ITOCHU Technology Ventures (ITV), based in Tokyo, is the venture capital arm of ITOCHU Corporation. ITOCHU is one of the world's largest corporations with offices in over 80 countries and operations that cover a broad spectrum of industries. ITV's mission is to invest and help build leading information technology companies by leveraging a vast array of resources both domestically and internationally throughout ITOCHU and its group companies. The ITOCHU group has a long history of funding information technology companies with successes including Siebel Systems, NVIDIA, Openwave and Aruba Networks. Current portfolio includes, Box, Fab, Ooyala, WHILL, Tokyo Otaku Mode, etc.

ITOCHU Technology Ventures

500 Global is a multi-stage venture capital firm with US$2.4 billion in assets under management that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. We work closely with key stakeholders and advise governments on how best to support entrepreneurial ecosystems so startups can thrive. 500 Global has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 2,800 companies operating in 80+ countries. We have invested in 35+ companies valued at over US$1 billion and 160+ companies valued at over US$100 million (including private, public, and exited companies). Our 190+ team members are located in over 25 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies. (*as of June 30, 2023)

500 Global

VTF Capital is a seed stage venture fund investing in the future of commerce.  We invest capital and sweat into innovative ideas transforming how products are made, distributed and accessed.

VTF Capital

The SunBridge Group is the premier partner for leading enterprise IT companies to enter the Japan market. Founded by Allen Miner, the founder of Oracle Japan, SunBridge has successfully partnered with Salesforce.com, Concur, SilkRoad and many others to build their Japan operations. SunBridge invests directly into startups and through its affiliates SunBridge Global Ventures (seed investor/accelerator in Japan), and SunBridge Partners (early-stage VC in US).   They support promising entrepreneurs who challenge to develop business globally in IT by providing them seed capital and vital know-how which they cultivated in the investment experiences of the past ten years. SunBridge Global Ventures is a Global Seed Accelerator established in January 2012 as part of the SunBridge Group headquartered in Tokyo.

SunBridge Global Ventures

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, is a Japanese bank holding / financial services company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. MUFG manages the affairs of its subsidiaries within the group and the business of the group as a whole along with all relevant ancillary business. The MUFG Group turned its eye toward the expected operating environment changes over the next decade, and launched the new medium-term business plan, which outlines the strategies that will be implemented over the first three years of this period. The new plan is designed to guide us as they strive to realize their corporate vision—“Be the world's most trusted financial group.” By accelerating initiatives that span across business entities, regions, and business groups, they will work to live up to the expectations of their customers, shareholders, employees, and other stakeholders. The MUFG Group aims to achieve stable and sustainable income growth through seeking diversified revenue bases especially in customer segment both domestically and abroad, and capital efficiency by improving productivity. In addition, they will enhance shareholder value by conducting capital management flexibly taking the balance of (1) enhancement of further shareholder returns, (2) maintenance of a solid capital base and (3) strategic investments for sustainable growth, into consideration.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group

LITALICO is a management school for preschools and children's classrooms. It was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

LITALICO

Mitsubishi UFJ Capital is a venture capital firm focusing on life science, ICT, and high technology investments.

Mitsubishi UFJ Capital

Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ) is a public-private partnership aimed at promoting innovation and enhancing value. Leveraging the rich history of Japanese technological prowess, INCJ aims to provide financial, technological and management support in order to promote the creation of next-generation businesses through “open innovation,” or the flow of technology and expertise beyond the boundaries of existing organizational structures. INCJ will draw on funding as well as management and technological expertise from the public and private sectors. INCJ is actively reviewing various investment opportunities in areas of green energy, electronics, IT and biotechnology to infrastructure-related sectors such as water supply. Each investment will be thoroughly vetted to ensure it meets the exacting standards of INCJ's Innovation Network Committee, which will make the final investment decisions. INCJ is capitalized at 280 billion yen, with the Japanese government injecting 266 billion yen and 26 private corporations (refer to details in Appendix below) providing a further 14 billion yen. The government will also provide guarantees up to a total of 1,800 billion yen for INCJ investments, giving it an investment capability of approximately 2,000 billion yen. INCJ will be established for a period of 15 years.

