venture capital
Tokyo-based venture capital firm DG Daiwa Ventures (DGDV) has participated in a Series A investment for Project Pluto, a New York-based startup developing an advanced artificial intelligence agent tailored specifically for institutional investors. Project Pluto is the creator of "Terminal X," an AI Financial Agent designed to help
venture capital
Micronity, a Tokyo-based startup specializing in an AI-driven "business succession platform," has raised 2.2 billion JPY (approximately $14.5 million USD) in a seed funding round. The capital injection, led by domestic venture capital firms including Mitsubishi UFJ Innovation Partners (MUIP) and various individual investors, aims to
venture capital
Novastar Ventures, a prominent fixture in the African venture capital landscape, has completed the final close of its "Africa People and Planet Fund III" at $147 million. While the total falls short of the firm’s initial $200 million target—reflecting a broader global tightening in private equity
venture capital
Sumitomo Corporation is doubling down on its domestic startup ecosystem with its venture capital arm, Sumisho Venture Partners (SVP), establishing a new ¥10 billion-scale fund and transitioning its Japanese corporate venture capital (CVC) activities to a dedicated fund-based structure. The new fund, which includes existing investments currently under management, is
Weekly
Welcome to the fourth year, and the one hundred fifty-seventh edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Mitsui & Co., Ltd., SBI Digital Markets, Cherubic Ventures, Societe Generale Corporate and Investment Banking - SGCIB, and Visa, among others 🙏 With
venture capital
Plum, the Bengaluru-based health insurance and employee benefits platform, has successfully secured $20 million (approximately ₹193 crore) in a Series B funding round. While the round was led by Peak XV Partners, a significant highlight of this latest capital injection is the participation of GMO Venture Partners, who joins the
venture capital
SBI Holdings and Vienna-based venture capital firm Speedinvest GmbH have established a strategic partnership and a new 50/50 joint venture (JV) with a view to deepen capital ties between Asia and Europe. The joint venture, formed specifically between Speedinvest and SBI’s wholly owned subsidiary, SBI Ventures Europe, is
venture capital
Startale Group has successfully closed its Series A funding round, raising a total of $63 million to accelerate the development of its vertically integrated blockchain ecosystem. The final tally was reached following a significant $50 million second-close investment from the Japanese financial titan SBI Group, complementing an initial $13 million
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-sixth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from Mastercard and BVNK (congratulations on tying the knot!), Dealroom.co, the IFC - International Finance Corporation, and TerraPay, among others 🙏 This edition also marks our three
venture capital
Kyoto University Innovation Capital (Kyoto iCAP) has established its third flagship investment vehicle, the Innovation Kyoto 2026 Investment Limited Partnership (KYOTO-iCAP Fund III). Managed by Kyoto iCAP as the general partner under the leadership of Representative Director Ko Kusumi, the new fund scales the university’s commitment to commercializing high-level
Weekly
Welcome to the one hundred fifty-fifth edition of the Japan FinTech Observer. This week, we are excited to have new subscribers join us from the National Payments Corporation of Kazakhstan, the International Monetary Fund, LSEG, and Groupe Crédit Agricole, among others 🙏 2026 was supposed to be the year marked by
venture capital
Capitalizing on the surging global demand for energy-efficient computing infrastructure, Japanese semiconductor startup LENZO has successfully closed a 500 million JPY seed funding round. The capital injection features backing from a heavyweight consortium of high-profile domestic investors: Incubate Fund, Sony Innovation Fund, and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. The raise highlights a