Startup Funding Wrap-up in Japan – 6th-12th Oct

We’re at our #007 edition of the Startup Funding Wrap-up in Japan, and again it had another solid week with ¥10.37b (≈ A$106.7m / US $70.4m).

Let’s dive into the details:

🇯🇵 Japan – Capital moves:

• forest • ¥6b (≈ A$61.69m / US$40.73m) Series B • Startup forest completes a ¥6.0b B round to accelerate product and hiring • PR Times (Japanese only)
• Synflux(株) • ¥250m (≈ A$2.57m / US$1.70m) (round not specified / growth) • “Algorithmic couture” / AI fashion design studio raises to scale its platform and partnerships • PR Times (Japanese only)
• Mokable • ¥150m (≈ A$1.54m / US$1.02m) Seed • Maker of “edible coffee” products secures seed to expand production & retail • PR Times (Japanese only)
• Z-Works Inc. • ¥700m (≈ A$7.20m / US$4.75m) Equity + venture debt • Caregiving DX firm (“LiveConnect”) raises via third-party allotment + venture debt to scale facilities and R&D • The Bridge (Japanese only)
• XPERISUS Inc. • ¥1.24b (Series A total) (≈ A$12.75m / US$8.42m) Series A (final close) • Inbound luxury / cultural tourism platform completes A round (latest close ¥560m), bringing Series A to ¥1.24b • The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Ms. Engineer • ¥320m (≈ A$3.29m / US$2.17m) Pre-Series A • Women-focused AI/IT talent platform & AI product studio raises to expand training and development • The Bridge (Japanese only)
• CROSS SYNC, Inc. • ¥230m (extension) (≈ A$2.36m / US$1.56m) Series A2 extension • Acute-care hospital “safety & quality improvement” platform adds A2 extension; (A2 total previously reported at ¥510m) • The Bridge (Japanese only)
• Celaid Therapeutics • ¥1.1b (≈ A$10.85m / US$7.16m) Series B (first close) • Cell therapy / biotech company secures ¥10.55億 first close to advance pipeline • The Bridge (Japanese only)
• KaKa Creation • ¥450m (≈ A$4.63m / US$3.05m) (round not specified) • AI-assisted animation studio raising from a mix of CVCs and investors to scale AI animation production • PR Times (Japanese only)

Japan Total for the week – ¥10.37b (≈ A$106.7m / US $70.4m) – well done to all the startups that secured funding!

Headlines out of Japan:

• Official changes to Japan’s Business Manager Visa – effective Thursday, October 16th – My LinkedIn
• Mitsui Fudosan and Global Brain Establish a New CVC with a Total Amount of 20 Billion Yen – PR Times (Japanese only)
• We are now accepting applications for the “VC Ideathon,” where participants will create business plans based on business ideas from venture capital firms – PR Times (Japanese only)
• The winner is AiRato, which revolutionizes radiation therapy with AI – Sendai launches global challenge, DATERISE! 2025 sees 11 Tohoku companies competing fiercely – The Bridge (Japanese only)
• In Japan, babies born to foreign parents hit 3%, easing birth decline – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s Hokkaido Spaceport lands on map as international launch site – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s foreign population hits record 3.95m as workers flood in – Nikkei Japan
• Japan private equity firm to give startups exit strategies beyond IPOs – Nikkei Japan
• Singapore food tech startup opens Japan R&D center after fundraising – Nikkei Japan
• SoftBank’s Son looks to ‘next frontier’ of AI robots with ABB deal – Nikkei Japan
• Susumu Kitagawa of Japan’s Kyoto University shares Nobel Prize in chemistry – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s Ricoh eyes inkjet tech to make flexible solar cells – Nikkei Japan
• NTT and Broadcom to build key device for ultrafast optical network in 2026 – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s dual-use screening to cover $31bn in machine tool, drone, chip exports – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s Asset Management One to launch fund targeting unlisted startups – Nikkei Japan
• Japan’s Yanmar partners with Sony to develop ship-cleaning drones – Nikkei Japan
• Osaka expo draws over 25 mil. visitors ahead of closing after 6-month run – Kyodo News

🇯🇵 Japan

• JEPLAN, INC. – pioneer in chemical recycling, turning used PET bottles and textiles back into new PET resin at industrial scale.
• TBM Co., Ltd. – developer of a limestone-based alternative to plastic and paper, now exporting its material technology across Southeast Asia.
• PowerX, Inc. – battery-tanker and energy-mobility innovator; one of Japan’s leading green-energy startups with ¥19.494 billion (~US $130 million) raised to date.

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