Startup Funding Wrap-up in Japan – Sept 8th-14th

Welcome to #003 of our Weekly Funding Startup Wrap in Japan – Sept 8th to 14th!

In Japan, they secured a whopping ¥119.96b (~ US$788m / ~A$1.17b), most of which came from one startup’s massive raise.

Let’s dig into the details!

🇯🇵 Japan – Capital moves:

• Ichirou, Inc. – ¥1.13b (~US$7.5m / ~A$11.0m) Series B – On-demand, customised in-home care platform; new + debt mix incl. FTI, Aflac Ventures Japan, MPower Partners, Cygames Capital et al – PR Times (Japanese only)
• ROMS – ~¥1.3b (~US$8.6m / ~A$12.7m) Additional financing (equity + venture debt) – Small-footprint warehouse automation (Nano-Stream, AGV, pick robotics) for logistics/EC/manufacturing; DNX Ventures, Monoful Venture Partners + lenders – PR Times (Japanese only)
• PoPoKii – Undisclosed (Pre-Series A) – B2B gifting / corporate gifting SaaS; round led by Z Venture Capital to accelerate global expansion – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Vuild – ¥230m (~US$1.5m / ~A$2.25m) Round not specified (growth) – Digital fabrication / construction-tech; scaling B2B offering – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Straya AI – ¥100m (~US$0.66m / ~A$0.98m) Round not specified (seed/early) – AI that predicts employee turnover; revenue-retention analytics for enterprises – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Bizibl – ¥200m (!US$1.3m / ~A$1.95m) Round not specified – Vertical event/marketing ops platform; capital to deepen specialised GTM – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Kyoto Fusioneering – ¥93.8b (~US$617m / ~A$915m) Series C extension + debt facilities – Fusion-reactor components; very large debt-heavy extension to scale manufacturing and projects – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Metagen Therapeutics, Inc. – ¥23.0b (~US$151m / ~A$224.6m) Series B – Microbiome-based therapeutics; funds for clinical pipeline – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Respo – ¥200m (~US$1.3m / ~A$1.95m) Pre-Series A – Customer support ops platform; funds to expand product & sales – The Bridge (Japanese only)

Disclosed JP total = ¥119.96b (~US$788m / ~A$1.17b) excluding PopoKii, who’s round was undisclosed – well done to all those that raised this week!

Headlines out of Japan:

• The rapidly changing M&A market: What are the “scenarios entrepreneurs should avoid”? GB invests 300 million yen in Japan M&A Incubation CEO Yura speaks – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Bandai Namco 021 Fund Expands Total Investment in Startups to 6 Billion Yen – New Strategy for Creating Next-Generation IP – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Qatar to invest US$54m in chipmaking component subsidiary of Japan’s Toppan – Nikkei Japan
• Uniqlo’s Japan sales exceed 1tn yen – a 1st for an apparel company – Nikkei Japan
• Kyoto’s coffee culture gains richness, depth and manga themes – Nikkei Japan
• SBI Shinsei Bank to roll out digital currency for rapid fund transfers – Nikkei Japan
• Japan readies US$3.6bn for Micron to make cutting-edge DRAM – Nikkei Japan
• EU-backed fund plans Japan entry to invest in green start-ups – Nikkei Japan
• Japan leadership race spurs stock buying, but rule of thumb may change – Nikkei Japan
• Tokyo’s busy Yamanote loop line to go driverless by 2035 – Nikkei Japan

⚡ Sector Spotlight – Emerging Energy Startups

• PowerX, Inc. – Startup building “mobile batteries” and ships equipped with massive battery packs to transport renewable energy across regions.
• Eneres – Provides energy-demand response and virtual power plant (VPP) services, enabling decentralised grid management.
• TRENDE Inc. – Backed by SoftBank and TEPCO, it’s an energy-sharing marketplace that allows households and businesses to trade surplus renewable power.

Have a fantastic week ahead!

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