Global Brain

Global Brain Corporation, founded in 1998 and based in Tokyo, Japan, is a venture capital firm that focuses on investing in seed, early, and later-stage startups. The firm has a diverse portfolio, having invested in over 300 companies across various sectors, including e-commerce, software, gaming, media, IoT, disruptive technology, education, entertainment, and fintech. Global Brain is recognized for its hands-on support approach, which has contributed to 25 initial public offerings and 61 mergers and acquisitions among its portfolio companies. In addition to managing traditional investment funds, Global Brain also provides Venture Capital as a Service (VCaaS) solutions and collaborates with leading public companies in sectors such as telecommunications, real estate, financial services, beverages, agriculture, logistics, and electronic devices.

Kaori Akiba

Director

Hidetaka Aoki

Investment Group Partner and Fellow Chief of Space Lab

Tatsunori Arai

Director

Megumi Asatsuma

Director

Anjani Bansal

Partner / India Office Representative

Brooke Beers

Partner

Takuji Chida

Director

Hogil Doh

General Partner

Thomas Duong

Principal

Brian Flucht

Partner / US Division Head

Hajime Furuya

Venture Partner

Kenji Hayashi

Principal

Shohei Hayashi

Partner

Harue Hayashi

Partner / Vice Chief Fund Management Officer

Jie He

Director China office Representative

Yosuke Hirai

Director

Joopyo Hong

Partner Investment Group

Naoki Horie

Principal

Jang Hyeokjin

Principal

Shohei Ichimiya

Partner / US Office

Nozomu Ikuta

Principal

Kotona Inaida

Director

Tomoaki Ishikure

Partner

Yoshinari Ito

Venture Partner

Yuki Ito

Director

Hiroyuki Izumi

Partner

Ken Kajii

General Partner

Naoki Kamimaeda

Partner and Europe Division Head

Daisuke Kashiro

General Partner

Kirin Kato

Principal

Takashi Kato

Partner, San Francisco Office Representative

Masaya Kawakami

Principal, Investment Group

Hiroyuki Kawamoto

Principal

Ko Kawaragi

Director

Maiko Kayata

Principal

ByeongJin Kim

Principal

Riichiro Kimura

Director / US NY Office

Kenta Kitsuka

General Partner

Issei Kokubu

Director

Yoshiomi Kubota

Principal

Jiro Kumakura

General Partner and Board Member

Jinya Kurita

Director

KyungHun Lee

Partner

YingQi Liang(Joy)

Principal

Chukaku Lin

Director

Atsushi Matsuda

Venture Partner

Tatsuya Matsumoto

Partner / Singapore Office Representative

Akira Matsumoto

Principal

Yuki Matsuo

Director

Natsumi Matsuoka

Principal

Tomoko Minagawa

Director

Ai Minamizaki

Principal

Shigeru Mitarai

Director

Kazuhiko Miyama

General Partner

Shuhei Mori

Principal

Seiichiro Mukai

Director

Satoko Murata

Principal, Investment Group

Kohtaro Nagawa

Director

Mitsutaka Nakao

Principal, Investment Group

Shien Nakayama

Director

Yuya Namiki

Director

Ying Jian Ng

Director

Daisuke Nishida

General Partner

Yukari Nishiyama

Director, Investment Group

Akiko Noguchi

Director

Rina Obi

Investment Group Director, Berlin Office

Sho Ohtani

Principal

Tetsui Okada

Director

Mayu Okamoto

Director

Akane Okuyama

Director

Shingo Otaki

Partner

Rampalli Karthik

Principal

Naoki Sadakuni

Venture Partner

Enen Sai

Principal

Youichi Sakagawa

Director, Investment Group

Kazuki Sakuragawa

Partner / Editor in Chief

Masumi Sato

Principal

Naoki Sato

Principal, Investment Group

Tomoki Sekiguchi

Principal

Rie Shibata

Director

Takeru Shigemura

Director

Miku Shimamura

Principal

Masamune Shin

General Partner

Ayu Shinoyama

CFO and Board Member

Chisa Shinsakaue

Director

Divyansh Singh

Principal

Hiroto Sorita

Director

Sachiko Sugiura

Director

Yusuke Suzuki

Partner

Kazumo Tachibana

Director

Mana Takabayashi

Director

Hiroki Takai

Director

Toko Takao

Principal

Hideyuki Tanaka

Director

Marika Tazaki

Partner

Hirotaka Togashi

Director

Haruka Tsujii

Director

Atsushi Ueda Ph.D

Principal, Investment Group

Takuya Ukai

Principal, Investment Group

Tetsuya Urimoto

Director

Noriko Usui

Partner / Chief Fund Management Officer

Keita Washizu

Principal

Masao Yamada

Senior Partner

Kazunori Yamaguchi

Partner, Investment Group

Kazunor Yamaguchi

Partner

Ryozo Yamamoto

Partner

Michiko Yamazaki

Principal, Investment Group

Takuro Yoda

Principal, Investment Group

Sayaka Yoshino

Director

Miku Yoshio

Partner

Miyazawa Yusuke

Venture Partner

Lusheng Zou

Director

Takuya Hosomura

Partner

Sho Ikeda

Partner / Indonesia Office Representative

Past deals in Geospatial

GEOFLA

Venture Round in 2024
Geofra develops Planning and creation of items that rejuvenate the movement of people in physical areas, regional revitalization initiatives

Essen

Seed Round in 2024
Essen is a technological company that specializes in mobility and data analysis, as well as using data to improve transportation.

nearMe

Series B in 2023
NearMe Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in a mobile application designed for taxi ride-sharing services. Founded in 2017, the application facilitates instant matching of individuals traveling in the same direction, addressing inefficiencies in transportation and commuting. By enabling users to share taxi rides in real time, NearMe aims to improve the commuting experience and promote a more sustainable community. The platform addresses social inefficiencies by connecting users with similar travel interests, ultimately contributing to a more comfortable and efficient commuting solution.

