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 Recycling

Symbiobe

Series A in 2024
Symbiobe is a company that focuses on developing a resource-recycling material production platform aimed at promoting sustainability. By utilizing underexploited natural biomass resources and photosynthetic organisms, the platform offers innovative solutions for greenhouse gas fixation and the production of industrial biopolymers, nitrogen fertilizers, and aquaculture feed. This approach not only enhances the effectiveness of these materials but also supports environmental start-up businesses in obtaining natural and sustainable products. Symbiobe's mission is to advance manufacturing practices globally to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.

CleanFiber

Venture Round in 2024
CleanFiber, LLC specializes in producing high-performance cellulose insulation materials made from recycled corrugated cardboard for residential and commercial construction. Founded in 2013 and based in Blasdell, New York, with an additional office in Buffalo, CleanFiber transitioned from its previous name, UltraCell Insulation, in September 2018. The company focuses on providing sustainable, carbon-negative insulation solutions that can be applied in attics, walls, and floors, catering to both new construction and retrofit projects. CleanFiber's products not only enhance fire resistance in buildings but also offer a cost-competitive alternative for construction companies, supporting environmentally friendly building practices. The company is currently expanding its production capabilities to meet growing demand.

Trove

Series E in 2023
Trove is a leading company in the branded resale and trade-in industry, primarily based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company provides a sophisticated platform that enables brands to efficiently launch, manage, and scale their resale programs, capturing over 75% of the U.S. branded resale market. Trove's platform offers advanced tools for in-store and digital trade-ins, returns processing, and inventory management, which empower brands to connect with diverse customer demographics and optimize their resale strategies through comprehensive analytics. Trove collaborates with notable brands, including Canada Goose, Michael Kors, and Patagonia, enhancing their ability to manage non-new inventory and enabling peer-to-peer sales. As a Certified B Corporation, Trove emphasizes sustainability in retail, aiming to combine commerce with environmental responsibility and drive the industry toward a more sustainable future.

WasteX

Venture Round in 2023
WasteX provides solutions for agriculture and industry helping clients generate attractive financial benefits, productivity gains, and positive environmental impact in the process. clients, WasteX develop, implement and launch end-to-end solutions on their farms, and at their mills and factories.

CleanFiber

Series B in 2023
CleanFiber, LLC specializes in producing high-performance cellulose insulation materials made from recycled corrugated cardboard for residential and commercial construction. Founded in 2013 and based in Blasdell, New York, with an additional office in Buffalo, CleanFiber transitioned from its previous name, UltraCell Insulation, in September 2018. The company focuses on providing sustainable, carbon-negative insulation solutions that can be applied in attics, walls, and floors, catering to both new construction and retrofit projects. CleanFiber's products not only enhance fire resistance in buildings but also offer a cost-competitive alternative for construction companies, supporting environmentally friendly building practices. The company is currently expanding its production capabilities to meet growing demand.

AmicaTerra

Series C in 2022
AmicaTerra is a supplier of biomass products and services.

SUN METALON

SUN METALON specializes in innovative technology aimed at decarbonizing metal manufacturing through processes such as recycling, refining, and forming. The company also manufactures three-dimensional printers designed for local production of metal parts, allowing for on-site fabrication. This approach enables clients to efficiently create metal products in various environments while reducing costs. By combining advanced manufacturing techniques with a focus on sustainability, SUN METALON aims to transform the metal industry and promote more environmentally friendly practices.
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