Global Brain

Global Brain is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm founded in 1998, specializing in early-stage investments across various sectors, including e-commerce, software, gaming, media, IoT, education, entertainment, and fintech. The firm has expanded its investment activities to the US and Asia, targeting series A-stage technology companies. Since its inception, Global Brain has invested in approximately 30 companies, achieving seven initial public offerings and seven mergers and acquisitions. The firm supports its portfolio companies by providing not only capital but also strategic guidance, partnerships, and team-building resources to help them reach their milestones. Global Brain is particularly adept in e-commerce, operating a platform called EC-PLANET, which encompasses several group companies, including a large online sports goods store and a logistics firm offering comprehensive fulfillment services. This network, along with Global Brain's connections to established Japanese companies, facilitates market entry for US and Asian businesses into Japan.

Kaori Akiba

Principal, Corporate Management Group

Tatsunori Arai

Director, Investment Group

Megumi Asatsuma

Corporate Management Group, Director

Anjani Bansal

Partner, India Office Representative

Brooke Beers

Partner

Takuji Chida

Director, Investment Groups

Hogil Doh

General Partner, Investment Group

Thomas Duong

Principal

Brian Flucht

Partner and Head, US Division

Daisuke Furukawa

Venture Partner

Hajime Furuya

Venture Partner

Kenji Hayashi

Principal, Investment Group

Shohei Hayashi

Partner

Harue Hayashi

Partner and Vice Chief Fund Management Officer

Yosuke Hirai

Director

Joopyo Hong

Partner Investment Group

Naoki Horie

Principal, Investment Group

Jang Hyeokjin

Principal, Investment Group

Shohei Ichimiya

Partner, US Office

Nozomu Ikuta

Principal

Kotona Inaida

Director, Fund Management Group

Tomoaki Ishikure

Investment Group Partner

Yoshinari Ito

Venture Partner

Yuki Ito

Director

Hiroyuki Izumi

Partner, Investment Group

Ken Kajii

General Partner, Investment Group

Naoki Kamimaeda

Partner and Europe Division Head

Masaru Kaneshiro

Principal

Daisuke Kashiro

Partner, Investment Group

Kirin Kato

Principal

Takashi Kato

Partner, San Francisco Office Representative

Masaya Kawakami

Partner

Hiroyuki Kawamoto

Principal

Ko Kawaragi

Director

Maiko Kayata

Principal

ByeongJin Kim

Principal, Fund Management Group

Jungyong Kim

Principal, Investment Group

Riichiro Kimura Ph.D

Director, Investment Group

Kenta Kitsuka

General Partner

Issei Kokubu

Principal, Investment Group

Yoshiomi Kubota

Principal

Jinya Kurita

Director

KyungHun Lee

Partner, South Korea Office Representative

YingQi Liang(Joy)

