# Top 50 Web3 Startup Investors in Japan in October 2023

## Ceres
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 6
- 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.

## 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.

## ANOBAKA
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shibuya, Kanagawa, Japan
- Relevant deals: 3
- 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.

## 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.

## 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.

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

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

## 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.

## Mizuho Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- 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.

## Oki Matsumoto
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Angel, Seed, Series A
- Focus: Information Technology, Cryptocurrency, FinTech

Oki Matsumoto began his career at Salomon Brothers Asia Limited in April 1987. He then joined Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. in April 1990 and was appointed General Partner of The Goldman Sachs Group, L.P. in November 1994. As a General Partner, he was Co-Head of its Tokyo Branch’s FX & Fixed Income Business and was in charge of FX and fixedincome products and the related risk management. It was in April 1999 that Matsumoto jointly established (the former) Monex, Inc. with Sony Corporation. In August 2004, Matsumoto become the Representative Director and CEO of the Company (former name: Monex Beans Holdings, Inc.) upon its formation through management integration of Monex, Inc. and Nikko Beans Inc. He was named the Representative Director, Chairman and CEO of the Company in February 2011 and then assumed his current position in June 2013.

## 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.

## 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.

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

Next One for the World.

## B Dash Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- 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.

## D4V
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Minato, Chiba, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- 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.

## Sotaro Karasawa
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Pre-Seed, Series B
- Focus: Blockchain, Art, Travel

Sotaro Karasawa - Chief Technology Officer @ STAR FESTIVAL

## 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.

## 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.

## Yuzuru Honda
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Angel
- Focus: SNS, Internet, Software

Yuzuru Honda is a Founder & Global CEO of FreakOut.

## 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!

## Nippon Technology Venture Partners
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 2
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Initial Coin Offering
- Focus: Blockchain, Mobile, FinTech

Nippon Technology Venture Partners is a Japanese independent investment firm that invests in technology-driven companies.

## 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.

## COSIMO Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Enterprise Software, Blockchain, Sports

COSIMO Ventures is an emerging venture capital firm that focuses on early stage companies seeking to develop disruptive technology, primarily located in Ireland and the United Kingdom. COSIMO has offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Dublin, Ireland. Our Team have over 100 years of combined entrepreneurial operating and investing experience. We aretechnology pioneers resolute in our mission of helping emerging entrepreneurs build legendary companies. Our mission is to help transform the most promising early stage, Irish and UK technology companies into global leaders that will dominate new market categories or disrupt existing ones. We partner with management teams to help them accelerate and grow into the US market.COSIMO is a team of entrepreneurs that have been at the forefront of value creation for early stage companies over the past 25 years. As technology pioneers, we have developed products used by 100’s of millions of users every day and created many firsts; from the first commercially available financial service on the Internet to the first push notification.

## 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.

## Sansei Capital Investment
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Koto, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series B
- Focus: Content, Software, Medical

Sansei Capital provides portfolio management, corporate management support, and financing services.

## 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.

## IMO Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: San Mateo, California, United States
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Angel
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, E-Commerce, FinTech

IMO Ventures is a privately held venture capital and seed investing company across China and the US.

## XTech Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Software, Information Technology, Task Management

XTech Ventures aims to achieve dramatic growth for investee companies by supporting entrepreneurship, multifaceted management support, and IPO support for the excellent middle class who are enthusiastic about entrepreneurship.

## Fujiyo Ishiguro
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series B
- Focus: Content, Marketing, Blockchain

Fujiyo Ishiguro is a President & CEO at Netyear Group Corp.
Fujiyo Ishiguro After working at Brother Industries and Swarovski Japan, Ms. Ishiguro founded a high-tech specialty consulting firm in Silicon Valley and advised clients such as Yahoo!, Netscape, Panasonic, and Sony on US-Japan alliances and technology transfers. She is a foundingmember of Netyear Group in US and Japan, devising comprehensive digital marketing solutions for corporate clients that resolve fundamental business issues as CEO. The company was listed on the Mothers section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2008. Ms. Ishiguro graduated the School of Economics at Nagoya University and received an MBA from Stanford University. She had been a member of the Government committee for the past several years, such as Cabinet Office “The future to choose” Committee, METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) “IoT” Committee, and so on.

