15 investors back Tokyo Series A rounds in 2026. Japan has deep seed money but thin growth capital. Globis and WiL lead bigger rounds, with bank and corporate funds too.
Japan has plenty of seed money now. But growth capital stays harder to find.
Globis and JAFCO lead the bigger rounds. WiL and Eight Roads fund the growth.
Many startups IPO early on TSE Growth. Big late-stage rounds stay rare here.
Cheques run US$2M to US$30M here. Global funds lead the largest rounds.
Crossover funds now help startups stay private. They bridge the gap to a bigger exit.
Series A funds run deep diligence on metrics. Ellty keeps every file ready in one data room.
| Type | Check size | Sector focus | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Globis Capital Partners | Multi-stage / growth VC | US$2M-$10M+ | SaaS, consumer, fintech | globiscapital.co.jp |
| JAFCO Group | Multi-stage VC | US$2M-$8M | Enterprise IT, life science, deep tech | jafco.co.jp |
| Global Brain | Multi-stage VC + CVC | US$1M-$7M | AI, deep tech, B2B SaaS | globalbrains.com |
| World Innovation Lab (WiL) | Cross-border growth VC | US$10M-$50M+ | B2B SaaS, fintech, AI | wilab.com |
| DNX Ventures | Multi-stage B2B VC | US$1M-$5M | B2B SaaS, cybersecurity, deep tech | dnx.vc |
| DCM Ventures | Global multi-stage VC | US$3M-$20M | SaaS, fintech, marketplaces | dcm.com |
| Eight Roads Ventures Japan | Growth-stage VC | US$5M-$30M | SaaS, healthcare, consumer | eightroads.com |
| STRIVE | Multi-stage VC | US$1M-$6M | B2B SaaS, marketplaces | strive.vc |
| B Dash Ventures | Multi-stage VC | US$2M-$10M | Consumer, fintech, enterprise | bdashventures.com |
| Z Venture Capital | Corporate VC (LY Corp) | US$1M-$10M | AI, fintech, commerce | zvc.vc |
| SBI Investment | Bank/financial-group VC | US$2M-$15M | Fintech, AI, biotech | sbinvestment.co.jp |
| Mitsubishi UFJ Capital | Bank/group VC (MUFG) | US$1M-$8M | Enterprise, life science, fintech | mucap.co.jp |
| NTT Docomo Ventures | Corporate VC | US$2M-$3M | AI, telecom/IoT, deep tech | nttdocomo-v.com |
| Salesforce Ventures | Global strategic CVC | US$3M-$20M | SaaS, AI, enterprise | salesforceventures.com |
| AN Venture Partners | Growth / deep-tech VC | US$5M-$20M | Biotech, life sciences, deep tech | anventurepartners.com |
Keep your Series A data room investor-ready
Series A funds dig hard into your ARR, retention, and burn. Ellty logs every view so you know who is serious.
Start free 14-day trialWhat a Series A investor backs
A Series A investor backs proven traction. They want real revenue and a clear path.
Tokyo funds want repeatable growth, not a wedge. A clean sales enablement motion helps a lot.
They study your ARR, retention, and burn. Keep investor relations tight with each fund.
They look for a sales motion that repeats. One big lucky deal rarely wins a round.
Ellty gives each fund one trackable link to your room. You see who studied your metrics before the call.
Companies seven or more years old attracted 45.6% of all startup capital in Japan in 2025, as money flowed to proven, later-stage names.
15 Tokyo Series A investors
1. Globis Capital Partners
Globis is Japan's top-ranked domestic growth fund.
Recent Activity: Leads Series A to C from a Rs 72.7B seventh fund
LinkedIn: Globis Capital Partners LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, consumer, fintech
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$2M-$10M+
Location: Tokyo
Website: globiscapital.co.jp
2. JAFCO Group
JAFCO is Japan's oldest and largest independent VC.
Recent Activity: Backed 81+ companies to IPO from Rs 1T+ in funds
LinkedIn: JAFCO Group LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Enterprise IT, life science, deep tech
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$2M-$8M
Location: Tokyo
Website: jafco.co.jp
3. Global Brain
Global Brain leads Series A and runs corporate funds.
Recent Activity: Runs the KDDI Open Innovation Fund and backs AI
LinkedIn: Global Brain LinkedIn
Sector Focus: AI, deep tech, B2B SaaS
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$1M-$7M
Location: Tokyo
Website: globalbrains.com
4. World Innovation Lab (WiL)
WiL is a US-Japan growth fund with US$1.9B+ raised.
Recent Activity: Backed Mercari, Raksul, and Auth0 to scale
LinkedIn: World Innovation Lab LinkedIn
Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, fintech, AI
Stage Focus: Growth
Check Size: US$10M-$50M+
Location: Palo Alto / Tokyo
Website: wilab.com
5. DNX Ventures
DNX is a US-Japan B2B fund leading Series A rounds.
Recent Activity: Backs Japan SaaS from a US$188M fourth fund
LinkedIn: DNX Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, cybersecurity, deep tech
Stage Focus: Seed, Series A
Check Size: US$1M-$5M
Location: San Mateo / Tokyo
Website: dnx.vc
6. DCM Ventures
DCM is a global fund active in Japan growth rounds.
Recent Activity: Backed Sansan, freee, and CADDi to scale
Sector Focus: SaaS, fintech, marketplaces
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$3M-$20M
Location: Silicon Valley (Tokyo office)
Website: dcm.com
Share one link with every Series A fund
Ellty shows when Globis or WiL opens your deck. Follow up with each fund at the right time.
Start free 14-day trial7. Eight Roads Ventures Japan
Eight Roads is a Fidelity-backed growth fund.