Innovation Network Corporation of Japan

YJ Capital is a Corporate Venture Capital of Yahoo Japan. Our value is to help  global minded  entrepreneurs build successful and lasting internet companies. We invest in all stages, all sectors in Asia, US and Israel.  YJ Capital has a unique access to Yahoo Japan's operational experience and unparalleled Japan market entry support. Our sole LP allows us to focus only on our portfolio companies and make fast decision making.

YJ Capital

NTT DOCOMO Ventures is the venture capital arm of NTT DOCOMO, Inc. specializing in investments in incubation, early stage, middle stage, and later/pre-IPO stage companies. It prefers to invest in the field of information technology, telecommunications, content platform services, battery power, authentication security, BigData, a solution with devices, cloud, and communication platforms. The firm invests in and outside of Japan. It seeks to invest up to about USD $2 million to USD $3 million per investment. It prefers to seek minority stakes of around 20% or less per portfolio. The firm seeks to exit its investments through sales of stocks or transfer of shares to DOCOMO and NTT Group companies. It also runs an accelerator program called DOCOMO Incubation Program. Docomo Innovation Ventures, previously known as NTT Investment Partners Inc., was established on February 20, 2008, and is based in Minato, Chiba, Japan.

NTT DOCOMO Ventures

Jochu Technology Co. primarily offers bezels, back covers, inverters, shielding, and lamp covers/reflectors; and sheet metal products. It also provides foundry mold development and laser processing services. The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Jochu Technology

Tokyo Century is a diversified leasing business (leasing, installment sales, and other financial services for IT-related equipment, industrial equipment, and other machinery and facilities). Tokyo Century has various types of financing and is an international business.

Tokyo Century

Nippon Venture Capital (''NVCC''), established in 1996 as one of the few largest Japanese independent venture capital firms, is destined to undertake the unprecedented task of providing full-range venture capital services in cooperation with major Japanese business leaders and leading companies, which have supported and nurtured various new businesses on their own, as well as proactively developing new venture enterprises.

Nippon Venture Capital

Mizuho is the venture capital firm affiliated to Mizuho Bank, the second-largest Japanese bank in terms of assets. The firm has headquarters in Tokyo. The firm has ¥49.6 billion JPY under management, focusing on information technology and biotechnology investments. Over 600 Mizuho companies have gone public. According to Nikkei, Mizuho is the fifth-largest venture capital firm in Japan. Mizuho Capital was formed in 2002 by the merger of Fujigin Capital, Tokyo Venture Capital and IBJ Investment. Three firms were subsidiaries of Fuji Bank, Dai-Ichi Kangyo Bank and the Industrial Bank of Japan respectively.

Mizuho Capital

We are the venture capital arm of the renowned R&D consortium – the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI). Since our creation in 1979, we have invested over US$400 million across virtually all stages, sectors, and timezones. Companies we have nurtured have gone on to define entire industries, and boast a combined market cap of well over US$200 billion. Since its inception, ITIC has been instrumental in leading Taiwan's initial ventures into technology-based businesses, such as integrated circuits, automation, opto-electronic display, etc. ITIC is an original shareholder of some industry leaders such as UMC, Taiwan Mask Corp., Acer Display Technologies, Inc.(renamed as AU Optronics Corp.).

ITIC: Industrial Technology Investment Corporation

Eight Roads Ventures is a global venture capital firm managing $11bn of assets across offices in the UK, China, India, Japan, and the US. Together with our associated funds, including our US sister fund F-Prime Capital, our 50-year history of investing includes partnerships with over 500 companies such as Alibaba, AppsFlyer, Chewy, Fareye, Fever, Flywire, Fireblocks, Funnel.io, Gloat, Hibob, Icertis, Neo4j, Otrium, Owkin, Paidy, Spendesk, Tibber, Toast, Wallapop and Xoom.

