[The Bridge] Japanese companies form new $300M investment fund to target promising startups

Japan’s Nikkei reported today that Silicon Valley-based investment company WiL (World Innovation Lab) has formed a new fund focused on startups in Japan and the Valley, raising $300 million from a number of Japanese companies: All Nippon Airways, NTT Group, Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings, Hakuhodo DY Group, Daiwa Securities, JVC Kenwood, Benesse Holdings, and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan. 

Their potential investees are startups developing new products and services in fields like consumer electronics, e-commerce, or motor vehicles, making the most of smartphone and big data technologies. They expect the size of each investment to be in the range from $5 million to $50 million, with about six to eight investments being made per year. The Nikkei says that $300 million is a figure that equate to 30% of all startup investments in Japan in FY 2012. ...

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The Bridge 12/28/2013 [en]

memo

• $300 million is very large scale for a single venture fund in Japan. With large corporations in various industries in Japan as investors, WiL would be able to attract attentions from startups even in Silicon Valley, particularly which are interested in going into Japan and Asian market.