# Top 50 Transportation Startup Investors in Japan in May 2026 ## Incubate Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 12 - 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. ## Nissay Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 10 - 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. ## SMBC Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 8 - 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. ## Drone Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 7 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Drones, Robotics, Aerospace Drone Fund is a venture capital firm that provides supports in IP strategy, innovative planning, and drone policy. It offers capital investment and financing and aims to create a Drone Ecosystem where LPs and startups can benefit from membership within the Drone Fund. ## Mizuho Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 7 - 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. ## YJ Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 6 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Internet YJ Capital is a Corporate Venture Capital of Yahoo Japan. Our value is to help global minded entrepreneurs build successful and lasting internet companies. We invest in all stages, all sectors in Asia, US and Israel.YJ Capital has a unique access to Yahoo Japan's operational experience and unparalleled Japan market entry support. Oursole LP allows us to focus only on our portfolio companies and make fast decision making. ## DBJ Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Otemachi, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 6 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Software, Internet, Biotechnology DBJ Capital Co., Ltd. was founded in June 2010 through the integration of two venture capital firms of the DBJ Group, New Business Investment Co., Ltd. and Intellectual Properties Development & Investment, Inc. We are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Development Bank of Japan Inc.At DBJ Capital, we focus on venture firms which use newtechnologies and business models to grow and compete on the global market, regardless of their industry or scale. To meet the particular needs of each client, we mobilize the entire DBJ Group to arrange the best investment solutions, ranging from growth-spurring equity investment to financing schemes drawing on DBJ's vast networks.We also assist in venture start-ups. Our value enhancement team provides the kind of comprehensive, hands-on support needed to commercialize outstanding intellectual property and technologies developed by firms, research labs, and universities, and to carve out a place for them in the market.DBJ Capital will continue to play in a part in Japan's economic revival - by helping the firms we invest in to grow, and by encouraging the creation of new industries in Japan. ## ANOBAKA - Type: VC Fund - Location: Shibuya, Kanagawa, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - 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. ## Mitsubishi UFJ Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 5 - 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. ## Monex Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 4 - 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. ## 500 Startups Japan - Type: VC Fund - Location: San Francisco, California, United States - Relevant deals: 4 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Internet, Software, Internet of Things 500 Startups is the most active seed VC in the world. 500 Startups Japan is a $35M regional fund focusing on Japan. ## SBI Investment - Type: VC Fund - Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan - Relevant deals: 4 - 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. ## Genesia Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 4 - 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. ## MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE Venture Capital (MSIVC) - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 4 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Information Technology, Food and Beverage MSIVC is a venture capital firm that invests in Japanese and global startups scaling to IPO. It focuses on startups in verticals of Fintech, SaaS, Healthcare, AI, E-Commerce, Foodtech, and Environment etc. ## ANRI - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 4 - 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. ## DIMENSION - Type: VC Fund - Location: Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Health Care, Advertising, Artificial Intelligence DIMENSION is an investment fund management company. ## STRIVE - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Internet, SaaS STRIVE focuses on investing in early-stage (Seed to Series A) internet and mobile companies. It seeks out companies in Japan, Southeast Asia, and India with top-notch management teams and strong market potential. It is not tied to strategic investments for GREE Inc. and leverages its pan-Asia expertise for guiding its portfolio in an engaged,hands-on role. ## Globis Capital Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Internet, Information Technology, Software Globis Capital Partners (GCP) is one of Japan's leading venture capital firms. With its unique combination of local business presence through Globis Group and the experience of Western VC experience, GCP has set new VC standards in Japan, with hands-on, and in-depth industry expertise. ## Yu Akasaka - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - 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. ## Nobuhiro Ariyasu - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Content, Internet, Finance Nobuhiro Ariyasu is the CEO at Coach United. ## KDDI - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - 