# Top 50 Payments Startup Investors in Japan in May 2026 ## Incubate Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Information Technology, E-Commerce Incubate Fund is an independent early-stage venture capital that specializes in providing capital to technology startups at the seed stage. The firm built a portfolio of over 300 companies in Asia, taking 12 companies to public and 20 companies to M&A exit since 2010. ## Kotaro Chiba - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Internet, Content, Software Kotaro Chiba is the founder of ChibaDojo Fund. Kotaro Chiba attended Keio University. ## Ceres - Type: VC Fund - Location: Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - 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. ## East Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - 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. ## D4V - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Financial Services, Software, Fashion D4V (Design for Ventures) is a Tokyo-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in disruptive, consumer and enterprise technology startups. ## Shintaro Yamada - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Angel, Pre-Seed - Focus: Internet, Finance, Information Technology During his years at Waseda University, Shintaro worked at Japan’s biggest e-commerce mall, Rakuten, Inc. On August 1st 2001, Shintaro established “Unoh Inc.” after graduating university. At Unoh he was responsible for designing and developing several web services, one of which was the online magazine subscription . Services provided by Unohinclude planning, development and management of the film enthusiast community site “Movie Life” (acquired by PIA Corporation) as well as “Sugu.CC” , “NeoAd” (both acquired by GMOAP) and the photo sharing site “Photozou” (acquired by Digital Garage).In 2009 Unoh entered into social gaming, creating multiple successful social games. Among these games, “Machitsuku!” has been its biggest hit with over 5 million users. On August 3rd 2010, Unoh joined Zynga and Shintaro became General Manager of Zynga Japan. He resigned on January 2012. After traveling around the world, He established the new company “Mercari, Inc.” on February 2013 and released the resale shopping app “Mercari” on July 2013 in Japan.He is a true Internet geek, spending a lot of time on the Internet and boasts around 180,000 followers on Twitter. ## SMBC Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - 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. ## Mizuho Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Information Technology, Software, Internet Mizuho is the venture capital firm affiliated to Mizuho Bank, the second-largest Japanese bank in terms of assets. The firm has headquarters in Tokyo.The firm has ¥49.6 billion JPY under management, focusing on information technology and biotechnology investments. Over 600 Mizuho companies have gone public. According to Nikkei, Mizuho is thefifth-largest venture capital firm in Japan.Mizuho Capital was formed in 2002 by the merger of Fujigin Capital, Tokyo Venture Capital and IBJ Investment. Three firms were subsidiaries of Fuji Bank, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan respectively. ## Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Debt Financing, Series A - Focus: Financial Services, Finance, Information Technology Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation offers a broad range of financial services centered on banking. They are also engaged in leasing, securities, credit card, investment, mortgage securitization, venture capital, and other credit-related businesses. The following lists the activities of SMBC, its subsidiaries, and affiliates in the various businesssegments.It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. As of the year 2009, SMBC was the second largest bank in Japan in terms of assets. ## MIRAISE - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series A - Focus: Apps, Health Care, Software We are engineers investing in engineers. With experienced mentors, MIRAISE supports you hands-if basis, for business model, financial planning and presentation. All founders of our potfolio automatically join MIRAISE online community that gives you the peer-learning opportunities with other founders. Join us updating the normal! ## Arbor Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Singapore, Central Region, Singapore - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Series B, Series C - Focus: Financial Services, FinTech, Finance Arbor Ventures is a visionary fintech-focused VC, partnering with innovators to shape a smarter future. ## Yuzuru Honda - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: SNS, Internet, Software Yuzuru Honda is a Founder & Global CEO of FreakOut. ## Spiral Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Information Technology, Internet, Software Spiral Capital is a venture capital fund. ## Global Brain Corporation - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Software, Artificial Intelligence Global Brain Corporation is a venture capital firm that invests in companies from seed or early to pre-IPO startups. Global Brain has invested in 300+ startups from seed/early to pre-IPO startups and achieved 25 IPOs and 61 M&As as a result of providing hands-on support services and resources to its portfolio startups. Global Brain hasmanaged a pure investment fund as well as multiple corporate venture capital funds partnered together with tier 1 public companies of telecom, real estate development, financial service, beverages, agriculture food, logistics, and electronic devices. ## DeNA - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## Mizuho Bank - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Debt Financing, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Internet, Financial Services Mizuho Bank is a commercial bank that began operation on July 1, 2013, with its headquarters in Tokyo in Japan. It offers corporate and investment banking services to major corporations, financial institutions, and public sector entities. It also provides current and ordinary, deposits at notice, time, and specified deposits, deposits for tax,nonresident deposits in yen, foreign currency deposits, negotiable time deposits and loans by bill, loans on a deed, and overdrafts as well as discounts for bank acceptances, commercial papers, and documentary bills. Moreover, it