# Top 40 Music Startup Investors in Japan in May 2026

## East Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 3
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce

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

## Kotaro Chiba
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Internet, Content, Software

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

## Genesia Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Information Technology, Software, Content

Genesia Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on seed/early-stage startups in Japan and Southeast Asia.

## ANOBAKA
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shibuya, Kanagawa, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Content, Food and Beverage

ANOBAKA is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm with rich group resources to add value to seed-stage startups. ANOBAKA actively invests in and supports startups aiming to be a global leader in the innovative Internet business and promising to greatly grow up in the future. ANOBAKA's investment focuses on fledgling seed-stage startups. Inaddition to investment financing, ANOBAKA provides founders with a variety of business support such as development consulting by our engineers, sales support, and international marketing support.

## UNITED
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shibuya, Kanagawa, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Internet, Content, Media and Entertainment

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

## Ceres
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Corporate Round
- Focus: Cryptocurrency, Content, Internet

Ceres is a company providing internet marketing services and is engaged in the planning, development, and operation of smartphone media.

## Takashi Shibayama
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, EBooks, Gaming

Takashi Shibayama

## Masanori Sugiyama
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Angel, Series A
- Focus: Software, Internet, Media and Entertainment

He graduated from Kansai University in 1988. He was enrolled in Ljoma while he was in college. 2002 Vice President of Practice (now index lights). In 2004, he became president of zappallas. Listed on the TSE Mothers in the second year of his appointment, and in 2010 he was listed in part of the TSE. In 2011 he became the CEO of enish. Listed on apart of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Thereafter, he served as outside directors such as Nikkatsu and JibannetHD.

## Sony Music Entertainment
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: New York, New York, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Music, Digital Media, Apps

Sony Music is a United States music corporation owned and operated by Sony Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony Corporation. It is a global music company with a roster of current artists that includes both local and international superstars, as well as a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordingsin history. In 1929, the enterprise was first founded as American Record Corporation (ARC) and, in 1938, was renamed Columbia Recording Corporation, following ARC's acquisition by CBS. In 1966, the company was reorganized to become CBS Records. In 1987, SCA bought the company and, in 1991, renamed it SME. In 2004, SME and Bertelsmann Music Group merged as Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

## Katsuaki Sato
- Type: Angel
- Location: Singapore, Central Region, Singapore
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Apps, Music, Content

Katsuaki Sato Founded Metaps Inc. in September, 2007, following entrance of university and assumed a position of president. Embarked on mobile SEO business and its monetization in 2008, and flash marketing business as well in 2010. Founded Metaps Pte. Ltd. in Singapore in 2011. Specialized in proposal of business models, establishment, operationand marketing.

## Daiki Ichikawa
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, EBooks, Gaming

Daiki Ichikawa

## Sevenwoods Investment
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed

Sevenwoods Investment is a global multi-asset investment firm providing Venture Capital & Private Equity.

## Soga Takeshi
- Type: Angel
- Location: Nerima, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, Mobile, Content

Soga Takeshi

## iFund
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Apps, Music, Content

iFund is an investment and financial service firm.

## Kazuomi Kaneto
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series B, Series C
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Music, Energy

Kazuomi Kaneto is the Founder & CEO of Dream Project Incubators. He previously worked at Pacifico Energy as a Founder, President & CEO. Kazuomi Kaneto attended Tsinghua University.

## Avex Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Minami-aoyama, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Corporate Round
- Focus: Media and Entertainment, Music, Content

Avex Ventures targets entertainment-related "technology" and "human resources" and is not just a net investment aimed at capital gains, but something that can generate group synergies in the future, or in each business utilizing group infrastructure We will aggressively invest and support those that are expected to increaseprofits.

## Mint
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Mountain View, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 1

Mint is an extensible, self-hosted web site analytics program. Its interface is an exercise in simplicity. Visits, referrers, popular pages and searches can all be taken in at a glance on Mint's flexible dashboard.

## The Seed Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Angel, Series A
- Focus: Audio, Architecture, Information Technology

The Seed Capital is a Japan-based venture capital firm.

## DeNA
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: E-Commerce, Education, Internet

DeNA provides a social game platform, social games, e-commerce, and other Web services for mobile devices and PCs. Its current flagship business is its mobile social games platform Mobage which offers first, second, and third-party games on multiple localized player networks worldwide.

## Shoko Chukin Bank
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: New York, New York, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Debt Financing, Series B
- Focus: Manufacturing, Education, E-Commerce

Shoko Chukin Bank is a financial company offering personal banking services.

## Mobile Internet Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Seed
- Focus: Software, Mobile, Internet

Mobile Internet Capital (MIC) keeps up on the latest developments of Mobile Internet technologies and services at a high level, and continues to be a venture capital with both technical expertise and execution capability.

## Gumi Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Video, Media and Entertainment, Gaming

Gumi Ventures helps the new entrepreneurs and businesses to cause a new innovation in the smartphone field. Gumi Ventures supports the new entrepreneurs and businesses that can resonate with gumi listed in the business mission, that cause a new innovation in the smartphone field. They will create a global company that represents the future ofJapan.

## Salesforce Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Francisco, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series B, Series A, Series C
- Focus: Software, SaaS, Information Technology

100% invested in enterprise cloud companies.