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. ## Archetype Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - 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. ## Energy & Environment Investment - Type: VC Fund - Location: Higashi-shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Series A, Series B - Focus: Internet of Things, Software, Energy Energy & Environment Investment, Inc. (EEI) is Japan’s first venture capital specialized in the clean technology sector. With core members who have rich hands on experience in founding and managing venture companies, we aim to provide risk money and various strategic values to promising venture companies and businesses. ## Coral Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Software, Internet Coral Capital is a seed stage venture capital firm in Japan. ## Lifetime Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 3 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Software, Health Care, Marketing Lifetime Ventures is a VC firm that specializes in pre-seed and seed investments. ## BroadBand Tower - Type: VC Fund - Location: Uchisaiwaicho, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A - Focus: Software, Automotive, Taxi Service BroadBand Tower supports IoT (internet of things) through its advanced technological capabilities. ## Mamoru Taniya - Type: Angel - Location: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Apps, Content, FinTech After graduating from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo, he joined Solomon Brothers, where he became the youngest managing director in Asia, where he was in charge of Asian investment. After that, he created one of the largest independent Asuka assets. He also launched Japan's first independent online life insurance company,LifeNet Life Insurance, and inspired Japan's first International. ## Tsuneishi Capital Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Energy, Robotics, Drones Tsuneishi Capital Partners is a company that formulates and operates investment partnerships. ## BASE Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: Marketing, Content, Task Management BASE Partners is an independent venture capital organization organized by members who are professionals in each field such as managers, entrepreneurs, engineers, designers and accountants, and who are also entrepreneurs at the same time.Early and middle, mainly in the seed stage before and after the establishment. Up to the stage, we invest inall entrepreneurs and their challenges, and we also provide hands-on management support to startups that lack resources, experience and networks as well as funding. ## Toppan Printing - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Corporate Round, Series B - Focus: Financial Services, Information Technology, Software Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. provides commercial printing and related services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Information & Networks, Living Environment, and Electronics. The Information & Networks segment provides commercial printing services for posters, catalogs, pamphlets, flyers, calendars, pop materials, and gifts, as well asoffers design and event services, sales promotion planning, multimedia related activities, and database and network system design and operation services; and publications printing services magazines and books, as well as CDROMs, DVDs, and other electronic publications. It also offers securities, such as stocks, bonds, gift certificates, and product coupons; cards comprising magnetic cards and prepaid cards; and develops and designs IC card systems, IC tag systems, and security management systems. This segment supplies various business form services, including direct mail, integrated slips, data print services, cards, envelopes, catalogs, and sales and maintenance of equipment. The Living Environment segment offers a range of packaging services, such as packaging planning, development, and production; development and production of packaging materials; design and production of packaging related system equipment; filling services; and packaging consulting. It also provides decorative paper/film, wallpaper, flooring materials, interior materials, and exterior materials. The Electronics segment offers display products that include color filters for LCDs, shadowmasks, screens for micro-display rear projection TVs, and functional films; and semiconductor products comprising photomasks, leadframes, printed wiring boards, substrates for semiconductor packages, design of printed wiring boards, LSI circuits, printed wiring, and performance assessment software. The company has a strategic alliance with AU Optronics Corp. Toppan Printing was founded in 1900 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ## PE&HR - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Software, Education, E-Learning PE&HR is a private equity and venture capital firm that seeks to invest in incubation, start-up, and early-stage companies. PE&HR primarily invests in the human resources, internet, healthcare, IT, mobile, and social commerce-related industries. ## SPARX Innovation for the Future - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A, Seed - Focus: Aerospace, Space Travel, Satellite Communication SPARX Innovation for Future Co.,Ltd. was established in April 2020. We will build and verify temporary investment (investment intelligence) in new areas, centered on space, and make investments. ## Headline Asia (formerly Infinity Ventures) - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series A, Seed - Focus: E-Commerce, Software, Financial Services 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. ## Marubeni - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Internet, Energy, Renewable Energy Marubeni