Startup Funding Wrap-up in Japan – Aug 25th-31st

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Here is what happened for the week Aug 25-31:

🇯🇵 Japan – Raises for the week ¥9.345b (~US$64.5m)

• Yokohama Vanilla – ~¥370m Series A (~US$2.55m) – D2C sweets scale-up – PR Times (Japanese only)
• Cubec, Inc. – (Co-founders – Shinsuke Okui and NOBUHIKO NIIDA) ¥15m (~US100k) – AI/clinical knowledge search – PR Times (Japanese only)
• Vlightup – (Co-founders Natsuko Tanaka and Sachio Minamoto) – Undisclosed Seed – Web3/crypto security (TRUSTAUTHY) – PR Times (Japanese only)
• Cierpa & Co., Inc. – ¥1.0b (~US$6.9m) Series B – AI-driven HR/talent platform ‘Smart ESG’ – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• nonat Inc. – (CEO – Keisuke Ito) ¥130m (~US$900k) Pre-Series A – Building perinatal AI foundation models – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Helpfeel – (CEO/Founder – Isshu Rakusai) ¥2.6b (~US$18m) Series E – AI-powered knowledge search platform – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• SHAREDINE – ¥2.1b (~US$14.5m) Series B – Chef-link meal platform, expanding internationally – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• LAPRAS Inc. – (CEO – Hiroki Shimada) Undisclosed (new investor Spurcle) – Talent matching / recruiting intelligence – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Smooth – ¥2.0b (~US$13.8m) – Growth round – Rental installment payment service. The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Visual Bank inc. – (Co-founders – Fumitaka Iizuka and Saneyuki Nagai) ¥1.1b (~US$7.6m) – Series B – IP/AI platform for creative rights – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• TRUSTAUTHY – Undisclosed seed round (Gazelle Capital) – Cryptocurrency security company – The Bridge (Japanese only)

JP Disclosed total: ¥9.345b (~US$64.5m) – Awesome work guys!

Headlines out of Japan:

• Can Vibecoding be used for full-scale development? – Polyscape’s AI-driven development dramatically shortens development time – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• DNX Ventures raises additional investment fund of approximately ¥2.5 b (US$17m) – Existing investors hold the key to large-cap listings – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Modi, Ishiba visit Tokyo Electron facility to deepen semiconductor ties – Nikkei Japan
• How Howard Lutnick and Masayoshi Son put Japan on the hook for $550bn – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s debt servicing costs to surge to record $220bn – Nikkei Japan
• Japan to invest $68bn in India over 10 years, including AI and chips – Nikkei Japan
• Global corporate profits up 7% in April-June on AI and tech demand – Nikkei Japan
• Condo and hotel-building frenzy heats up in Japan’s Okinawa – Nikkei Japan

Sector Spotlight – Defense:

• WARPSPACE – Raised a Series B (Nov 2024) to advance its inter-satellite optical communication network (WarpHub InterSat). Partnered with GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae (Jun 2025) to build a secure platform for satellite operations — clear dual-use potential for both commercial and defense applications.
• AirKamuy Inc. – Secured ¥100m (~US$0.7m) Pre-Seed (Apr 2025). Builds low-cost fixed-wing VTOL drones with folding wings for logistics, patrol, and security missions. The drones use lightweight materials, but “cardboard drones” is media shorthand rather than the company’s official product description.

Have a great week!

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