## GREE
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Mobile, Gaming, Internet

Gree is a Japanese internet media company that provides mobile social networking, and mobile technology services for its users. Gree shares development and operational expertise across all its studios as Gree always works to create new game models for its customers.

## Masaru Sunagawa
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Angel
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, SNS, Music

After joining Mitsubishi Corporation, he studied at Harvard Business School. After graduating, he joined Globespan Capital Partners, an independent United States VC, and worked as a director of investment. He started LocationValue after the company's representative in Japan. Joined Google after selling the company to NTT DOCOMO. He served asDirector of Product Development for Google Maps and General Manager for Android. He left Google in February 2018 and started Smartround Co., Ltd. in May.

## MUFG Bank
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Debt Financing, Series A
- Focus: Financial Services, Energy, Renewable Energy

MUFG Bank is Japan's largest bank. ; MUFG

## Candee
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1

Candee is a PR and digital video marketing company that provides marketing services.

## Uzabase
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Angel
- Focus: Content, Information Services, SNS

Official corporate site of Uzabase, Inc., the provider of SPEEDA, NewsPicks and other services

## NOW Japan
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Content, Marketing, Information Technology

Next One for the World.

## TLM
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Angel
- Focus: Information Technology, Content, SNS

TLM is a venture capital that invests basically in seed rounds, including some Series A startups.

## SMBC Venture Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B
- Focus: Health Care, Information Technology, Software

Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and its group companies offer a broad range of financial services centered on banking. They are also engaged in the leasing, securities, credit card, investment, mortgage securitization, venture capital and other credit related businesses. The following lists the activities of SMBC, its subsidiaries andaffiliates in the various business segments.

## Resona Bank
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Osaka, Osaka, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Debt Financing, Series A
- Focus: Information Technology, Education, Internet

Resona Bank provides various banking products and services for individual and corporate customers in Japan.

## Allfuz
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, Video, Mobile

Allfuz is a contents boutique that offers advertisement planning, production, contracting, management, and promotion; as well as talent casting, content development, platform development, and more.Allfuz was launched in May 2012 as a company that develops and expands the possibilities of completely new entertainment services. For example,specifically, a casting business that focuses on the hobbies and tastes of artists and talents.Allfuz is developing a new service that integrates advertising production for the first time in Japan, and is currently working on diversified services that are not bound by existing frameworks, such as "digital content" and "restaurant business."

## Shuhei Yamashita
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, Content Creators, Artificial Intelligence

Shuhei Yamashita - Representative Director @ CRE

## Takeshi Natsuno
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Angel, Series A
- Focus: Financial Services, Music, Venture Capital

Mr. Takeshi Natsuno serves as the Chairman of Japan Operations at Great Wall Club. Mr. Natsuno is a Professor of KEIO University. He served as a General Manager of Consumer Services Division and Manager of Distribution Platform Business Development Division at Pia Corporation since April 2012 and served as its Chief of Sales Promotion Bureau sinceApril 2010. He joined DoCoMo in 1997. He served as the Managing Director of Multimedia Services, Products & Services Division for NTT DoCoMo Inc. until June 23, 2009 and served as its General Manager of i-Mode Planning Division since July 2001, Senior Vice President from June 21, 2005 to June 23, 2009, Executive Officer and General Manager Multimedia Service Division since June 2005. At NTT DoCoMo, he developed the business strategy of all of NTT DoCoMo’s multimedia-related services, including i-mode strategic alliances with global application/content providers and key Internet players. He served as Vice President of Hyper Net Co., Ltd. since June 1996. He started his career with Tokyo Gas. He held key executive positions with HyperNet. He has been a Director of Dwango Co. Ltd., since December 1, 2008. He has been a Outside Director at Sega Sammy Holdings Inc. since June 2008. He has been a Director at Pia Corporation since April 2010. He serves as a Director of D.L.E Co. Ltd. He has been a Director of Gree, Inc. since September 2009 and Trans Cosmos, Inc. since 2008. He serves as a Director of GREE Ventures, Inc. He serves as a Member of Advisory Board at Great Wall Club. He served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of SBI Holdings Inc. from June 27, 2008 to June 28, 2012. He served as a Director of Hyper Net Co., Ltd. since June 1996. He is the Author of i-mode Strategy, published in 2000, a la i-mode, published in 2002, Keitai-no-Mirai, published in 2006, Iccho-yen kaseida otokono shigotojutu, and Google ni izonshi Amazon wo maneru bakakigyou published in 2009. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Economics from Waseda University, Japan in 1988 and an Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.

## B Dash Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Internet, Information Technology, E-Commerce

B Dash Ventures does seed to late stage tech investments in Japan, Asia Pacific, and the U.S. LPs include Japan's largest technology companies and financial institutions including NTT Docomo, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, GREE, NEC BIGLOBE, Fuji Television, and the Japanese government. B Dash Ventures also operates an incubation space inpartnership with Mori Building Co. and holds the invitation-based B Dash Camp conference.

## Japan Finance
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Debt Financing
- Focus: Software, Internet, Information Technology

Japan Finance provides a diversified portfolio of financial services to the small and medium enterprise sector.

## iSGS Investment Works
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: E-Commerce, Software, Information Technology

iSGS Investment Works is Japan-based venture capital firm.

## Atsushi Fukuda
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, Content Creators, Artificial Intelligence

Atsushi Fukuda is the president of Speedy.

## Ken Soga
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Music, Mobile, Content

Ken Soga is an individual investor.

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