Fundraising FoxCool Japan Fund
Government fundTokyo · Pre-Seed–Growth · 2 people tracked
Also known as 株式会社海外需要開拓支援機構
Find your way into Cool Japan Fund
Each arrow is one introduction. Sign up to fill in the first one.
Ask Tak Umezawa to introduce you to Kenichi Kawasaki
You →Tak · together at Cool Japan Fund →Kenichi
Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to 川﨑 憲一
You →Jamie · together at Cool Japan Fund →川﨑
Sign up to find every way you can get introduced to Cool Japan Fund
- Your email: who you already know at Cool Japan Fund, and who your contacts know
- 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: people you know who worked, studied or invested with the Cool Japan Fund team
- Your LinkedIn: the connections who can make the intro for you
We rank every route by how warm it is, so you raise on warm intros instead of cold emails.
Investment thesis
Cool Japan Fund invests in companies at home and abroad that convey Japan's distinctive appeal to the world, spanning Japanese content, design, food culture, hospitality and tourism, and engineering craftsmanship. The stated goal is to cultivate overseas demand for superior Japanese goods and services and to create new possibilities for Japan by helping enterprises expand across borders. Investments include distribution and e-commerce platforms, cross-border sales channels, IP and entertainment ventures, and funds that back startups handling Japanese products, particularly across Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Source: firm website, verified Oct 3, 2026.
Team · 2 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 10 of 15 portfolio companiesConsumer ×8Logistics & Supply Chain ×4E-commerce ×3AI & Machine Learning ×2Marketplaces ×2Media & Entertainment ×2SaaS ×2Travel & Hospitality ×2
HQs:Japan×2Hong Kong×1India×1Singapore×1Taiwan×1United States×1
Investments · 15 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 22025 · 22024 · 22023 · 32022 · 12020 · 12018 · 112 dated
Aiello is a startup that develops AI-based products.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSTravel & Hospitality
Uliya Liao(Founder)inVic Shen(Founder)in
Co-investorsColopl NextCornerstone VenturesJAFCO AsiaWistron Corporation
Brave makes a privacy-focused web browser built on the open-source Chromium core that blocks third-party ads and trackers by default, along with an independent search engine, a device-wide VPN, and a built-in AI assistant.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerCybersecurity
Brendan Eich(Founder)inBrian Bondy(Founder)in
Co-investorsAbstract VenturesCoinbase VenturesDigital Currency GroupFoundation CapitalIncrypt BlockchainPage One Ventures+11 more
Brave group is a Japanese holding company operating in the VTuber and IP entertainment space, structured around IP Production, IP Platform, and IP Solution businesses.
ConsumerCreator EconomyGamingMedia & EntertainmentTokyo, JP
野口 圭登 (Keito Noguchi)(代表取締役CEO (Representative Director & CEO))野口 圭登(代表取締役CEO)
Co-investorsAG Capital Co. Ltd.Global Braingumi IncNOW JapanShochiku VenturesSumitomo Mitsui Trust nvestment Co. Ltd.+5 more
Buyandship is a package-forwarding and international shipping service that lets shoppers buy from overseas online stores (such as the US, Japan, and Canada) via local warehouses and have items consolidated and delivered to them.
ConsumerE-commerceLogistics & Supply Chain
Co-investorsAurum Venture PartnersAltara Ventures
A cross-border shopping platform that sources products from 10 international markets and delivers them locally, offering customers access to exclusive items unavailable in their home market.
ConsumerE-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesHong Kong, TW
Poon Wing-hang(Founder)Sheldon Li(Founder)Wilson Chan(Founder)Wong Tsz-ming(Founder)
Co-investorsAVA AngelsAltara VenturesHeadline
Buy&Ship operates an international package-forwarding and proxy-buying service, letting shoppers buy products from overseas markets unavailable locally and consolidating shipments for delivery to their home.
ConsumerE-commerceLogistics & Supply ChainHong Kong, HK
Co-investorsAVA AngelsVU Venture PartnersAltara Ventures
Singapore-headquartered online used-car marketplace operating an automotive ecosystem across seven Asia-Pacific markets.