Eight Roads Ventures

Golden Asia Fund Ventures is the first cooperation in venture capital funding between Taiwan and Japan.

Golden Asia Fund Venture

MSIVC is a venture capital firm that invests in Japanese and global startups scaling to IPO. It focuses on startups in verticals of Fintech, SaaS, Healthcare, AI, E-Commerce, Foodtech, and Environment  etc.

MITSUI SUMITOMO INSURANCE Venture Capital (MSIVC)

Mirai Creation Fund invests in companies and projects that use the latest technologies and business models.   The Fund began operations in November 2015 with financing from three companies: Toyota Motor Corporation, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and SPARX Group Co., Ltd.  As the Fund's manager, SPARX targeted three investment areas in intelligent technology, robotics and technologies for a hydrogen-powered society. In the second half of 2018, SPARX launched Mirai Creation Fund II which broaden the investment categories to include electrification and new materials.  Since its inception, Fund I and II have accumulated an extensive track record of investing in promising companies in Japan and across the world.

Mirai Creation Fund

Daiwa Securities Group operates as a securities broker-dealer, providing services, including brokerage, trading, underwriting, advice, product development, and structured finance. The company provides asset and capital management, principal investment, venture capital, and research through a network in capital markets and other services. The company operates subsidiaries in three core business segments, including retail securities, wholesale securities and investment, and asset management.

Daiwa Securities Group

Open Network Lab is a seed accelerator program launched in 2010 with the purpose of ''developing world-class entrepreneurs.'' During its 3 month program, startup teams are given funding, facility access, mentoring, and access to leading international and domestic entrepreneurs and developers. Onlab has received applications from entrepreneurs worldwide, and graduates of the program include AnyPerk, WHILL, Qiita and Fablic.

Open Network Lab

DG VENTURES is the Leading Venture Capital with AUM 700m USD (Asset Under Management is over 70 Billion JPY as of March 2022) | Keith Yuki Isobe, Managing Director). Track Records: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Coinbase, airbnb, Indie Semiconductor, GrubMarket, udemy, THREDUP, INTERCOM, Lime, gojek...etc. Providing partnerships for entrepreneurs building innovations.

DG VENTURES

Invests in companies in Japan, the U.S., Europe,and Asia, focusing on life science, bio-technology, and information technology fields Establishes and manages partnership funds Provides consulting services on IPO and other corporate management aspects Intermediates M & A, MBO, and corporate rehabilitation deals Provides accounting and screening services for investment businesses

Whiz Partners

Mistletoe is a hub for startups and the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem. It specifically provides learning opportunities for entrepreneurs, facilitates startup communities, invests in and supports startup companies and venture capitals.

Mistletoe

Endeavor Catalyst is the rules-based, co-investment fund of Endeavor, set up to invest exclusively in Endeavor Entrepreneur-led companies and to sustain Endeavor’s long-term operations in a mission-aligned way. Launched in 2012, Endeavor Catalyst has ~$500M+ AUM across four funds and has made 260+ investments to date in 35+ different markets. Today The Endeavor Catalyst portfolio has 53 companies valued at $1B+. Investments include Globant (NYSE:GLOB), Rappi, and Creditas in Latin America; Yemeksepeti.com and Careem in MENA; and Bukalapak and Carro in Indonesia.

Endeavor Catalyst

SBI Investment supports the business development and growth of private venture companies through fund investment. It manages and manages venture capital funds under the management philosophy of becoming a leading company responsible for the creation and development of core industries in the 21st century as a ''new industry creator''. SBI Investment has invested in a total of 986 companies in the past, of which 169 (17.1% of investment companies) have exited through IPO or M & A.