Principal, Investment Group

Chukaku Lin

Principal

Atsushi Matsuda

Venture Partner

Akira Matsumoto

Principal, Investment Group

Natsumi Matsuoka

Principal

Hiroshi Mihayashi

Principal

Tomoko Minagawa

Director, Investment Group

Ai Minamizaki

Principal, Investment Group

Shigeru Mitarai

Principal

Kazuhiko Miyama

General Partner

Shuhei Mori

Principal

Seiichiro Mukai

Director

Satoko Murata

Principal, Investment Group

Kohtaro Nagawa

Director, Investment Group

Tasuke Nakagawa

Partner / M&A

Mitsutaka Nakao

Principal, Investment Group

Shien Nakayama

Director, Investment Group

Yuya Namiki

Director

Ying Jian Ng

Director, Investment Group

Daisuke Nishida

Partner, Investment Group

Akiko Noguchi

Director, Corporate Management Group

Rina Obi

Investment Director

Sho Ohtani

Principal, Investment Group

Tetsui Okada

Director, Investments Group

Mayu Okamoto

Principal

Akane Okuyama

Director

Shingo Otaki

Partner, Investment Group

Naoki Sadakuni

Venture Partner

Enen Sai

Principal, Fund Management Group

Kazuki Sakuragawa

Partner and Editor in Chief, Corporate Management Group

Masumi Sato

Principal

Naoki Sato

Principal, Investment Group

Tomoki Sekiguchi

Principal

Rie Shibata

Director, Fund Management Group

Takeru Shigemura

Director

Miku Shimamura

Principal

Hiroshi Shimazu

Managing Director

Masamune Shin

General Partner, Investment Group

Ayu Shinoyama

CFO and Board Member

Chisa Shinsakaue

Director

Divyansh Singh

Principal

Hiroto Sorita

Director, Investment Group

Sachiko Sugiura

Principal

Yusuke Suzuki

Partner

Kazumo Tachibana

Director

Mana Takabayashi

Director, Investment Group

Hiroki Takai

Director, Investment Group London Office

Toko Takao

Principal

Hideyuki Tanaka

Principal

Marika Tazaki

Partner

Hirotaka Togashi

Director, Investment Group

Haruka Tsujii

Principal

Atsushi Ueda

Principal, Investment Group

Takuya Ukai

Principal, Investment Group

Tetsuya Urimoto

Director, Investment Group

Noriko Usui

Partner and Chief Fund Management Officer

Keita Washizu

Principal

Hirokazu Watanabe

Partner

Keita Wazhizu

Principal, Investment Group

Masao Yamada

Senior Partner, Investment Groups

Kazunori Yamaguchi

Partner, Investment Group

Ryozo Yamamoto

Partner, Investment Group

Michiko Yamazaki

Principal, Investment Group

Isao Yasuda

Senior Partner

Takuro Yoda

Principal, Investment Group

Sayaka Yoshino

Director

Miku Yoshio

Partner, Investment Group

Yasuhiko Yurimoto

Founder and President and CEO & Board Member

Miyazawa Yusuke

Venture Partner

Lusheng Zou

Director, Investment Group

Past deals in Digital Media

MOV

Series C in 2022
Mov is a Web Design company.

DataMesh

Series B in 2022
Founded in 2014, DataMesh is a startup company that focuses on empowering first-line workers with Mixed Reality and AI. With DataMesh Digital Twin platform, we are changing how people work with new knowledge and data. We believe in a future where the digital world can perfectly match the real world to create unlimited potential.

4DReplay

Venture Round in 2019
4DReplay, Inc. is a company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in developing advanced visual processing systems for creating dynamic, four-dimensional videos. Founded in 2016, the company focuses on producing time-slicing videos that deliver highlights from any time and angle with exceptional detail. Its innovative technology integrates a network of 4K cameras and user-friendly video editing software, allowing for multi-angle and time-sliced video production across various sectors, including professional sports, commercials, and entertainment. This system enables clients to remotely control and synchronize high-speed visual processing, facilitating an enhanced viewing experience that allows audiences to access video content from multiple perspectives on mobile devices.

One Media

Venture Round in 2019
One Media, Inc. is a Tokyo-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in visual storytelling through animated messages. The company focuses on transforming messages into engaging video content, managing the entire process in-house. This includes video distribution, viewing data analysis, and creative planning and production. By integrating these services, One Media aims to deliver video content that provides unique value to its clients.

PORT

Venture Round in 2018
They operate several vertical media specialized in various fields and develop content marketing that meets user needs. Since it is a vertical media, the content that meets the needs of the user and the advertising that promotes it are very effective, and the user's actions within the media become active, so a lot of behavior data can be obtained. By collecting, integrating, and utilizing that data, they not only expand the vertical media entry territory, but also develop real products in-house and provide a consistent service with “media x real”.

4DReplay

Venture Round in 2017
4DReplay, Inc. is a company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in developing advanced visual processing systems for creating dynamic, four-dimensional videos. Founded in 2016, the company focuses on producing time-slicing videos that deliver highlights from any time and angle with exceptional detail. Its innovative technology integrates a network of 4K cameras and user-friendly video editing software, allowing for multi-angle and time-sliced video production across various sectors, including professional sports, commercials, and entertainment. This system enables clients to remotely control and synchronize high-speed visual processing, facilitating an enhanced viewing experience that allows audiences to access video content from multiple perspectives on mobile devices.

4DReplay

Series A in 2017
4DReplay, Inc. is a company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in developing advanced visual processing systems for creating dynamic, four-dimensional videos. Founded in 2016, the company focuses on producing time-slicing videos that deliver highlights from any time and angle with exceptional detail. Its innovative technology integrates a network of 4K cameras and user-friendly video editing software, allowing for multi-angle and time-sliced video production across various sectors, including professional sports, commercials, and entertainment. This system enables clients to remotely control and synchronize high-speed visual processing, facilitating an enhanced viewing experience that allows audiences to access video content from multiple perspectives on mobile devices.

Every

Venture Round in 2016
Movie Media Business ,Talent Management Business ,Advertisement Business.

PORT

Venture Round in 2016
They operate several vertical media specialized in various fields and develop content marketing that meets user needs. Since it is a vertical media, the content that meets the needs of the user and the advertising that promotes it are very effective, and the user's actions within the media become active, so a lot of behavior data can be obtained. By collecting, integrating, and utilizing that data, they not only expand the vertical media entry territory, but also develop real products in-house and provide a consistent service with “media x real”.

