Get Free Access to The Founder's Handbook

This free Notion document contains the best 100+ resources you need for building a successful startup, divided in 4 categories: Fundraising, People, Product, and Growth.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The Founder's Handbook
Download Our Free Guide: The Perfect Pitch Deck

This free eBook goes over the 10 slides every startup pitch deck has to include, based on what we learned from analyzing 500+ pitch decks, including those from Airbnb, Uber and Spotify.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
The Perfect Pitch Deck
Download Our List of The Top 100 Accelerators & Incubators

This free sheet contains 100 accelerators and incubators you can apply to today, along with information about the industries they generally invest in.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
100 Accelerators & Incubators
Download Our List of The Top 100 Venture Capital Firms

This free sheet contains 100 VC firms, with information about the countries, cities, stages, and industries they invest in, as well as their contact details.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
VC Firm Lead Magnet
Download The List of the 100 Highest-Valued Unicorns

This free sheet contains all the information about the top 100 unicorns, including their valuation, HQ's location, founded year, name of founders, funding amount and number of employees.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
100 Top Unicorns

Top 73 Venture Capital Firms in Tokyo (2026)

Description

CTA

Tokyo's startup scene is full of energy, and there's a strong network of investors ready to back new ideas. Finding the right financial partner can make all the difference for a growing company. Firms like Global Brain Corporation have backed over 700 startups, while others such as Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and SMBC Venture Capital have each made more than 600 investments. To help you find your way, we've gathered the most active and influential firms in the city.

Below is our list of the best 73 VC firms in Tokyo.

Failory's Top 10 Picks

Fundraising OS
Tool
Fundraising OS

Everything you need to raise funding for your startup, including 3,500+ investors, 7 tools, 18 templates and 3 learning resources.

Buy It For $97 $297

As the venture arm of one of Japan's largest financial groups, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital invests in promising companies within life science, ICT, and high-tech industries. They provide comprehensive financial support that guides startups from their initial seed funding all the way to late-stage development.

Year Founded1974
FoundersJunichi Masuda
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments643 (67 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits101 (51 IPO'd)
Contact052-221-1431

As the venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, SMBC Venture Capital funds high-growth startups across all stages, from seed to late-stage. The firm provides both financial backing and hands-on support, using its deep financial industry connections to help portfolio companies scale and go public.

Year Founded2005
Founders
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments629 (30 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits93 (51 IPO'd)
Contact03-6262-1190

Nissay Capital supports startups throughout their entire lifecycle by providing funding from seed and early-stage rounds to later-stage growth capital. As a veteran Japanese venture firm, they offer comprehensive financial backing to guide companies from inception to maturity.

Year Founded1991
Founders
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments344 (107 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits51 (26 IPO'd)
Contact+81 03-3217-5360

As the venture capital affiliate of Mizuho Bank, they back startups from early to late stages, primarily in the information technology and biotechnology fields. This connection to a major financial institution provides deep support, contributing to a track record of over 600 portfolio companies going public.

Year Founded1983
Founders
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage
Nº of Investments501 (25 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits72 (43 IPO'd)

JIC Venture Growth Investments backs startups at the seed, early, and late stages to accelerate innovation in Japan. The firm supports businesses with new technologies that address industrial and social challenges, helping to improve the country's global competitiveness.

Year Founded2020
FoundersHideki Yarimizu
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments83 (30 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits4 (2 IPO'd)

Aozora Corporate Investment provides equity and mezzanine financing to support the growth and revitalization of small and medium-sized Japanese companies. They focus on addressing business succession issues, offering management support through the Aozora Bank Group network to ensure long-term stability.

Year Founded2018
Founders
Investment StageDebt
Nº of Investments50 (12 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits3 (1 IPO'd)

Operating as the venture capital arm of Z Holdings, they fund global startups from seed to late stage in the internet services industry. The firm helps portfolio companies scale by creating business collaborations with established platforms within the Z Holdings group, including Yahoo! JAPAN and LINE.

Year Founded2012
FoundersShinichiro Hori
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments77 (15 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits1
Contactzvc-info@zvc.vc

Global Brain Corporation backs startups from their earliest seed stages through to pre-IPO, providing hands-on support to guide them toward successful exits. They manage both pure investment funds and corporate venture capital funds, partnering with established corporations in sectors ranging from telecom and finance to logistics and agriculture.

Year Founded1998
FoundersYasuhiko Yurimoto
Investment StageEarly Stage, Late Stage, Seed
Nº of Investments740 (236 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits109 (41 IPO'd)
Contactinfo@globalbrains.com

Venture Capital Japan specializes in managing corporate venture capital, creating pathways for large companies to partner with emerging startups. The firm facilitates these strategic partnerships, enabling corporations to develop new business ventures through collaboration.