SBI Investment

ES NETWORKS is a group of accounting, finance, and tax professionals that supports the sustainable growth of companies from the perspective of management.

ES NETWORKS

JMTC Capital (JMTCキャピタル) is the venture capital arm of Japan Material Technologies Corporation. It focuses on investments in R&D-oriented hardware startups in areas such as robotics, drones, personal mobility, wearables, AR/VR, and sensing.

JMTC Capital

15th Rock Ventures are investing Human Augmentation and IT field to create better future and lead a fulfilling life for the coming era of the 100-year lifespan, and focuses on seed and pre-IPO investments in sectors such as robotics, electronics, AR/VR, brain-machine interface, biotechnology, and IT.

15th Rock

WHILL

WHILL designs and creates personal mobility products for indoor and outdoor applications. WHILL is making transportation enjoyable and smart for everybody. It aims to change the perception of mobility devices such as wheelchairs and scooters through advanced technology and smart design. It was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in San Carlos, California.

<div>WHILL manufactures personal electric vehicles (PEVs) which transforms the traditional wheelchair experience, by merging it with elements of scooters. The devices are meant to increase the independence and confidence of users, and ultimately intends to be a public transport solution for pedestrians. WHILL is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and has offices in the US, Canada, and the EU and offers two PEV models (Model Ci and Model A).</div>

A concentration of wealth and a willingness to adopt age-in-place technologies present new opportunities.

Age Tech

<div>
 
 WHILL manufactures personal electric vehicles (PEVs) which transforms the traditional wheelchair experience, by merging it with elements of scooters. The devices are meant to increase the independence and confidence of users, and ultimately intends to be a public transport solution for pedestrians. WHILL is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and has offices in the US, Canada, and the EU and offers two PEV models (Model Ci and Model A).
 
 
 The PEVs can be connected to smartphones to add additional features such as switching to driver mode, locking/unlocking, and driving remotely using smartphones (only for the Model A). Both models were available for test drive and purchase, as of December 2020. In June 2020, Haneda International Airport (Tokyo) implemented WHILL’s autonomous mobility services for passengers with limited mobility. 
 
 
 In September 2020, WHILL announced a capital alliance with Japanese insurance holding company, Tokio Marine Holdings. The funding will support the expansion of WHILL’s mobility initiatives and came on the back of WHILL’s partnership with Scootaround, a personal transport solutions company, to enable an inclusive pedestrian travel solution for the elderly. WHILL and Scootaround merged their operations in August 2019. 
 
 
 
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 Honor provides a platform for elderly persons and their families to find home care providers, and is one of the largest on-demand home care companies in the US. The company employs machine learning algorithms to its platform to optimize caregiving services.The company also partners with multiple independent homecare agencies and had over 40 home care agencies partnered as of October 2020. Its services were offered across six states (California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Ohio, and Michigan) as of October 2020.
 
 
 Honor generates a share of the revenue from the agencies by taking over a share of the agencies’ billing, hiring, training, and scheduling functions. Through these partnerships, Honor is able to expand the reach of its professional caregiver market, and scale its business. Honor raised USD 140 million in Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford in October 2020, and it intends to use the funds to expand into new markets and further invest in its care delivery platform. 
 
 
 In August 2021, Honor announced the acquisition of Home Instead, one of the largest home care providers in the US, at an undisclosed value. Following the deal, Home Instead is expected to operate as a subsidiary of Honor under the company’s original brand name led by its CEO Jeff Huber. 
 
 
 Home Instead provides a wide range of home care services to the elderly which includes companionship-based care, specific care solutions for dementia and Alzheimer’s, and live-in care. The company also provides home monitoring solutions including sensors, tablets, safety alarms and health apps. It partners with the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Applications (ORCHA) to provide quality assured apps for psychological wellbeing, physical activity, and mental stimulation. 
 