offers investment banking and custodial, syndication, bond administrative, real estate finance, acquisition finance and corporate restructuring, project, and asset finance services, settlement and asset management services. It operates as a subsidiary of Mizuho Financial Group. ## 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. ## VOYAGE VENTURES - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Internet, Content Voyage Ventures is the venture capital arm of Voyage Group specializing in seed and early-stage investments. The firm seeks to make investments in the internet and mobile internet industry. It invests from JPY1 million ($.01million) to JPY to 10 million ($.12 million) in its portfolio companies. The firm typically invests in Japan, China, and othergrowing Asian markets. Voyage Ventures, Inc., formerly known as EC Navi Ventures Company, was founded on March 25, 2011, and is based in Tokyo, Japan. ## Money Forward - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Financial Services, FinTech Money Forward provides online personal accounting for individuals, allowing them to easily manage their daily expenses by integrating with their bank passbooks and credit purchase history with information scraped from their web bank and credit accounts. The service is also available for desktop, as well as iOS and Android platforms. The companyalso announced that it will launch a cloud-based accounting service for individual and corporate users, and it will also start publishing an online newsletter. ## KDDI - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Software, Mobile, Internet KDDI Corporation is a Japanese telecommunications operator. It was created in 2000 through a merger of DDI, KDD and IDO and now employs over 15,000 people.The company provides a broad range of services, including fixed-line phone communication, mobile phone and web services, and Internet services. It also has a ownership stake in two Japanesecable television companies, Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM) and Japan Cablenet (JCN). KDDI's mobile phone and web arm is branded as "au". The company is the current No. 2 in Japan's mobile communications market, trailing NTT DoCoMo and ahead of SoftBank. ## FreakOut Holdings - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series C - Focus: SNS, Content, Finance We are spread out into global with our mission "Give people work that requires a person" through our freak'in technology. ## Kazuma Ieiri - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Content, Fashion, Recruiting 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. ## Recruit Strategic Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Seed, Series B - Focus: E-Commerce, Software, Financial Services Recruit Strategic Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in innovative startups from all around the world. It is a corporate venture capital arm of Recruit Holdings that seeks to invest in education and financial technology, digital healthcare, and infrastructure sectors. It was established in 2008 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ## SoftBank Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Mobile, Software, Advertising SoftBank Group provides venture funding and strategic support to exceptional entrepreneurs building disruptive enduring businesses. They are a small team of experienced entrepreneurs and investors who take an "active" approach to helping their companies reach their full potential. They manage $600 million across three funds and investacross a company’s lifecycle, from early to growth stages. Through their close ties to a number of Asia’s leading mobile, internet and technology companies – including strategic partners SoftBank Corp, Yahoo! Japan and Alibaba Group – SoftBank Capital offers unique expertise to businesses seeking to address the Asian market. Since 1995, SoftBank Capital has partnered with internet pioneers such as Criteo, Gilt Groupe, OMGPOP (Zynga), betaworks, BuzzFeed, Buddy Media (Salesforce.com), Huffington Post (AOL), Associated Content (Yahoo!), Danger (Microsoft), Geocities (Yahoo!), E*Trade and Yahoo!. ## Shunsuke Oyu - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Content, Internet, Media and Entertainment Shunsuke Oyu is the co-founder of Connehito Inc. Started an online Q&A platform “mamari” which is the largest platform for moms in Japan. Connehito was acquired by one of the telecom giant KDDI in 2016. Selected as a “Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia” at consumer technology department. Angel-investing 50+ companies globally. ## Monex Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Financial Services, Information Technology Monex Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Japan that finances seed and early stage investments in startup companies. ## Coral Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Software, Internet Coral Capital is a seed stage venture capital firm in Japan. ## Yu Akasaka - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Food and Beverage, Content, Internet 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. ## Mitsubishi UFJ Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Software, Health Care, Information Technology Mitsubishi UFJ Capital is a venture capital firm focusing on life science, ICT, and high technology investments. ## Yusuke Tanaka - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Tourism, Consulting, E-Commerce "Shin"ichiro joined Yahoo Japan in April 2013. From July 2013, he joined YJ Capital. He has served as COO of YJ Capital since January 2015. Prior to Yahoo! Japan, Shin was General Director of Dream Incubator Vietnam from 2007 to 2012, managing US$50 million private equity funds in Vietnam. He was formerly a Project Manager at DreamIncubator Japan. He started his career at Future Architect as a system engineer.Shin received his bachelor's degree in Policy Management from Keio University. ## Nissay Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Internet, Medical Nissay Capital is a venture capital Company specializing in seed, start-up, growth capital, middle stage, and later stage investment. ## ANRI - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Software, Information Technology ANRI is a Japanese venture capital firm that mainly invests in seed and early-stage startups. ## Masaru Sunagawa - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## Yusuke