Metro Weather

Series A in 2022
Metro Weather is a venture originating from Kyoto University focused on developing advanced atmospheric measurement equipment. The company specializes in a high-performance Doppler lidar system designed to accurately measure wind direction and speed from several tens of kilometers away by analyzing minute movements of fine particles in the atmosphere. By integrating remote sensing technology with signal processing, Metro Weather aims to create a comprehensive three-dimensional wind map, a novel achievement in the field of meteorology. This innovative approach combines meteorological data with Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, allowing clients to receive detailed insights into weather conditions, thereby enhancing safety and operational efficiency in various sectors affected by wind patterns.

WhereIsMyTransport

Series A in 2021
WhereIsMyTransport Ltd is a mobility technology company focused on providing comprehensive public transport data for megacities in emerging markets. Headquartered in London, with an additional office in Cape Town, the company specializes in digitalizing network information from various modes of public transport across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Europe, and South and Southeast Asia. By employing a data collection playbook, WhereIsMyTransport maps both formal and informal transport networks, ensuring data accuracy as these systems evolve. The company's platform serves businesses, municipalities, and citizens, enhancing the public transport experience and facilitating informed decision-making for infrastructure improvements and market entry.

Swift Navigation

Series C in 2021
Swift Navigation, Inc. is a technology company specializing in precise global positioning system (GPS) solutions, founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, California, with an additional location in Melbourne, Australia. The company develops hardware and software that provide centimeter-level accuracy through real-time kinematics (RTK) technology. Its product lineup includes the Piksi Multi GNSS Module, a versatile RTK receiver, and the Duro Ruggedized Receiver, designed for various industrial applications such as agriculture and robotics. Additionally, Swift Navigation offers the Skylark cloud corrections service and the Starling GNSS positioning engine, which caters to automotive and autonomous vehicle needs. The company's innovative solutions, characterized by their affordability and high accuracy—100 times better than standard GPS—serve multiple industries, including unmanned aerial vehicles, surveying, and space applications. Swift Navigation's commitment to making advanced positioning technology accessible is recognized by notable accolades, including mentions in Inc. and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists.

GeoSpock

Venture Round in 2020
GeoSpock is a developer of a cloud-native analytics database designed for handling geospatial big data and complex real-world analytics. Its primary product, GeoSpock DB, facilitates the fusion of various Internet of Things (IoT) data sources, allowing users to unlock the full value of their data while minimizing complexity and costs. The platform supports efficient data storage and rapid access, enabling users to execute ANSI SQL queries and connect seamlessly with standard analytics tools through flexible JDBC/ODBC connectors. It offers compatibility with popular business intelligence tools like Tableau, Amazon QuickSight, and Microsoft Power BI, as well as data science environments such as Python Notebooks and Apache Spark. GeoSpock DB can also be integrated with proprietary applications and internal tools, supporting open-source visualization libraries like Kepler and Cesium.js, thereby enhancing data analysis and insight sharing for its clients.

GeoSpock

Series B in 2019
GeoSpock is a developer of a cloud-native analytics database designed for handling geospatial big data and complex real-world analytics. Its primary product, GeoSpock DB, facilitates the fusion of various Internet of Things (IoT) data sources, allowing users to unlock the full value of their data while minimizing complexity and costs. The platform supports efficient data storage and rapid access, enabling users to execute ANSI SQL queries and connect seamlessly with standard analytics tools through flexible JDBC/ODBC connectors. It offers compatibility with popular business intelligence tools like Tableau, Amazon QuickSight, and Microsoft Power BI, as well as data science environments such as Python Notebooks and Apache Spark. GeoSpock DB can also be integrated with proprietary applications and internal tools, supporting open-source visualization libraries like Kepler and Cesium.js, thereby enhancing data analysis and insight sharing for its clients.

GeoSpock

Series A in 2018
GeoSpock is a developer of a cloud-native analytics database designed for handling geospatial big data and complex real-world analytics. Its primary product, GeoSpock DB, facilitates the fusion of various Internet of Things (IoT) data sources, allowing users to unlock the full value of their data while minimizing complexity and costs. The platform supports efficient data storage and rapid access, enabling users to execute ANSI SQL queries and connect seamlessly with standard analytics tools through flexible JDBC/ODBC connectors. It offers compatibility with popular business intelligence tools like Tableau, Amazon QuickSight, and Microsoft Power BI, as well as data science environments such as Python Notebooks and Apache Spark. GeoSpock DB can also be integrated with proprietary applications and internal tools, supporting open-source visualization libraries like Kepler and Cesium.js, thereby enhancing data analysis and insight sharing for its clients.
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.