notable Portfolio: Base Food, Tapjoy, Coins.ph, Giftee, Mercari, eSPORTS, Comnico
Year of Inception: 2009
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: AgriTech, Commerce, Crypto, D2C, EdTech, F&B, FinTech, HealthTech, Logistics, SaaS
Notable Portfolio: 99.co, Anyplace, AppBrew, Base, Carro, Fairbanc, GoTo, Japan Info
Year of Inception: 1996
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: AI, Blockchain, FinTech, IT Service/DX, Security, EC, Life Science, Healthcare, Bio, Environment, Other Advanced Technologies
Notable Portfolio: Space Market, Accuthera, Campfire, Modalis, Ascent
Year of Inception: 2012
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Consumer Enterprise, Frontier, Healthcare
Notable Portfolio: Conyac, UUUM, CLUE, AppBrew, Rentio, Hubble, Strand Therapeutics
Year of Inception: 1996
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: DeepTech, Technology, Consumer Enterprise
Notable Portfolio: Smart Bank, FlyWheel, Anyflow, Photosynth, Leaner
Year of Inception: 2004
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Science and Technology
Notable Portfolio: MiRTEL, Elixirgen Therapeutics, Faraday Pharmaceuticals, Regcell
Year of Inception: 1991
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Aillis, Welyco, Axell, Olygogen, KOTAI, Clover Lab
Year of Inception: 2012
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Software, Commerce, Media, Fintech, SaaS, AI, Data, Crypto, Healthcare, HR, Edtech, Cybersecurity
Notable Portfolio: Aiming, 17Live, Baseconnect, Dialpad, Geniee, Hubble, KKDay
Year of Inception: 2010
Stage: Series A
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Aiming, Ceres, bellFace, Aquwa, Axel Mark Group, bitFlyer
Year of Inception: 2020
Stage: Series A, Series B
Focus: Consumer, Social, Gaming & Entertainment, Social Commerce & Marketplaces, Work, Wellness, & Education
Notable Portfolio: Dapper Labs, Sandbox VR, Omeda Studios, Wave XR, Luma
Year of Inception: 2016
Stage: Series A, Series B
Focus: Consumer & Enterprise Technology
Notable Portfolio: Cinnamon AI, Evolany, Scalar, STUDIO, Infostellar, Panalyt
Year of Inception: 2017
Stage: Series A, Series B
Focus: Deep Tech, Hard Science
Notable Portfolio: Mawari, Cuebus, Lebo Robotics, Rutilea, Telexistence
Year of Inception: 1983
Stage: Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: IT / Internet, Service, Bio/Healthcare/Medical Manufacturing
Notable Portfolio: Techtouch, Amptalk, Sorajima, Ascenty, Nudge
Year of Inception: 2015
Stage: Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: PropTech, IoT, Cyber Security, Sharing Economy, E-commerce, FinTech, Energy and GreenTech, Robotics, AI and Big Data, Healthcare, Mobility, Space, Food, Agriculture, Entertainment
Notable Portfolio: Yanekara, Gaussy, nearMe, SANU, Photosynth
Year of Inception: 2015
Stage: Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Social Impact
Notable Portfolio: MONOCO, BluAge, OSIRO, Rei Frontier, Loss Zero Corporation
Year of Inception: 2014
Stage: Series B, Series C
Focus: B2B SaaS, FinTech, InsurTech, Automation and Productivity, Cybersecurity, Cloud, Infrastructure, Developer Tools, Health Tech, Sustainability
Notable Portfolio: Asana, ADARA, DeepL, Sendbird, Mural, Ladder, SkyDrop
Year of Inception: 2018
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: AI, IoT, Big Data, XR, Healthcare, Robotics, Home, New Technology, Financial, Sports, Entertainment, New Space
Notable Portfolio: Sorajima, PoliPoli, Nudge, Gojo and Company, Mirrativ, Kirilys Therapeutics
Year of Inception: 2008
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: B2B, B2C
Notable Portfolio: Techtouch, Sidetracker, PoliPoli, Senseye, Arcturus, Photosynth
Year of Inception: 2016
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Entertainment, FinTech, Healthcare, IoT, Mobility, Deep Tech, Sensor Technologies
Notable Portfolio: aba, Caulis, Cinnamon, FastLabel, Infostellar, RUN.EDGE
Year of Inception: 2015
Stage: Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: Arraiy, CLUE, Folio, Kakehashi, Kauche, Loom.ai, OpenWeb
Year of Inception: 2000
Stage: Series A, Series B
Focus: Technology
Notable Portfolio: Thinkcyte, Volterra, Skydrive, Beatrust, Kakehashi, Yappli
Year of Inception: 1974
Stage: Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: IT, Services, Manufacturing, Life Science, Retail
Notable Portfolio: LayerX, Link Therapeutics, PostCoffee, Beatrust, Scalar, Aculys
Year of Inception: 2005
Stage: Series A, Series B, Series C
Focus: Social Impact
Notable Portfolio: Elements, Torico, Modalis, Base, Aiming, Cookbiz
Angel Investors in Japan
The Angel investors listed below are part of an Angel community located throughout Japan. They may act as an individual or as a syndicate to fund projects of their preference, so these networks are the best opportunity for you to find a potential Angel with an aligned vision and interests.
Stage: Seed
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: -
Stage: Seed
Focus: Sector Agnostic
Notable Portfolio: -
Closing Thoughts on VCs and Angel Investors in Japan
Said to be in its fourth venture boom, Japan now has over 10,000 active startups. The Japanese venture capital and angel investor ecosystem are growing more lively, supportive, and varied, making it an appealing place for startups looking for finance and assistance. With numerous regulations and frameworks put in place to assist both entrepreneurs and investors alike, this trend should only continue into the future.
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