Ascenders
Series A in 2024
Ascenders Inc., established in 2016 and based in Tokyo, Japan, operates in the sports human resources sector, focusing on developing systems that facilitate professional growth within the sports industry. The company provides a range of services aimed at fostering self-realization and career development for individuals in sports. By creating a supportive infrastructure, Ascenders aims to nurture world-class professionals and enhance the work environment for those in the sports field. Their offerings include sports education, asset management services, and various platforms that promote a thriving business ecosystem for sports professionals.
WAmazing, founded in 2016 and based in Tokyo, Japan, offers essential services for foreign travelers visiting the country. The company provides free SIM cards that allow tourists to register before arriving in Japan, facilitating access to mobile internet services of up to 500MB through its app. This service addresses challenges faced by visitors, such as navigating Japanese sign-up pages that require local phone numbers for free Wi-Fi access. In addition to SIM cards, WAmazing's platform serves as a multilingual travel guide, offering tour applications, reservation information, and tourism consulting services for local governments and tourism organizations. By enabling tourists to access vital information through their smartphones, WAmazing enhances the travel experience in Japan.
PARONYM Inc. is a technology company based in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 2016. It specializes in interactive video solutions through its flagship product, TIG, which allows users to engage with video content by touching objects within the video to access relevant information. This technology enhances viewer understanding by linking details about various subjects, such as wedding venues and restaurants. PARONYM offers a range of services, including TIG live for streaming events, TIG commerce for integrated shopping, TIG branch for personalized video experiences, and TIG learning for educational materials. Additionally, the company provides TIG Ads, TIG local for offline information access, and TIG magazines, focusing on sectors like apparel, real estate, entertainment, and sports.
Monstar Lab
Venture Round in 2020
Headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Monstar Lab, Inc. provides access to top talent and specialists around the world as the foundation for all of the group’s activities. The company consists of more than 1200 engineers and creators in offices in 26 cities and 15 countries worldwide. The core consultancy arm of the company engineers awesome solutions that perform for clients around the world. In addition, the company’s array of products and services ranging from co-working spaces, robotic process automation, game development, streaming services, HR tech and education programs empower thinkers and makers globally.
Toridori Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in influencer marketing services, catering to individuals and small to medium-sized enterprises. Established in 2016, Toridori offers a range of services including social networking support, feedback mechanisms, and the latest insights into influencer marketing. The company operates a platform designed to connect influencers with businesses seeking to enhance their marketing effectiveness. Additionally, it features a job search application specifically for influencers, facilitating their integration into corporate marketing strategies. Toridori focuses on identifying and developing the unique potential of influencers, promoting their visibility and impact in the marketing landscape.
PR Table Inc., founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in developing a mobile application that facilitates corporate storytelling. The company offers a public relations platform that allows corporate clients to create, accumulate, and utilize narratives for marketing and advertising purposes. This platform enables businesses to effectively communicate their stories related to publication, recruitment, and significant founding episodes, enhancing their ability to engage with audiences and promote their brand.
NETSTARS
Venture Round in 2020
Netstars Co., Ltd is an internet service company based in Tokyo, Japan, with additional offices in Shenzhen, Dalian, and Hanoi. Founded in 2009, the company specializes in developing and distributing point of sale terminals that facilitate smartphone-based payment methods, including QR codes and barcodes, catering to a variety of service providers. Its core offerings include StarPay, a multi-cashless payment solution; StarPay-DX, which addresses store operation challenges through digital transformation; and StarPay Global, aimed at promoting cashless payment solutions internationally. Additionally, Netstars provides mobile payment services, a multiple payment option gateway, and promotional services for inbound tourists, incorporating popular platforms such as WeChat Pay and Line Pay. The company also develops mobile instant messaging software to enhance user engagement.
