Top 5 Most Active Japanese Investors In Indian Startup Ecosystem
Japanese investors have consistently and significantly funded Indian businesses. The most active Japanese venture capitalists operating in India are listed below.
Beenos
Over $60 million has been invested by Teruhide Sato's venture capital business in 12 Indian firms. Beenos' investment approach is mainly centred on online payments and e-commerce. Sato, according to media sources, thinks that what happened in China is now occurring in India. According to Sato's theory, the majority of those who form and run businesses in India are either current students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) or Ivy League grads. There are many excellent engineers who also understand English. They develop trends that satisfy the demands of the market and have a development rate that surpasses China.
Hiro Mashita, M&S Partners
Hiro Mashita has worked with over 50 firms, spanning from lending platforms, supply chain organisations, digital education, information management industries, and more. He is the Japanese individual investor with the most number of investments in the Indian startup ecosystem. His primary areas of interest include fintech, Business - to - business, Business to customer, and the mobile application industry, as can be seen through an examination of his investing behaviour.
SoftBank
With 13 firms in its portfolio and a most recent asset size of over $108 Billion, SoftBank is one of the most active and largest investors in the Indian startup ecosystem. The VC has concentrated on industries including travel tech, transportation tech, and enterprise tech, and is synonymous with well-known startups & multinational corporations like Uber and WeWork.
Mistletoe
Over 12 firms in India from a variety of industries, including gaming, publishing, and health tech, have received funding from the venture capital company Mistletoe. Taizo Son, the brother of Masayoshi Son, the CEO of Japanese investing powerhouse SoftBank, is the owner and financier of Mistletoe. According to reports, Taizo started Mistletoe with the intention of drastically improving how city inhabitants live and work. He imagines luscious green communities with a high proportion of car-free residents who commute via subterranean or aerial drones. And thinks that most people won't work in offices, but rather will collaborate over steaming lattes in cafes. Taizo predicts that self-checkups in futuristic restrooms would track vitals and that robot cooks will prepare wholesome meals.
Incubate Fund
Nao Murakami, a former colleague of Nomura Securities, founded Japan's Incubate Fund as Incubate Fund India in 2016. Over $53 million has been invested by the VC over 10 portfolios. As seen by its investment in StayAbode's Series A round, Incubate's investment history demonstrates that it favours early-stage ventures as well as Series A deals. Additionally, it has stated intentions to double down on its investments in the nation by raising $27 million by the end of this year.