Fronto

Series B in 2015
Fronto is the world’s first mobile lock screen media, which displays curated articles, hot new apps and deals & promos to mobile users through the everyday lock screen in a perfectly seamless way. By simply waking up your phone, you can read trending articles, earn rewards, download coupons, learn new promotional deals. Our first product, Cashslide, was launched in Korea in Nov 2012, and it now has 14 mil users, 2.5 mil DAU and 150 mil PV, which makes it as the most preferred mobile ad channel among local advertisers. In Jul 2013, just 8 months after the launch, we successfully raised $4 mil in Series-A funding. In Apr 2015, we raised $14 mil in Series-B funding. We launched Fronto in the US in May 2014 and hit #1 in New Top Free in Lifestyle. We are looking for experienced mobile media professionals. Join us as a founding member of Fronto based in the SF Bay Area. We are redesigning everyday mobile experience. For more details, visit www.fronto.co and check our app here bit.ly/1ocOJKg

Mist Technologies

Venture Round in 2015
Mist Technologies, Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in content delivery services, leveraging peer-to-peer data delivery technology. Founded in 2013, the company offers a range of products designed to enhance video playback and content sharing. Its offerings include the Mist Inline Player for video playback on mobile devices, a 360° Sphere Video Player for immersive video experiences, and a Video Thumbnailer that creates lightweight video thumbnails. Additionally, Mist Technologies provides MistCDN, a browser-based content delivery solution, and Webdrop, a tool for file exchange between browsers on the same local area network. As a subsidiary of Adways Inc., Mist Technologies focuses on enabling faster and more efficient content distribution among users in close geographical proximity.

Mist Technologies

Venture Round in 2014
Mist Technologies, Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in content delivery services, leveraging peer-to-peer data delivery technology. Founded in 2013, the company offers a range of products designed to enhance video playback and content sharing. Its offerings include the Mist Inline Player for video playback on mobile devices, a 360° Sphere Video Player for immersive video experiences, and a Video Thumbnailer that creates lightweight video thumbnails. Additionally, Mist Technologies provides MistCDN, a browser-based content delivery solution, and Webdrop, a tool for file exchange between browsers on the same local area network. As a subsidiary of Adways Inc., Mist Technologies focuses on enabling faster and more efficient content distribution among users in close geographical proximity.

Edmodo

Series D in 2014
Edmodo, Inc. operates an online platform that serves as a global education network, enabling educators to connect and collaborate with students, parents, and fellow teachers. Founded in 2008 and based in San Mateo, California, Edmodo has grown to encompass over 77 million users across approximately 550,000 schools worldwide. The platform focuses on enhancing communication and collaboration while protecting the privacy of its users. It offers tools for school leaders to utilize analytics, deliver professional development, and improve learning outcomes through frequent formative assessments. Edmodo allows educators to share resources, post classroom materials, and access important school information, thereby fostering a dynamic learning community. In May 2018, Edmodo became a subsidiary of Best Assistant Education Online Limited, further expanding its reach and capabilities in the educational sector.

Richmedia

Venture Round in 2014
Rich Media offers media portal, Web creation, and search engine optimization (SEO) services.

Mind Palette

Series C in 2014
Mind Palette focusing on "mobile * social media" as their main business, they aim to further the realization of a society in which each individual transmits informationin real time and new values are generated by connecting other people. To this end, they conduct the provision of exciting Internet services for both users and creators.

Edmodo

Series D in 2014
Edmodo, Inc. operates an online platform that serves as a global education network, enabling educators to connect and collaborate with students, parents, and fellow teachers. Founded in 2008 and based in San Mateo, California, Edmodo has grown to encompass over 77 million users across approximately 550,000 schools worldwide. The platform focuses on enhancing communication and collaboration while protecting the privacy of its users. It offers tools for school leaders to utilize analytics, deliver professional development, and improve learning outcomes through frequent formative assessments. Edmodo allows educators to share resources, post classroom materials, and access important school information, thereby fostering a dynamic learning community. In May 2018, Edmodo became a subsidiary of Best Assistant Education Online Limited, further expanding its reach and capabilities in the educational sector.

Mbite

Seed Round in 2014
Mbite Inc. is a prominent platform based in Seoul, South Korea, that specializes in the sale and purchase of graphics and illustrations for the game industry. Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Jung-Yong Kim, the company's primary offering is Rainbow.dot, a portal that allows game developers to choose from a diverse selection of artwork, including characters, items, and backgrounds in both 2D and 3D formats. This service aims to streamline the creative process for game developers by providing easy access to high-quality visual assets.

PORT

Seed Round in 2014
They operate several vertical media specialized in various fields and develop content marketing that meets user needs. Since it is a vertical media, the content that meets the needs of the user and the advertising that promotes it are very effective, and the user's actions within the media become active, so a lot of behavior data can be obtained. By collecting, integrating, and utilizing that data, they not only expand the vertical media entry territory, but also develop real products in-house and provide a consistent service with “media x real”.

Stipple

Seed Round in 2010
Stipple is an internet technology company based in San Francisco that specializes in enhancing the visual web by transforming digital images into interactive experiences. Its innovative marketing technology stack detects and identifies content within images, allowing advertisers and publishers to incorporate interactive and curated content seamlessly. Stipple's platform enables native advertising solutions and fosters organic connections to commerce, thereby driving discovery, engagement, and customer loyalty. The technology offers unique image analytics and advertising capabilities without the need for widgets or embed codes, making it scalable across the web. Stipple is backed by prominent investors, including Floodgate and Kleiner Perkins.
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