MILIZE
Venture Round in 2019
MILIZE, Inc. operates a cloud-based web platform that integrates financial engineering and artificial intelligence to provide a variety of financial services. The company offers several products, including milize Forecast, an AI modeling tool for predicting time series data, and AI Data Bank, which delivers AI-based analysis services in collaboration with financial institutions. Additionally, MILIZE provides tools such as milize, an AI-driven sales forecasting tool for new store openings, milize Trade, an investment decision support tool, milize Similar Chart for trading risk management, and milize Pro, a life plan simulation tool. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, MILIZE aims to enhance financial management by offering users comprehensive tools to make informed financial decisions.
SmartNews
Series E in 2019
SmartNews is the award-winning news app loved by millions. We are a machine-learning company deeply committed to helping users find quality news beyond the filter bubble. Our algorithms evaluate tens of millions of articles, behaviors and social interactions to deliver only the most interesting and important stories on a global scale—a fascinating engineering challenge that has attracted a world-class data science and engineering team. SmartNews won numerous “App of the Year” awards and has been downloaded by more than 35 million people and has over 10million monthly active users. SmartNews has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, and New York. Join our international culture—smart work, smart people and a global mission to bring quality information to the world. Travel between our amazing offices in the U.S. and Japan, and collaborate with coworkers from around the world.
AI Medical Service
Series B in 2019
AI Medical Service Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in developing artificial intelligence technologies aimed at enhancing endoscopic medical care. The company focuses on creating extensive training data to analyze endoscopic images, thereby providing valuable support to endoscopists in diagnosing conditions affecting the digestive tract, including the esophagus, stomach, and intestines. By integrating the expertise of Japanese endoscopic specialists, AI Medical Service aims to improve clinical practices while ensuring that ultimate diagnostic decisions remain in the hands of trained physicians. This approach fosters safer medical interventions and contributes to the advancement of endoscopic care on a global scale.
PARONYM
Venture Round in 2019
PARONYM Inc. is a technology company based in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 2016. It specializes in interactive video solutions through its flagship product, TIG, which allows users to engage with video content by touching objects within the video to access relevant information. This technology enhances viewer understanding by linking details about various subjects, such as wedding venues and restaurants. PARONYM offers a range of services, including TIG live for streaming events, TIG commerce for integrated shopping, TIG branch for personalized video experiences, and TIG learning for educational materials. Additionally, the company provides TIG Ads, TIG local for offline information access, and TIG magazines, focusing on sectors like apparel, real estate, entertainment, and sports.
Creema Ltd. is an online marketplace based in Tokyo, Japan, that connects creators and consumers for the buying and selling of handmade products. Founded in 2009, it offers a diverse range of categories including accessories, jewelry, plush toys, bags, stationery, pet goods, and furniture, among others. In addition to facilitating online transactions, Creema organizes exhibitions and events, such as the Handmade in Japan festival, to promote creators and their works. The platform also provides services aimed at empowering creators and enhancing their visibility in the market.
Since its founding in 2007, Sansan has focused on delivering its cloud based contact management service to customers in Japan and beyond. Sansan is setting the standard in Japan for cloud-based contact management, with annually doubling numbers of users from over 7,000 premium corporate users including the Japanese Government (METI). Sansan Inc. is based in Tokyo, Japan and has its subsidiary Sansan global Pte. Ltd. in Singapore since October 2015. The company began offering its business card app Eight in 2012. It has over 1.5 million registered users as a new business network that incorporates a social media framework to transform business cards into business connections. Founded: June 11, 2007 URL: https://www.corp-sansan.com/ Address: Aoyama Oval Building, 13F, 5-52-2, Jingu-mae Shibuya-ku Tokyo 150-0001 Business scope: Planning, development, and sales of cloud-based business card management services Sansan for business users: https://www.sansan.com Eight for individual users: https://8card.net
NETSTARS
Venture Round in 2018
Netstars Co., Ltd is an internet service company based in Tokyo, Japan, with additional offices in Shenzhen, Dalian, and Hanoi. Founded in 2009, the company specializes in developing and distributing point of sale terminals that facilitate smartphone-based payment methods, including QR codes and barcodes, catering to a variety of service providers. Its core offerings include StarPay, a multi-cashless payment solution; StarPay-DX, which addresses store operation challenges through digital transformation; and StarPay Global, aimed at promoting cashless payment solutions internationally. Additionally, Netstars provides mobile payment services, a multiple payment option gateway, and promotional services for inbound tourists, incorporating popular platforms such as WeChat Pay and Line Pay. The company also develops mobile instant messaging software to enhance user engagement.
