venture capital

Headline Asia Launches USD 145m Fund V

Norbert Gehrke

Norbert Gehrke

— 3 min read
Headline Asia Launches USD 145m Fund V

Headline Asia has closed its fifth and largest fund to date, Headline Asia Fund V, at USD 145 million. The fund will support a new generation of founders building in high-growth sectors including e-commerce, logistics, FinTech, IP and artificial intelligence—domains where Asia is setting new global standards.

Headline Asia is a partner-led firm with long-standing operations in Japan, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia, helping early-stage companies evolve from local success to regional leadership.

Headline Asia Fund V at a glance

Fund V is structured to help Asia’s most ambitious founders scale beyond borders from day one.

  • USD 145m raised, anchored by leading government and institutional LPs from Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and beyond.
  • 17 companies already backed.
  • Led by repeat builders: a team of entrepreneurs, engineers, and operators with a deep understanding of scaling across borders
  • Part of a global platform: part of Headline, a venture capital network managing USD 4bn+ across San Francisco, Berlin, Paris, London, Luxembourg, and São Paulo.

A Global Fund Rooted in Asia

Over the last 15 years, Headline Asia has built one of the strongest early-stage investment track records in the region. The Asia fund has backed 100+ startups and achieved 9 IPOs or exits, including Freee, Yeahka, WealthNavi, and 17LIVE. With dedicated teams in Tokyo, Taipei and Singapore, and access to the broader Headline global platform, Headline Asia offers founders both local execution support and international reach.

Investment Focus

Fund V invests in Seed to Series A rounds, with check sizes ranging from $1 to $5 million. The fund targets fast-growing opportunities where digital transformation and cross-border demand are accelerating. The fund is already deploying capital, with 17 startups backed to date, reflecting Fund V’s strategic thesis and Headline Asia’s role as a launchpad for high-growth startups.

Supported by Strategic LPs

Fund V is backed by a diverse and strategic group of Limited Partners, including:

  • Japan Investment Corporation (JIC)
  • National Development Fund of Taiwan (NDF)
  • Korea Venture Investment Corporation (KVIC)
  • SME Support Japan
  • Other global institutional investors

In addition, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, former Director at Complus AM and Chief Portfolio Advisor at Nissay Asset Management, joins the Fund V team as a Partner, bringing deep experience across both public and private markets.

Expertise That Scales with You

Headline Asia’s investment strategy is grounded in decades of operating and investing experience. Founding Partner Akio Tanaka was among the earliest to back internet-native business models in Japan and Taiwan—well before “ecosystem” became a buzzword. From early web platforms to AI-native infrastructure, the team has consistently anticipated technology shifts and backed the founders behind them.What sets Headline Asia apart is its founder-first operating mindset: the firm doesn’t just invest—it builds alongside. Whether it’s localizing a product in a new market, assembling a hiring plan, or mapping global distribution, Fund V portfolio companies gain a committed partner with the tactical depth and pattern recognition to move fast and scale smart.

Meet Headline Asia at IVS2025 KYOTO

Headline Asia is hosting IVS2025 KYOTO—Japan’s premier startup and tech summit—from July 2–4, 2025. Since its founding in 2007 by Akio and team, IVS has become the country’s largest and most influential gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders.

This year’s summit will offer a unique opportunity for founders to meet the full Fund V team in person, explore cross-border opportunities, and tap into Headline Asia’s global network.

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