Ecrowd/Japan

Ecrowd (イークラウド) runs an equity-type crowdfunding platform in Japan through which individual investors can subscribe to shares issued by unlisted venture companies selected for the platform. Offerings are presented on the site with a target amount, the total amount subscribed, the subscription rate against target and the number of participating investors, and completed deals are marked as established (成立).

The platform explains equity crowdfunding as a mechanism for raising small amounts from many people over the internet through the issuance of unlisted shares, operating within Japanese regulatory limits: an issuing company may raise less than JPY 100 million per year, and an individual investor may invest no more than JPY 500,000 per year in any single company. Investor registration is completed online, and the site also distributes new-deal notifications through an official LINE account.

Recent completed offerings shown on the site span fintech, medical/healthcare and drug discovery sectors, including GINKAN (JPY 28.1 million subscribed against a JPY 5 million target from 103 investors), CogSmart, a Tohoku University-originated dementia-focused company (JPY 18.8 million against a JPY 10 million target from 79 investors), and CureCell, an anti-aging drug discovery venture originating from Jichi Medical University (JPY 30.6 million against a JPY 10 million target from 162 investors).

Business model

Ecrowd intermediates the issuance of unlisted shares by venture companies to individual investors over the internet, hosting offerings that run against a stated target amount until they are established.

Traction

Offerings listed on the site have closed above target, including GINKAN at 562% of its JPY 5 million target (JPY 28.1 million from 103 investors), CogSmart at 188% of a JPY 10 million target (JPY 18.8 million from 79 investors) and CureCell at 306% of a JPY 10 million target (JPY 30.6 million from 162 investors).

Latest developments

In February 2026 the platform published notices concerning an offering by PerkUP, including a correction to the pre-contract disclosure document tied to a change in the offering cap and a decision on an additional JPY 30 million financing during the offering period. Scheduled system maintenance was announced for 30 March 2026, and a website access issue was reported as resolved in June 2026.