Nippon Life establishes new funds to invest in domestic VCs and startups

Nissay Asset Management and Nissay Capital will each newly establish funds to invest in domestic venture capital and startup companies. In addition, Nippon Life Insurance will invest approximately 35 billion yen in these funds.

The “NISSAY Startup Support Fund I” (30 billion yen investment, 20-year term) newly established by Nissay Asset Management will invest in funds operated by domestic venture capital firms, and as an initiative that also contributes to the Emerging Managers Program (EMP, a program to promote investment in emerging asset managers), it will widely provide funding including to excellent emerging managers.

The “Nissay Strategic Investment Partnership №1” (approximately 5 billion yen investment, 15-year term) newly established by Nissay Capital will invest in domestic startup companies. In investing in this fund, in addition to economic returns, Nippon Life will pursue business synergies through co-creation with investees, and explore seeds for new businesses and advanced technologies that contribute to enhancing the insurance business through investment activities within the Nippon Life Group. In addition, with the aim of contributing to the long-term expansion of the domestic startup market, both funds have set relatively long investment periods compared to typical venture capital funds.

Nissay Asset Management has abundant experience in domestic and overseas alternative asset classes and excellent fund selection capabilities, with assets under management of approximately 340 trillion yen, one of the largest in Japan. In addition, since the establishment of Nissay Capital in 1991, Nippon Life has invested through Nissay Capital in over 1,000 startup companies (of which over 250 have been listed), continuously providing long-term funding regardless of market conditions.

Going forward, through these initiatives, Nippon Life will accelerate support for the growth of the domestic startup market, contribute to revitalizing the Japanese economy, and aim to strengthen the competitiveness of the Nippon Life Group through co-creation with startup companies.

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