 
 As of August 2021, it has around 90,000 caregivers serving at 1,200 locations across the US and global markets. Home Instead acquired UK-based online platform SuperCarers in June 2020. It connects professional caregivers to elderly people seeking at-home care. Prior to the acquisition, SuperCarers had raised a total of GBP 4.9 million (USD 6.6 million).
 
 
 The merged entity is expected to combine for over USD 2.1 billion home care services revenue. In combining Home Instead’s global reach with Honor’s technology platform, the companies intend to improve the efficiency of home care services and enhance the professional development of caregivers by providing them with better career opportunities.
 
 
 In October 2021, the company raised USD 70 million in Series E funding and USD 300 million in debt financing. The equity funding round was led by Baillie Gifford, valuing Honor at USD 1.25 billion, while the debt financing was led by Perceptive Advisors. The company intended to use the funds for team expansion (tripling its engineering and product team) and expanding the operations and technology of the Home Instead network. Prior to this funding round, Honor raised USD 140 million in Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford in October 2020.
 
 
 
 
 
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Honor

<div>
 
 Eargo specialises in developing hearing aid and related services. Eargo has four products in its lineup: namely, Eargo Max, Eargo Neo HiFi, Eargo 5 and Eargo 6. The company&rsquo;s products are unique due to its design meant to keep the device invisible when plugged in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 The products are priced between USD 1,850 (Eargo Max) and USD 2,950 (Eargo 6) and as per the company, are around half of the price of the hearing aids&nbsp; provided via traditional channels in the US. The Eargo Neo range comes alongside an app and offers connected smart features such as audio personalization and control. The app allows the user to control the audio to suit their surroundings, customize settings, and contact Eargo's licensed hearing professionals for consultation and support.
 
 
 The company utilizes a business-to-consumer (D2C) online retail strategy compared to traditional business-to-business (B2B) model deployed by other manufacturers who sell their products through clinics. The strategy has proven beneficial through the Covid-19 pandemic as consumer footfall for brick-and-mortar clinics have declined.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company last raised funds in November 2022 when Patient Square Capital became the majority owner of Eargo through a conversion of its convertible notes. The gross proceeds from the transaction raised USD 32.5 million for Eargo, including an investment of USD 5.5 million by Patient Square Capital and an expense of USD 2.5 million in transaction-related expenses. The raised funds were set aside for working capital purposes and to fund Eargo's omni-channel growth strategy. 
 
 
 
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Eargo

<div>
 
 K4Connect provides technology solutions to residents and staff members in senior living communities through its K4Community platform. The company was co-founded by Scott Moody who sold his fingerprint sensor technology company AuthenTec to Apple for USD 356 million in 2012, which then became the basis for Touch ID.
 
 
 The platform's offerings include digital voice and video communication, and&nbsp; community updates for residents. It also provides smart home automation through the provisioning of plug and play Alexa devices for residents and supports smart thermostats, smart lights, motion sensors, and sleep tracking devices. In addition, community staff members have access to tools for resident surveys, resident and family management, and communications. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the platform also established an expanded video chat service to facilitate resident-to-resident communication, staff requests, yoga classes, and dining room bookings. Further, in March 2020,&nbsp; it partnered with software communications firm Bandwidth to introduce a hotline for staff and residents as a means of keeping all parties up to date with community information.
 
 
 The platform is built on the company&rsquo;s patented operating system, FusionOS. The company claims that FusionOS is an advanced multi-modal edge-cloud architecture, the first of its kind in the senior living industry. Residents and staff can access the platform using a smartphone app or pre-provisioned tables in the living communities priced on a per-resident basis.
 
