Global Brain

Global Brain Corporation, established in 1998, is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that invests in technology-focused startups globally, from seed to pre-IPO stages. With a track record of 300+ investments, 25 IPOs, and 61 M&As, the firm provides hands-on support to its portfolio companies. Global Brain manages both independent and corporate venture capital funds, partnering with tier 1 public companies across various industries.

Kaori Akiba

Director

Hidetaka Aoki

Investment Group Partner and Fellow Chief of Space Lab

Tatsunori Arai

Director, Investment Group

Megumi Asatsuma

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

Hajime Furuya

Venture Partner

Harue Hayashi

Partner / Vice Chief Fund Management Officer

Kenji Hayashi

Principal

Shohei Hayashi

Partner, Investment Group

Jie He

Director China office Representative

Yosuke Hirai

Director

Joopyo Hong

Partner Investment Group

Naoki Horie

Principal

Jang Hyeokjin

Principal, Investment Group

Shohei Ichimiya

Partner, US Office

Sho Ikeda

Partner, Indonesia Office Representative

Nozomu Ikuta

Principal

Kotona Inaida

Director

Tomoaki Ishikure

Investment Group Partner

Yuki Ito

Director

Yoshinari Ito

Venture Partner

Hiroyuki Izumi

Partner

Ken Kajii

General Partner, Investment Group

Daisuke Kashiro

Partner, Investment Group

Takashi Kato

Partner, San Francisco Office Representative

Kirin Kato

Principal

Masaya Kawakami

Principal, Investment Group

Hiroyuki Kawamoto

Principal

Ko Kawaragi

Director

Maiko Kayata

Principal

ByeongJin Kim

Principal

Riichiro Kimura

Director, Investment Group

Issei Kokubu

Principal, Investment Group

Yoshiomi Kubota

Principal

Jinya Kurita

Director, Investment Group

KyungHun Lee

Partner, South Korea Office Representative

YingQi Liang(Joy)

Principal

Chukaku Lin

Director

Atsushi Matsuda

Venture Partner

Akira Matsumoto

Principal

Yuki Matsuo

Director

Natsumi Matsuoka

Principal

Tomoko Minagawa

Director, Investment Group

Ai Minamizaki

Principal, Investment Group

Shigeru Mitarai

Director

Shuhei Mori

Principal

Seiichiro Mukai

Director

Satoko Murata

Principal, Investment Group

Kohtaro Nagawa

Director, Investment Group

Tasuke Nakagawa

Partner, M&A

Mitsutaka Nakao Ph.D

Principal, Investment Group

Shien Nakayama

Director

Yuya Namiki

Director

Ying Jian Ng

Director, Investment Group

Daisuke Nishida

General Partner

Yukari Nishiyama

Director, Investment Group

Akiko Noguchi

Director

Rina Obi

Investment Group Director, Berlin Office

Sho Ohtani

Principal, Investment Group

Tetsui Okada

Director, Investments Group

Mayu Okamoto

Director

Akane Okuyama

Director

Shingo Otaki

Partner, Investment Group

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

Hiroshi Shimazu

Managing Director

Masamune Shin

General Partner

Ayu Shinoyama

CFO

Chisa Shinsakaue

Director

Divyansh Singh

Principal

Hiroto Sorita

Director, Investment Group

Sachiko Sugiura

Director

Yusuke Suzuki

Partner

Kazumo Tachibana

Director

Mana Takabayashi

Director, Investment Group

Hiroki Takai

Director, Investment Group London Office

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, Investment Groups

Kazunor Yamaguchi

Partner

Kazunori Yamaguchi

Partner, Investment Group

Ryozo Yamamoto

Partner, Investment Group

Michiko Yamazaki MD

Principal, Investment Group

Isao Yasuda

Senior Partner

Takuro Yoda

Principal, Investment Group

Sayaka Yoshino

Director

Miku Yoshio

Partner, Investment Group

Yasuhiko Yurimoto

Founder, Owner, CEO and General Partner

Miyazawa Yusuke

Venture Partner

Lusheng Zou

Director, Investment Group

Takuya Hosomura

Partner

Past deals in Smart Cities

IONATE

Series A in 2025
IONATE specializes in developing advanced hardware-software systems for smart grids, aiming to enhance power distribution efficiency and stability. The company's flagship product, the Hybrid Intelligent Transformer (HIT), is designed to replace traditional transformers with a smart alternative that integrates data and control for key electrical parameters. This innovative device manages voltage control, harmonic and transient removal, and power factor correction simultaneously. By enabling real-time monitoring and control, the HIT supports effective power distribution across various applications, including power generation, industrial facilities, and data centers, ultimately helping clients reduce energy loss and improve operational efficiency.

