# Top 25 Platforms VC (Venture Capital) Funds in Japan in October 2023 ## SMBC Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## 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. ## 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. ## Archetype Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Machine Learning Archetype Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in B2B Tech seed and early stage venture investments. ## SPARX Group - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Software, Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology SPARX Group Co., Ltd. is an independent Asia-based equity and credit asset management services and Asian fund financial specialist with offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Seoul for global institutional and individual investors, including financial advisors and financial planners, with alternative strategies (including activist, short-enabled, private equity and quantitative and fund-of-funds) and mutual funds (through SPARX Asia Funds such as SPARX Asia Pacific Opportunities Fund, SPARX Asia Pacific Equity Income Fund, SPARX Japan Smaller Companies Fund and SPARX Japan Fund) managed or sub-advised by SPARX Asset Management Co. Ltd., SPARX Asia Investment Advisors Limited and Cosmo Asset Management Co., Ltd. ## VOYAGE VENTURES - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - 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. ## Monozukuri Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Hardware, Internet of Things Startup First. A global VC focused on IoT small lot manufacturing and startup investment. Support to hardware growth from business model to supply chain ## istyle - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series B - Focus: Media and Entertainment, Information Technology, Video istyle, Inc. engages in the management of beauty-related online platforms as well as the provision of advertising, marketing, and research services. It operates through the following segments: On Platform, Beauty Service, Global, and Others. The On Platform segment deals with domestic and overseas marketing, as well as premium membershipservices. The Beauty Service segment manages domestic cosmetics electronic commerce sites in addition to its specialty shop @cosme store. The Global segment includes services developed overseas. The Others segment covers beauty staff dispatching and investment training services. It has overseas subsidiaries including in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and The United States. ## TBS Innovation Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Internet, Content, Advertising TBS Innovation Partners is a venture capital firm that invests in the media, content, entertainment, and IT sectors. It finances companies engaged in tech companies in sectors like Digital Media, E-commerce, AdTech, and Big Data Analytics. Top investments include iRidge, Fringe 81, Open Eight, Data Section, Piece of Cake. The company has 20 millionyen of assets under management. ## Taisei - Type: VC Fund - Location: Nagoya, Aichi, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Corporate Round - Focus: Robotics, Drones, Android Comprehensive building maintenance company headquartered in Nagoya city, with offices in Tokyo, Fukuoka, Sendai, Hamamatsu and Osaka. They are developing comfort proposal type business activities in various scenes including cleaning, security, facility management and renewal of office buildings, maintenance and parking of hotels, management ofunderground malls, preservation of park plants. ## Excite Japan - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 Excite Japan is a Japan-based company focused on the development of internet businesses in Japan. Starting with operations of a portal site, its business model has grown through being focused on services targeted at women.Excite Japan’s revenue is derived from placed-advertising by companies as a media content portal, internet-connection servicefees, and the provision of paid content to users. It was launched in 1997 and is headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. ## SoftBank Corp. - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Series B, Secondary Market - Focus: Software, iOS, Mobile SoftBank is a provider of mobile and fixed-line communication and internet connection services. ## BeMap - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series D - Focus: Media and Entertainment, Marketing, Social Media BeMap is mobile system integration business which consists of planning, development, and management of the features based on a features infrastructure in Japan. Its business is features software and service for various mobile terminals. Its services provide train information, navigation, IP camera solution, television meta data solution, andplanning the wireless network.The company was founded in 1998. ## SBI Investment - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - 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. ## Incubate Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - 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. ## Shinsei Capital Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Seed - Focus: Health Care, Pharmaceutical, Android Shinsei Capital Partners invested startup companies engaged in life science such as biotech or digital health technology. ## 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. ## Venture United - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Internet, Software, Information Technology Venture United is a provider of venture capital for entrepreneurs, especially for internet-related businesses. ## Shizuoka Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Shimizu, Shizuoka, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Software, Manufacturing, Task Management Shizuoka Capital Company Limited operates as a venture capital firm. It engages in the acquisition, holding, and, sale of securities. ## Innovation Network Corporation of Japan - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Manufacturing, Software, Robotics Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is a public-private partnership aimed at promoting innovation and enhancing value.Leveraging the rich history of Japanese technological prowess, INCJ aims to provide financial, technological and management support in order to promote the creation of next-generation businesses through “openinnovation,” or the flow of technology and expertise beyond the boundaries of existing organizational structures.INCJ will draw on funding as well as management and technological expertise from the public and private sectors. INCJ is actively reviewing various investment opportunities in areas of green energy, electronics, IT and biotechnology to infrastructure-related sectors such as water supply. Each investment will be thoroughly vetted to ensure it meets the exacting standards of INCJ's Innovation Network Committee, which will make the final investment decisions.INCJ is capitalized at 280 billion yen, with the Japanese government injecting 266 billion yen and 26 private corporations (refer to details in Appendix below) providing a further 14 billion yen. The government will also provide guarantees up to a total of 1,800 billion yen for INCJ investments, giving it an investment capability of approximately 2,000 billion yen. INCJ will be established for a period of 15 years. ## Yakumi - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Food and Beverage, Biotechnology, iOS A platform connecting global angel investors with startups based in, or relating to, Japan ## Y&N Brothers - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed - Focus: Marketing, Operating Systems, Unified Communications Y&N Brothers provides video software, music software, commercials, movie and stage planning, and production services. ## Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - 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. ## ITOCHU Technology Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: E-Commerce, Software, Information Technology ITOCHU Technology Ventures (ITV), based in Tokyo, is the venture capital arm of ITOCHU Corporation. ITOCHU is one of the world's largest corporations with offices in over 80 countries and operations that cover a broad spectrum of industries. ITV's mission is to invest and help build leading information technology companies by leveraging avast array of resources both domestically and internationally throughout ITOCHU and its group companies. The ITOCHU group has a long history of funding information technology companies with successes including Siebel Systems, NVIDIA, Openwave and Aruba Networks. Current portfolio includes, Box, Fab, Ooyala, WHILL, Tokyo Otaku Mode, etc. ## Beenos Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 1 - Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B - Focus: E-Commerce, Internet, Mobile Beenos is a platform for startups. Our in-house team of entrepreneurs-in-residence and specialists help you get your ideas off the ground. We’re (the) experts in engineering, design, data science, and business management. We know how to launch a company in this ever changing IT industry, and we’d like to help establish and expand your present andfuture business.The company was founded in 1999 as NetPrice.com, a provider of eCommerce services. NetPrice.com established Beenos as an incubation program before # 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