Japan has been experiencing the 4th period of the venture capital boom over the last 5 years. As a result of the increasing investments, the Japanese startup ecosystem is gradually maturing. Furthermore, traditional major corporations are starting to expand their business into new areas while significantly increasing their investments into startups over the last decade. Below we have gathered the list of the best VC investors in Tokyo.
This article is part of a series where we present you the best Venture Capital firms across different cities and countries. Here you can view the ranking for Osaka.
Top 10 VC Investors in Tokyo
1-East Ventures
Founded in 2009, East Ventures is an early-stage sector-agnostic venture capital firm. The firm has supported more than 170 companies in the Southeast Asian region that are present across Indonesia, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Website: https://east.vc/
Founded: 2010
Latest fund size: $550M (2022)
Notable Investments: Mercari, RedMart, BASE
2-SMBC Venture Capital
SMBC Venture Capital is a Japanese finance company that offers banking-centered financial services.
Website: https://www.smbc-vc.co.jp/
Founded: 2005
Latest fund size: -
Notable Investments: BASE, Wealthnavi, Uzabase, SiTime
3-Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
Mitsubishi UFJ Capital is a venture capital firm focusing on life science, ICT and high technology investments.
Website: http://www.mucap.co.jp/
Founded: 1974
Latest fund size: ¥10B (2020)
Notable Investments: Coinbase, MoneyForward, Kyriba, Wealthnavi, Uzabase
4-Global Brain Corporation
Global Brain Corporation is a venture capital firm that invests in companies from seed/early to pre-IPO startups.
Website: https://globalbrains.com/
Founded: 1998
Latest fund size: ¥5B
Notable Investments: Mercari, coins.ph, BASE, Edmodo, Tapjoy, Jibo
5-Mizuho Capital
Mizuho Capital is a venture capital firm that focuses on information technology and biotechnology investments.
Website: https://www.mizuho-vc.co.jp/
Founded: 1983
Latest fund size: ¥10B (2020)
Notable Investments: Money Forward, Wealthavi, GENIEE, Allm, LOCONDO, Quan
6-Incubate Fund
Incubate Fund is an independent early stage venture capital that specializes in providing capital to technology startups at seed stage.
Website: https://incubatefund.com/
Founded: 2010
Latest fund size: ¥17.1B (2021)
Notable Investments: GamingMonk, Coincheck, Wealthnavi, Sansan
7-JAFCO
JAFCO operates a series of funds to channel risk capital to start-ups in Japan, US, China, Taiwan, Korea, India, and Singapore. Targeting high-potential companies with innovative and creative management strategies, JAFCO provides support for enhancing corporate value and expanding business through deep involvement in management.
Website: https://www.jafco.co.jp/
Founded: 1973
Latest fund size: ¥61.4B (2019)
Notable Investments: MoneyForward, double jump.tokyo, Viridian Therapeutics, Liquid Global
8-Nissay Capital
Nissay Capital is a venture capital Company specializing in seed, start-up, growth capital, middle stage and later stage investment.
Website: http://www.nissay-cap.co.jp/
Founded: 1991
Latest fund size: ¥10B (2019)
Notable Investments: Gumi Inc, Sansan, Paksul, Medley
9-CyberAgent Capital
CyberAgent Capital is a venture capital firm that provides financial support for start-ups specializing in the internet businesses.
Website: https://www.cyberagentcapital.com/
Founded: 2006
Latest fund size: $55.5M (2021)
Notable Investments: Paidy, Woowa Bros, BASE, ITutorGroup, Sansan
10-ANRI
ANRI is a Japanese venture capital firm that mainly invests in seed and early-stage startups.
Website: http://anri.vc/
Founded: 2012
Latest fund size: ¥16B (2019)
Notable Investments: Coincheck, UUUM, DELY, Raksul, PR Times
Other VC Investors in Tokyo