Year Founded
Founders
Investment Stage
Nº of Investments
Nº of Exits
ContactDeanbridges99@gmail.com / +81 3-6455-5255

First Light Capital invests in early-stage Japanese startups within the digital transformation and deep tech sectors. The firm provides hands-on support to help its portfolio companies expand into global markets.

Year Founded2018
FoundersOsamu Iwasawa
Investment StageEarly Stage
Nº of Investments37 (8 as Lead Investor)
Nº of Exits1 (1 IPO'd)
Contactcontact@ubv.vc

63 Additional Tokyo VC Firms Worth Pitching

Our top picks are just the beginning of the story for founders in Tokyo. The city's wider venture community has collectively backed nearly 4,800 startups, helping almost 700 of them reach an exit.

This deep pool of capital shows a strong belief in the city's founders and their ideas. Here are the other venture capital firms funding what's next in Tokyo.

VC FirmYear FoundedNº InvestmentsNº Exits
Resona Capital logo Resona Capital19887410
Incubate Fund logo Incubate Fund201035648
UTEC - The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners logo UTEC - The University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners200418924
MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE Venture Capital (MSIVC) logo MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE Venture Capital (MSIVC)199032636
Mint logo Mint202126
Coral Capital logo Coral Capital2019793
Mobile Internet Capital logo Mobile Internet Capital199913326
Nippon Venture Capital logo Nippon Venture Capital199621441
Drone Fund logo Drone Fund2017713
Innovation Engine logo Innovation Engine20013710
NetEase logo NetEase1997527
Dentsu Ventures logo Dentsu Ventures20155112
Headline Asia (formerly Infinity Ventures) logo Headline Asia (formerly Infinity Ventures)200811918
JAFCO logo JAFCO197335881
ANRI logo ANRI201227825
Samurai Incubate logo Samurai Incubate200818213
Femto Partners logo Femto Partners2013301
Iyogin Capital logo Iyogin Capital1985434
DG VENTURES logo DG VENTURES200914331
GMO VenturePartners logo GMO VenturePartners200516332
Asahi Media Lab Ventures logo Asahi Media Lab Ventures201736
Fast Track Initiative, Inc. logo Fast Track Initiative, Inc.2004658
UTokyo Innovation Platform logo UTokyo Innovation Platform2016739
Spiral Capital logo Spiral Capital794
ITOCHU Technology Ventures logo ITOCHU Technology Ventures20009527
Colopl Next logo Colopl Next201511117
YJ Capital logo YJ Capital201212328
Capital Medica Ventures logo Capital Medica Ventures2016182
Archetype Ventures logo Archetype Ventures2013938
AET Fund logo AET Fund2017367
Skyland Ventures logo Skyland Ventures20121065
W inc. logo W inc.8
SIP Global Partners logo SIP Global Partners2019151
Eight Roads Ventures Japan logo Eight Roads Ventures Japan196920
Cool Japan Fund logo Cool Japan Fund2013345
MIRAI SOUZOU logo MIRAI SOUZOU2014424
Canal Ventures logo Canal Ventures2008352
Universal Materials Incubator logo Universal Materials Incubator2015331
Abies Ventures logo Abies Ventures2017223
Innovation Growth Ventures logo Innovation Growth Ventures201911
BASE Partners logo BASE Partners2017243
DG Daiwa Ventures logo DG Daiwa Ventures2016611
Venture Labo Investment logo Venture Labo Investment19997210
Whiz Partners logo Whiz Partners20102215
Future Food Fund logo Future Food Fund2019233
CAC CAPITAL logo CAC CAPITAL2017171
BlackCrow Capital logo BlackCrow Capital20192
ECloud logo ECloud20182
Kiraboshi Capital logo Kiraboshi Capital2018242
TBS Innovation Partners logo TBS Innovation Partners20134010
JMTC Capital logo JMTC Capital201717
FreakOut Shinsei Fund logo FreakOut Shinsei Fund5
100Capital logo 100Capital11
Tb Innovations logo Tb Innovations202061
Quantum Leaps Capital Partners logo Quantum Leaps Capital Partners20182
Globis Capital Partners logo Globis Capital Partners199619841
DMM GAMES Ventures logo DMM GAMES Ventures1
JBC Holdings logo JBC Holdings20193
Shinsei Corporate Investment logo Shinsei Corporate Investment20127611
DBJ Capital logo DBJ Capital201017331
TerraSky Ventures logo TerraSky Ventures201952
Full Commit Partners logo Full Commit Partners2018111
Obunsha Ventures logo Obunsha Ventures2018123

Description

CTA
The All-In-One Newsletter for Startup Founders

90% of startups fail. Learn how not to with our weekly guides and stories. Join +40,000 other startup founders!

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.