AI inside
Venture Round in 2018
AI Inside Inc. is a Tokyo-based company specializing in artificial intelligence and software development, particularly focusing on optical character recognition (OCR) services. Founded in 2015, AI Inside is dedicated to facilitating the digital transformation of society by converting various forms of information into digital data. The company offers an AI-powered platform known as the DX Suite, which aims to enhance productivity across different sectors. Through its innovative algorithms, AI Inside contributes to the advancement of a digital society by streamlining data processing and improving operational efficiency for its clients.
ABEJA, Inc. is a Japanese company that specializes in artificial intelligence software tailored for retailers and manufacturers. Founded in 2012 and based in Minato-Ku, the company offers a cloud-based platform that integrates advanced technologies such as IoT, big data, and deep learning. ABEJA's services encompass data collection, analysis, automation, simulation, and visualization, enabling sophisticated analyses and optimized solutions across various industries, particularly in retail, manufacturing, and infrastructure. The platform supports the entire machine learning and deep learning pipeline, facilitating development, deployment, and ongoing operations to drive digital transformation for its clients.
Akippa
Venture Round in 2018
Akippa Inc. is a company based in Osaka, Japan, that operates a parking lot reservation application. Founded in 2009 and formerly known as Galaxy Agency Inc., the company provides a platform that facilitates the sharing of parking spaces by allowing users to make online reservations for unoccupied monthly parking spots and vacant spaces, including private garages and commercial facilities. Akippa's mobile application connects individuals and businesses seeking parking with available spaces, enabling users to pre-book their parking needs while allowing space owners to monetize their empty parking areas. The company also maintains an additional office in Tokyo.
Palma Co., Ltd. is a consulting and outsourcing firm specializing in the self-storage market in Japan. Founded in 2006 and based in Tokyo, the company offers a range of services including market research, self-storage development, and representation for overseas investors and operators. Palma also provides comprehensive outsourcing services, which encompass tenant applications, billing and payment processing, delinquency management, and on-site facility management. Additionally, the company supports its clients with marketing and promotional services, as well as IT solutions such as web reservation systems and inventory management. Palma's turnkey solutions further include facility development sales and property management, making it a key player in the self-storage industry.
Jtower
Venture Round in 2018
JTOWER Inc. is a telecommunications infrastructure company based in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in infrastructure sharing services. Founded in 2012, the company focuses on the design and construction of information communication infrastructure, as well as the development of communication-related solutions. JTOWER provides a range of services that include in-building infrastructure sharing, cloud-managed Wi-Fi, outdoor tower sharing, and local 5G services, catering primarily to landlords and mobile network operators. Additionally, it offers site locator systems to facilitate the deployment of mobile infrastructure. As a subsidiary of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, JTOWER plays a vital role in enhancing telecommunications infrastructure across Japan.
Welby
Venture Round in 2017
Welby Inc. is a medical data research company based in Tokyo, Japan, established in 2011. It provides digital tools designed to assist patients and their families in managing medical treatment and preventing disease progression. The company collaborates with pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as government entities and healthcare professionals, to co-develop digital services. One of its key offerings is the Welby My Karte app, which allows patients to share and visualize their health data with healthcare providers and family members. Additionally, Welby offers marketing support services to pharmaceutical companies and health insurance organizations through its digital service platform.