Beacon Power Services

Series A in 2024
Beacon Power Services, established in 2013 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, specializes in designing and implementing energy management solutions for commercial and industrial facilities. The company's core offering is its AI-enabled grid management platform, Adora, which provides real-time visibility into network performance for electric utilities, enabling them to anticipate outages, identify network losses, and distribute electricity more efficiently. Additionally, Adora empowers consumers with control over their energy infrastructure, facilitating invoicing, installations, and logistics. Beacon Power Services aims to enhance the quality and duration of electricity supplied in African cities by building smart grids and leveraging data to reduce inefficiencies in power distribution systems.

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.

Hayden AI

Series B in 2023
Hayden AI is a technology company focused on developing artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions aimed at enhancing urban mobility and public transit systems. The company specializes in automated enforcement of dedicated bus lanes and bus stops, which contributes to faster public transportation, increased street safety, and sustainability. By leveraging an autonomous traffic management platform, Hayden AI utilizes advanced technologies and a network of connected mobile devices to improve urban life and support the creation of smarter cities. Its AI-powered mobility solutions are designed to detect, analyze, and address traffic incidents, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for communities.

Hayden AI

Series B in 2023
Hayden AI is a technology company focused on developing artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions aimed at enhancing urban mobility and public transit systems. The company specializes in automated enforcement of dedicated bus lanes and bus stops, which contributes to faster public transportation, increased street safety, and sustainability. By leveraging an autonomous traffic management platform, Hayden AI utilizes advanced technologies and a network of connected mobile devices to improve urban life and support the creation of smarter cities. Its AI-powered mobility solutions are designed to detect, analyze, and address traffic incidents, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for communities.

Yanekara

Venture Round in 2022
Yanekara is a technology company that specializes in smart grid solutions and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The company has developed the V2X platform, which allows electric vehicles to function as virtual storage batteries, effectively utilizing them as a power storage system. This system is designed to optimize the energy generated from renewable sources, such as solar panels, by matching it with the charging needs of electric vehicles. Yanekara's offerings aim to facilitate energy management and promote carbon neutrality, enabling users to harness renewable energy more efficiently.

Girasol Energy

Seed Round in 2021
Girasol Energy Inc. is a Tokyo-based company established in 2017 that specializes in developing an IoT platform specifically for photovoltaic plants. The company’s innovative platform, PPLC, integrates sensor networks that collect solar radiation data using satellite statistics rather than traditional local pyranometers, allowing for widespread applicability across Japan. Its cloud engine processes this data at the panel level, automatically identifying abnormalities through an artificial intelligence-powered engine. Girasol Energy focuses on providing cost-effective monitoring solutions, enabling businesses to remotely detect degradation and optimize the performance of their solar panel modules.

WhereIsMyTransport

Series A in 2021
WhereIsMyTransport Ltd is an urban transportation technology company based in London, United Kingdom, with a presence in Cape Town, South Africa. The company specializes in providing comprehensive public transport data for emerging-market megacities, focusing on regions in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Europe, and South and Southeast Asia. By digitalizing network information from various modes of public transport, WhereIsMyTransport ensures data accuracy amidst the dynamic changes of these systems. Their platform offers a data collection framework for mapping both formal and informal transport networks, equipping businesses, municipalities, and citizens with essential information to enhance infrastructure and navigate urban environments effectively. Through its innovative products and data services, WhereIsMyTransport aims to improve the public transport experience for users and support industry stakeholders in their operational needs.

Qlue

Series B in 2021
Qlue Inc. is a technology company based in Palo Alto, California, that focuses on developing solutions for smart city ecosystems. Established in 2014, the company has evolved from a tech startup into a comprehensive provider of smart city technology in Indonesia. Qlue's offerings include applications that facilitate public service monitoring, enabling citizens to file complaints to local governments and track their resolution. The platform incorporates artificial intelligence, computer vision technology, and mobile workforce management, aimed at helping both government and private sectors make data-driven decisions. By enhancing communication between citizens and local authorities, Qlue strives to foster community engagement and improve urban living conditions. The company was acquired by ServiceNow, Inc. in 2017.

Girasol Energy

Series A in 2021
Girasol Energy Inc. is a Tokyo-based company established in 2017 that specializes in developing an IoT platform specifically for photovoltaic plants. The company’s innovative platform, PPLC, integrates sensor networks that collect solar radiation data using satellite statistics rather than traditional local pyranometers, allowing for widespread applicability across Japan. Its cloud engine processes this data at the panel level, automatically identifying abnormalities through an artificial intelligence-powered engine. Girasol Energy focuses on providing cost-effective monitoring solutions, enabling businesses to remotely detect degradation and optimize the performance of their solar panel modules.

Lime

Series C in 2019
Lime is a transportation company that focuses on providing sustainable solutions for urban mobility by offering electric scooters and bike-sharing services. The company partners with cities to deploy a fleet of electric bikes and scooters equipped with GPS and self-activating locks, which allows users to access affordable and reliable transportation options. Lime aims to address the first- and last-mile transportation challenges, promoting environmentally friendly alternatives that help reduce carbon footprints. By encouraging a shift in transportation behavior, Lime seeks to empower future generations to contribute to a more sustainable planet.
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