is involved in the handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors. These areas encompass importing and exporting, as well as transactions in the Japanese market, related to food, textiles, materials, pulp and paper, chemicals, energy, metals, and mineral resources, transportation machinery, and includes offshoretrading. ## Kensuke Furukawa - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Angel - Focus: Content, Media and Entertainment, Software Kensuke Furukawa was born in June 2, 1981. He graduated Waseda University majoring Political Science and Economics, and in 2000, he launched "Milkcafe", a student community, which has grown to a site with 10 million PV per month. In 2004, he became the CEO of Media Clip, which operates a rental bulletin board service "ShitarabaBBS". After that year, he had transfer "Shitaraba BBS" to Livedoor, and took charge of starting up the Consumer Generated Media sector. In 2006, he joined Recruit, and took charge of starting up a new business at Business development sector. In June of 2009, he left Recruit, and became the CEO of nanapi （formerly Rocket Start), which operates the How-to Site "nanapi". ## FFG Venture Business Partners - Type: VC Fund - Location: Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Content, Media and Entertainment, Artificial Intelligence FFG Venture Business Partners is a large-scale enterprise that offers in traditional regional bank venture capital. ## Mirai Creation Fund - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Robotics, Information Technology, Software The Mirai Creation Fund invests in companies and projects that use the latest technologies and business models, supporting the growth of value in these companies and projects, wherever they are found around the world. ## F Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Internet, Information Technology, Human Resources F Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Japan. ## 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. ## Delight Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Shibuya, Kanagawa, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A, Series B - Focus: Food Delivery, Software, Service Industry Delight Ventures is a venture capital firm that thoroughly reduces the hurdles of entrepreneurship in Japan and supports entrepreneurs in the world. Entrepreneurship is taken as a natural career path, and we aim to be a society where both successful and unsuccessful people can continue to take on challenges. ## Mistletoe - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Software, Education Mistletoe is a hub for startups and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem. It specifically provides learning opportunities for entrepreneurs, facilitates startup communities, invests in and supports startup companies and venture capitals. ## Tottori Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tottori-shi, Tottori, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Shipping, Marketing, E-Commerce Tottori Capital is the provider of management consulting and financial services. ## Ceres - Type: VC Fund - Location: Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## ITOCHU Technology Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## DCM Ventures - Type: VC Fund - Location: Menlo Park, California, United States - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A, Series C - Focus: Software, Internet, E-Commerce DCM Ventures assists entrepreneurs in building companies that will change how institutions and people use and live with technology.DCM Ventures focuses on the size of its team, the money they raise, and the investments they make all so that it can focus on the business of helping portfolio companies succeed. Collectively, the DCM investingpartners have over a century of investing and operational experience and each DCM partner has experience building hyper-growth startups into billion-dollar businesses.DCM Ventures manages ten funds totaling $4.0 billion and has made investments in more than 400 technology companies across the United States and Asia. With offices in Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Tokyo, DCM provides hands-on operational guidance and a vast network of global business and financial resources to its portfolio companies. ## SPARX Group - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - 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. ## Future Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Series A - Focus: Information Technology, Manufacturing, Health Care Future Venture Capital Co., Ltd. is a venture capital firm specializing in early stage investment. The firm invests in diversified investment in a broad range of industrial sectors. It seeks to invest in Japan. The firm prefers to be the lead investor in its portfolio companies. Future Venture Capital Co., Ltd. was founded in 1998 and is based inKyoto, Japan with offices in Tokyo, Aomori, Iwate, Yamagata, Kanazawa, Mie, Sakai, Kobe, and Ehime. ## Mobility Technologies - Type: VC Fund - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 Mobility Technologies provides vehicle allocation systems for taxi operators. ## Daisaku Harada - Type: Angel - Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed - Focus: Finance, Tourism, Automotive Daisaku Harada is the Director of Management Strategy at Mercari. Daisaku attended Chuo University. ## Hiroshima Venture Capital - Type: VC Fund - Location: Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan - Relevant deals: 2 - Stages: Series B, Series A - Focus: Task Management, Manufacturing, Software Hiroshima Venture Capital provides venture capital investment services. The firm creates corporate value from a long-term perspective. # 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