## PE&HR
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- 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.

## DFund
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Beijing, Beijing, China
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A, Corporate Round
- Focus: Blockchain, B2B, B2C

DFund is a professional investment company.

## Orient Corporation
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Series D
- Focus: Apps, Logistics, Information Services

Orient Corporation is a consumer credit company that provides auto loans, credit cards, and direct cash loan services.

The company was founded in 1954 and based in Tokyo, Japan.

## aucfan Co.,Ltd.
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A, Corporate Round
- Focus: E-Commerce, Marketing, Internet

Aucfan is the only company in Japan that provides all the eCommerce price data across the big three market, America, China and Japan. The data Aucfan aggregates has reached more than 800millions with last 8 years coverage and Aucfan provides these data through its website Aucfan.com. (www.aucfan.com).The data Aucfan provides both to theconsumers and the retailers include the the price across the major global EC and Auction sites such as Rakuten, the No1 shopping site in Japan, Yahoo! Auction, the No1 Auction site in Japan, and Amazon Japan as well as eBay.com, the No1 EC site in US, and Taobao, the No1 Auction site in China.By visiting the Aucfan.com, buyers and sellers can easily find the price and the value of the product globally.Aucfan currently focuses on the consumer buesinss but Aucfan's next strategy is to expand its business to the BtoB by providing the price data to the EC and retail markets and helping them make the critical judgement for the price setting and purchsing just like the Bloomberg providing the financial informationto the financial brokers and helping them make the business judgement.Aucfan's next ambition is to expand its business globally and as the part of that strategy, Aucfan has already launched the Chinese website in JULY/2010 and plans to open the US site in SEP/2010.

## ChenXin Technology
- Type: VC Fund
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: News, Blockchain

ChenXin Technology

## 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.

## 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.

## Gaku Saito
- Type: Angel
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Finance, Cryptocurrency, Asset Management

Graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Engineering , Graduate School of Engineering 2007 Graduated from the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Engineering
April 2007 Joined Goldman Sachs Securities. He is engaged in a variety of investments, from non-performing loan investment, private equity investment, real estate investment toship investment, in the strategic investment department, which is a proprietary investment team.
May 2010 Moved to Goldman Sachs Investment Partners to become an investor at his own discretion. Participate in a global hedge fund with total assets of over 800 billion yen, and as a hedge fund manager, invest and manage up to 80 billion portfolios in stocks, bonds, foreign exchange, interest rates, CDS, derivatives, loans, etc.
February 2019 Appointed Cryptact Co., Ltd.

## 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.

## MTG Ventures
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Marketing, Media and Entertainment, Food and Beverage

MTG Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of MTG that invests in beauty and wellness tech, food tech, and sports tech sectors.

## Uchino Hiroyuki
- Type: Angel
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed
- Focus: Blockchain, Information Technology

Uchino Hiroyuki - Founder And Chairman @ WingArc1st

## Okasan Capital Partners
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Chuo, Hokkaido, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Human Resources, Content, Recruiting

Okasan Capital Partners is Invest in early-stage venture companies with unique technologies, services, business models and high growth potential, and middle-rater stage companies with a view to listing.

## 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.

## Nomura Research Institute
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Financial Services

NRI-short for the Nomura Research Institute-is a class-leading business consultancy and technology solution firm headquartered in Tokyo. With 50 years of experience in systems and strategies, they have grown from boutique financial IT specialist to Japan's leading consulting and technology solution firm.Nomura Research Institute itsinception about 40 years ago, NRI has always been on the cutting edge. Whether by advising policy proposals and corporate strategies or promoting new system development and management, they have always strived to push the boundaries and explore new horizons. At NRI, they are dedicated to helping provide their clients with new business models in the 21st century.

## SLD Entertainment
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Shiba, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: Content, Ethereum, Marketing

SLD Entertainment operates and manages cafes and restaurants under "kawara CAFE＆DINING" brand.

## 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.

## 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.

## Septeni
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Series A
- Focus: SNS, Content, Fashion

Septeni is developing various one-stop services to solve customers' marketing issues focusing on the Internet advertising agency business that has a proven track record in Japan.

## DIMENSION
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- Stages: Seed, Series A
- Focus: Health Care, Advertising, Artificial Intelligence

DIMENSION is an investment fund management company.

## Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
- Type: VC Fund
- Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Relevant deals: 1
- 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.

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