Recent Activity: Backed SDP Japan and WHILL at growth stage
LinkedIn: Eight Roads Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, healthcare, consumer
Stage Focus: Growth
Check Size: US$5M-$30M
Location: Tokyo
Website: eightroads.com
8. STRIVE
STRIVE is a Tokyo multi-stage fund focused on B2B.
Recent Activity: An early backer of Raksul, with 12 IPOs
LinkedIn: STRIVE LinkedIn
Sector Focus: B2B SaaS, marketplaces
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$1M-$6M
Location: Tokyo
Website: strive.vc
9. B Dash Ventures
B Dash leads Series A rounds and runs B Dash Camp.
Recent Activity: Led Newmo's US$41M Series A round
Sector Focus: Consumer, fintech, enterprise
Stage Focus: Seed to growth
Check Size: US$2M-$10M
Location: Tokyo
Website: bdashventures.com
10. Z Venture Capital
ZVC is the CVC of LY Corporation, active at growth.
Recent Activity: Launched a new Rs 30B fund in 2025
Sector Focus: AI, fintech, commerce
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$1M-$10M
Location: Tokyo
Website: zvc.vc
11. SBI Investment
SBI leads larger rounds across fintech and deep tech.
Recent Activity: Backed 430+ companies, including 80 to IPO
LinkedIn: SBI Investment LinkedIn
Sector Focus: Fintech, AI, biotech
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$2M-$15M
Location: Tokyo
Website: sbinvestment.co.jp
12. Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
MUCAP is the venture arm of Japan's largest bank.
Recent Activity: Backed 526+ companies, with a new MUFG growth fund coming
Sector Focus: Enterprise, life science, fintech
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$1M-$8M
Location: Tokyo
Website: mucap.co.jp
13. NTT Docomo Ventures
NTT Docomo Ventures backs growth-stage tech.
Recent Activity: NTT Group co-led Mujin's US$233M round
Sector Focus: AI, telecom/IoT, deep tech
Stage Focus: Series A to pre-IPO
Check Size: US$2M-$3M
Location: Tokyo
Website: nttdocomo-v.com
14. Salesforce Ventures
Salesforce Ventures runs a US$100M Japan fund.
Recent Activity: Backed freee and Sansan, plus Mujin's 2025 round
LinkedIn: Salesforce Ventures LinkedIn
Sector Focus: SaaS, AI, enterprise
Stage Focus: Series A to growth
Check Size: US$3M-$20M
Location: San Francisco (Japan fund)
Website: salesforceventures.com
15. AN Venture Partners
AN Venture Partners closed a US$200M deep-tech fund.
Recent Activity: One of Japan's largest new biotech and deep-tech funds
Sector Focus: Biotech, life sciences, deep tech
Stage Focus: Early to growth
Check Size: US$5M-$20M
Location: Tokyo / Boston
Website: anventurepartners.com
Japan's growth-capital gap
Japan funds seed well but growth thinly. Late rounds run smaller than in the US.
In 2025, 45% of capital went to older firms. Money chased proven, safer names.
A proven model unlocks bigger cheques. Funds chase safer, later names.
Foreign growth funds now fill some gaps. They lead the largest local rounds.
Your metrics and data are sensitive to share. Lock files behind tight granular permissions.
Learn the due diligence red flags early. Ellty logs who opened each file and when.
Why Japan startups IPO early
TSE Growth lets startups list small and early. Many skip the big private rounds.
New rules now push for fewer, larger debuts. Crossover funds help startups stay private.
An early listing caps your raise. Crossover capital keeps you private longer.
Staying private longer can lift your value. A bigger debut rewards the wait.
Some deals here run as mergers and acquisitions. Strategics often buy proven startups.
Know the due diligence timeline before you start. Ellty logs every file each fund opens.
From Series A to growth
A Series A cheque should fund real scaling. Each round wants a bigger proof point now.
Growth funds in Japan stay fewer and smaller. Bigger rounds can draw private equity.
Efficient growth wins these rounds. Funds weigh burn against your ARR.
Hit your metrics before the next raise. Investors here move with real care now.
Strong net retention de-risks the round. Funds pay up for sticky revenue.
Ellty tracks who opened each file and exactly when. You can follow up at the right moment every time.
How to pitch a Tokyo Series A investor
Lead with real revenue and growth.
- 1.Lead with real revenue and steady growth.Series A funds back repeatable traction, so open with your ARR and growth rate.
- 2.Show retention and a clear burn plan.Metrics matter more than the story, so prove revenue sticks and burn is sane.
- 3.Prove your sales motion repeats.Funds want predictable growth, so show a channel that closes deals again and again.
- 4.Share one Ellty link to your whole data room.Skip scattered email attachments and track who opens which files in real time.
- 5.Follow up the same day a fund digs in.Ellty flags the moment they open your metrics, so you reach out while interest is high.
How Ellty helps you land a Series A investor in Tokyo
You've shortlisted your Tokyo Series A funds already. Set up a data room before the first call.
- 1.Upload your metrics, ARR data, and deck.Set access per fund or per partner.
- 2.Share one trackable link with each fund.Each fund gets its own tracked link.
- 3.Watch opens and follow up at the right time.Use Ellty analytics to time each nudge.
Tokyo Series A investor questions
- Globis and JAFCO lead the big rounds. WiL and Eight Roads fund the growth.
- Cheques run US$2M to US$30M in 2026 here. Growth rounds run much larger than that.
- Yes, late-stage funds stay thin here. Many startups IPO early instead.
- TSE Growth lets them list small. Big private rounds stay rare here.
- Real revenue and strong retention. A clear path to scalable growth.
- Before your very first investor call. Track who opens your deck and numbers.