Kelvin Chng(Founder)in
Co-investorsB Capital GroupB4 CapitalEndeavor CatalystGMO VenturePartnersGolden Gate VenturesInsignia Ventures Partners+8 more
.jpeg){kind=logo}
Vietnamese direct-to-consumer online brand transforming men's fashion with convenient, cost-effective shopping.
Xuan Lan Nguyen(Founder)inHiep Nguyen(Founder)in
Co-investorsDo Ventures Management, LlcVertex Ventures Sea Management Pte. Ltd.Kairous Capital
ecbo operates ecbo cloak, a smartphone-based luggage storage service that lets travelers book and pay to store bags at over 2,500 partner locations across Japan (cafes, convenience stores, stations, post offices) and Taiwan, including oversized items.
ConsumerLogistics & Supply ChainMarketplacesTravel & HospitalityTokyo, JP
Shinichi Kudo(Representative Director & President (CEO))in
Co-investorsChishima Real Estate — Startup InvestmentJR East Start UPRelicSpiral Capital
Funding Societies is a Southeast Asian digital financing and debt investment platform providing short-term business loans to SMEs, funded by individual and institutional investors.
FintechSaaSSingapore, SG
Kelvin Teo(Founder)inReynold Wijaya(Founder)inKelvin Teo Reynold Wijaya(Founder)
Co-investors500 GlobalAlpha Startups Pre-AcceleratorGobi PartnersGolden Gate VenturesPeak XV PartnersQualgro+5 more
Taiwanese online travel agency selling local tours, activities and attraction tickets, plus Rezio booking software for operators.
Co-investorsAppWorks VenturesMonk's Hill VenturesZ Venture CapitalTGVest Capital
Pizza 4P's is a restaurant chain serving pizza and Italian-style cuisine, known for its house-made cheese and farm-sourced ingredients.
ConsumerHanoi, VN
Masuko Y(Founder)
Co-investorsMekong Capital
Tastemade Cooking offers a meal-planning service with a library of 12,000+ recipes, step-by-step video guides, adaptive meal plans, and automatic grocery lists.
ConsumerFoodTechMedia & EntertainmentSanta Monica, US
Steven Kydd(Executive Officer, Director)Joe Perez(Executive Officer, Director)inLarry Fitzgibbon(Founder)in
BoardGordon Rubenstein(Director)Mark Midle(Director)Geoffrey Yang(Director)
Co-investorsComcast VenturesRedpoint VenturesGoldman Sachs
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
JumpStartTrusty Cars Ltd. (Carro)
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesBrave group · bravegroup.co.jp · Apr 22, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Cool Japan Fund made?
- Cool Japan Fund has 15 tracked investments, 1 of which have exited, including 5 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does Cool Japan Fund invest at?
- Cool Japan Fund invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Growth stages.
- What sectors does Cool Japan Fund focus on?
- Cool Japan Fund focuses on Consumer, E-commerce, EdTech, Fintech, FoodTech, InsurTech, Media & Entertainment, Mobility & Transportation, Retail Tech, Sector Agnostic, Travel & Hospitality.
- Where is Cool Japan Fund located?
- Cool Japan Fund is headquartered in Tokyo, JP.
- Does Cool Japan Fund lead rounds?
- Cool Japan Fund has led 10 of the 17 rounds where its role is on record.
- Who does Cool Japan Fund co-invest with?
- Cool Japan Fund most often shares deals with AG Capital Co. Ltd., Do Ventures Management, Llc, Global Brain, among 15 tracked co-investors.
Similar investors
AppWorks is a Taiwan-based venture capital firm and accelerator founded by former founders, backing tech startups across Greater Southeast Asia since 2009.
Monashees is a Latin American venture capital firm backing technology-driven founders building category-defining companies from the region for global markets.
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that writes pre-seed checks and is backed by a community of founder and operator LPs.
Goodwater Capital is a consumer technology investment firm backing entrepreneurs building products across financial services, retail, healthcare, education, housing, transportation, and ecommerce globally.
MPG Fund is an early-stage venture investor backing technology startups.