 
 As of July 2020, the platform served over 800 independent and assisted living senior living communities across the US. The platform serves over 29,000 users at more than 125 senior living communities across 27 customers as of February 2020, more than doubling its users from 2018, which it expects to repeat in 2020. The company has established channel partnerships with Allbridge (a data, video and voice solution provider for senior living) in July 2020, and Eskaton (a senior services provider) and White Horse Village (a continuing care retirement community) in May 2019. It collaborated with GlobalLogic (a digital product engineering company) in July 2020 to expedite the development schedule of&nbsp; its K4Community Plus app in response to Covid-19.&nbsp;
 
 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In July 2023, the company raised 
 USD 8.9 million in a funding round co-led by Bryce Catalyst and AXA Venture Partners, with participation from other venture capital firms. The funds raised were set aside to drive adoption of its platform in senior living communities. Additionally, the company also planned to invest in its patented operating system offering and community engagement suite. After the funding round, Mike Weller joined the company as COO. 
 
</div>

K4Connect

<div>
 
 CarePredict was founded by Former IBM consultant and tech veteran, Satish Movva, and produces Tempo smart wearables for the elderly community. Using machine learning (ML), the company claims the app can reduce the chance of a fall, and predict urinary tract infections (UTIs) and depression ahead of a clinical diagnosis. The device aims to assist caregivers in taking preventive action by detecting activities and behaviors which are precursors to health declines. The data from the device can also be shared with family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;
 
 
 The company generates revenue from device sales and subscriptions. Independent research conducted in September 2020 indicated that facilities using CarePredict&rsquo;s wearables reported 40% fewer hospitalizations 69%, lower fall rates, 67% increased length of stay, and a 37% improved staff response rate than facilities that did not use CarePredict.&nbsp;
 
 
 The company expanded its operations in 2018 through its acquisition of WiseWare, a company selling activity-tracking jewelry for older users. In April 2020, it launched the PinPoint contact-tracing tools to mitigate the spread of Covid-19.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 In February 2021, the company &nbsp;announced its partnership with Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A). M4A is the agency behind the &ldquo;Providing Alzheimer's N' Dementia Assistance&rdquo; (PANDA) project. The company will be the first tech platform to be part of the project and will provide caregivers assistance in remote monitoring and preventive care using its smart wearables. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In July 2023, CarePredict raised USD 29 million in a Series A-3 funding round co-led by Aspire Healthtech Partners and SV Health Investors' Medtech Convergence Fund. The funds were set aside to be used to expand the company&rsquo;s operations and market presence.
 
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CarePredict

<div>
 
 Eversound develops wireless headphone systems to enhance the level of engagement and social interaction for the elderly living in assisted living or memory care centres. The platform provides a library of programmed content on a variety of topics. The headphone system can be used to communicate with caregivers, during group events, family visits, and for music therapy. The headphones are equipped with a wireless transmitter and volume controls. It connects to external audio sources such as community A/V systems, televisions, and audio devices.&nbsp;
 
 
 The product was unveiled in May 2016. In a subsequent six month study conducted by LCB Senior Living community, group events leveraging the Eversound system resulted in an 18% reduction of residents falling asleep and a 28% increase in engagement during group events. In December 2016, the company expanded to 18 states across the US.
 
 
 In March 2020, as a part of its Covid-19 response, the company launched a live streamed, interactive content service to help seniors combat isolation. Further, as in-person visits at assisted living communities were interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of Eversound&rsquo;s visitation package proved to be crucial for socially distanced in-person visits.
 
 
 As of December 2020, the company&rsquo;s product is being used in more than 700 senior living communities across the US. Its clients include senior living communities such as Brightview, Commonwealth, and Oakmont. In addition, Eversound has established partnerships with senior living communities (such as The Arbor Company,&nbsp; Bridges by EPOCH, Christian Horizons, and Kisco) to roll out its devices for family visitations, and programmable and live streamed content.
 
 
 
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Eversound

Many devices that help seniors operate independently and receive remote treatment use IoT

Offers digital platforms that support the wellness of the senior population

Some companies use VR to help treat seniors with conditions such as isolation and dementia

Tech-enabled equipment or companionship services that help elderly people function independently.

WHILL

Age Tech

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