Visual Bank.Co
Tokyo, JP · 4 known investors
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Visual Bank builds training-data libraries for AI development, organizing and licensing valuable Japanese industry data so that dormant, rights-cleared datasets can be used by AI developers and creators. The company positions itself as a data-access provider connecting the latent value of data with AI development and creative work.
Also known as Visual Bank · 株式会社ビジュアルバンク
Founders & leadership
Investors · 4
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Company profile
researched Aug 2026Visual Bank is a Tokyo-based company operating a "next-generation data library" that connects holders of dormant data with AI development teams. Its stated purpose is to unlock the accessibility of data held by individuals, companies and public institutions and channel it into AI development and creative production. The library is described around three characteristics: breadth of data coverage, including support for multimodal AI development by combining multiple data types; a data-replenishment cycle that minimizes the burden on both data holders and AI developers while providing continuing compensation to depositors; and a managed transaction framework covering data handling and dispute prevention.
Services include development of AI training datasets, where the company handles collection through annotation according to the requirements of a target AI model; the Visual Library business, which supplies data across industries including AI development; and THE PEN, a service applying AI technology to support manga creators and the publishing and content industries. The company also conducts joint research toward a domestically developed image generation model that combines the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's formula-driven model technology with Visual Bank's rights-cleared visual data in order to minimize rights-related risk for users.
Business model
Visual Bank acts as an intermediary between data holders and AI developers, operating what it calls a next-generation data library that handles data management, development, provision and the return of compensation to rights holders in a single flow. Data holders deposit material under sales rules aligned with their preferences, and the company packages and licenses it to AI developers and other industries, returning proceeds to the data holders on an ongoing basis.
Revenue is generated from providing and licensing datasets and library data to AI developers and other industries, with compensation returned to the data holders who deposit material.
Traction
The site states partnerships with approximately 16,000 data partners in Japan and abroad and a library of roughly 200 million data items, and lists JAXA among its data partners.
Latest developments
In May 2026 the company announced work with Mynet Inc. toward building a practical AI data ecosystem for the IP industry, and in June 2026 an interview with Ippei Mochizuki of Visual Bank appeared in connection with the sixth matching installment of the GENIAC project.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company describes its data library as one of the largest in Japan, citing partnerships with roughly 16,000 domestic and international data partners and approximately 200 million data items, and positions itself as a Japan-originated "IP × AI Enabler".
The company emphasizes rights-cleared data and a managed transaction process as a means of reducing legal risk for AI developers, combined with scale in aggregated data and connections across multiple industries, and a compensation-return mechanism intended to make data holders willing to deposit material repeatedly.
Technology
The company builds and operates a data library covering collection, annotation and delivery of AI training datasets, and is pursuing joint research on an image generation model based on AIST's formula-driven model technique combined with rights-cleared visual data.
Go-to-market
Visual Bank sources data through partnerships with rights holders and institutions, including the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and solicits data management, utilization support and business-alliance inquiries through a contact form on its site. Distribution to AI developers occurs through custom dataset development engagements and the data library.
AI developers and research teams building models, including multimodal systems; data holders such as companies, institutions and rights holders seeking to monetize dormant data; and publishing and content-industry creators, including manga artists.
Geography
Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with a bilingual Japanese/English site and data partners described as both domestic and international.
History
The company's site records a Series B raise of approximately ¥1.1 billion announced in August 2025, followed by a media interview with the CEO in December 2025, an announcement in May 2026 of work with Mynet on an AI data ecosystem for the IP industry, and a June 2026 interview tied to the GENIAC project.
Compiled by commissioned research from 5 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 5
launches, deals, and filingsVisual Bank's Ippei Mochizuki was interviewed in connection with the 6th matching installment of the GENIAC project.
Announcement of work with 株式会社マイネット (Mynet) toward building a practical AI data ecosystem for the IP industry.
Joint research combining the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology's "formula-driven model" technology with Visual Bank's rights-cleared visual data to build an image generation model with minimized rights risk.
Company news post announcing a Series B raise of approximately 1.1 billion yen, positioning the company as a Japan-based "IP × AI Enabler".
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 5
primary sources listed
- Visual Bank.Covisual-bank.co.jp · web
5 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Visual Bank.Co do?
- Tokyo-based operator of a data library that licenses rights-cleared Japanese datasets to AI developers and returns proceeds to data holders.
- Who founded Visual Bank.Co?
- Visual Bank.Co was founded by Saneyuki Nagai, Fumitaka Iizuka.
- Who are Visual Bank.Co's investors?
- Visual Bank.Co's investors include W Inc., Z Venture Capital, Payforward, Aozora Corporate Investment.
- Where is Visual Bank.Co headquartered?
- Visual Bank.Co is headquartered in Tokyo, JP.