Sato - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Internet, Content, Food and Beverage Yusuke Sato is the Co-Representative and Co-Founder at Pulit. ## DNX Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: San Mateo, California, United States - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B - Focus: Software, Information Technology, SaaS DNX Ventues is an early stage VC firm focusing on B2B Startups that are shaping industries and transforming the way we live and work. ## Komura Fujio - Type: Angel - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Content, Ethereum, Marketing Komura Fujio ## SBI Investment - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Financial Services, Information Technology, Software SBI Investment supports the business development and growth of private venture companies through fund investment. ## PKSHA SPARX Algorithm Fund - Type: VC Fund - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Media and Entertainment, Information Technology PKSHA SPARX Algorithm Fund focuses on start-ups and projects that have machine intelligence, AI-related and robotics technology. ## DG Daiwa Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Marunouchi, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series B - Focus: FinTech, Software, Internet DG Daiwa Ventures invests in start-up companies with next-generation technology and provides business development support. It is focused on blockchain, xR, AI, security, and BioHealth, as they are likely to be at the foundations of future businesses. In addition to the five core technologies, the fund will also focus on IoT technologies, whichoften overlap or serve as an application layer. ## Nippon Telegraph and Telephone - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Education, SaaS NTT Group's website. Learn about NTT Group, Press Release, Business, Investor Relations, R&D, CSR, Disaster Countermeasures, Environmental Activities, Procurement, Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Profile, Careers information. ## Mitsubishi Corporation - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Corporate Round - Focus: Software, Internet, Information Technology Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates businesses across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, living essentials, and environmental business. MC's current activities are expanding far beyond its traditional trading operations asits diverse business ranges from natural resources development to investment in retail business, infrastructure, financial products and manufacturing of industrial goods. ## Internet Initiative Japan - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A - Focus: Internet, Web Apps, Cryptocurrency Internet Initiative Japan is an Internet-access and comprehensive network solutions provider. IIJ and its group of companies provide total network solutions that mainly cater to high-end corporate customers. The company's services include high-quality systems integration and security services, Internet access, hosting/housing, and contentdesign. Moreover, the company has built one of the largest Internet backbone networks in Japan, and between Japan and the United States. IIJ was listed on NASDAQ in 1999 and on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2006. ## Dentsu Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Software, Virtual Reality, Internet Dentsu Ventures is the corporate venture capital fund of Dentsu. It specializes in seed, early, mid and later-stage investments. It prefers to invest in the marketing and communication business sectors in the United States of America, Europe, and Asia. ## GMO Pepabo - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: SNS, E-Commerce, Web Development GMO Pepabo, Inc. established in 2003 as a web hosting service company. Since its foundation the company has focused on consumer-targeted Internet services, and today it comprises four business segments: Hosting which operates consumer domain registration and web hosting services, Ecommerce Support which provides ecommerce platform solutions,Customer to customer (C2C) marketplace for handmade products, and Community that facilitates communication among Internet users through blogging and media portal services. ## Daiwa Corporate Investment - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Task Management, Software, Internet Daiwa Corporate Investment is a private investment firm of Daiwa Securities Group that has been engaged in overseas VC investments by taking advantage of an extensive business network in Japan and foreign countries, long experience and professional knowledge, and by supporting the growth of a number of overseas portfolio companies and their stockexchange listings. ## GameWith - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 GameWith is an online game information community that provides its users with hints and tips for smartphone games. Its initial focus is providing strategy guides for the rapidly expanding (and updating) mobile gaming market. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Minato, Japan. ## Amin Azumude - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Finance, Cryptocurrency, Asset Management Amin Azumude is the Representative Director and Founder of Cryptact. ## Remixpoint - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Finance, Cryptocurrency, Asset Management Remixpoint is an electric services company engaged in the used car sales business and retail electricity business. ## SECOM - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 SECOM was the first security company in Japan, and provides its services to the largest number of corporate and individual clients. In Japan, SECOM is synonymous with security service and we provide the "SECOM brand" on-line security systems with emergency response in 12 countries and territories, including Asia, Europe and Oceania. ## Japan Post Bank - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Financial Services, Finance, Internet Japan Post Bank provides general banking services. # About Shizune Shizune.co is an investor database. Core features: - 48,091 startup investors (angels, VCs, accelerators, and others) - Email, phone, LinkedIn (for intros), socials, and other contact data - Updated daily from public funding news - CSV and Excel export The User can access the full database FOR FREE after signing up: shizune.co