Fundraising Fox
FIRSTLIGHT Capital
Venture capitalTokyo · Seed–Series A · 1 people tracked
Also known as ファーストライト・キャピタル株式会社
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Investment thesis
FIRSTLIGHT Capital centers its investment theme on fostering innovation within a society facing population decline. The firm backs seed to Series A startups across digital domains including SaaS, AI, automation, marketplaces, and media. Drawing on hands-on operating experience, the team aims to lead the growth process of both entrepreneurs and their businesses, supporting portfolio companies in realizing their visions. The firm also runs communities and industry initiatives, including a DX consortium focused on solving regional challenges tied to demographic shifts in Japan.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 26, 2026.
Team · 1 people
from the firm's websiteWhat they invest in
from 24 of 39 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×13SaaS ×12Enterprise Software ×8Marketing Tech ×4Construction Tech ×3Digital Health ×3Future of Work ×3HR Tech ×3
HQs:Japan×23China×1Hong Kong×1United States×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 16 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×102 founders×33 founders×14+ founders×2
Investments · 39 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCarbgem (カーブジェン株式会社) is a Japanese company that applies generative AI, image AI, and cloud technology to build R&D and operational solutions, including drug discovery support, image and tissue analysis, quality control, medical document assistants, and diagnostic support.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthHealthtechTokyo, JP
Masakazu Nakajima(Representative Director & CEO)in
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Conocer (コノセル) provides education combining people, physical spaces, and technology, aiming to make data-driven ("scientific") education standard and help learners achieve success experiences through learning.
EdTech
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsDBJ CapitalDG Daiwa VenturesOriental Land InnovationsGenesia Ventures
Alt Inc. is a Japanese company founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo's Roppongi district.
Tokyo, JP
Tatsuhei Asanuma(Representative Director & CEO)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsAG Capital Co. Ltd.DIMENSIONKintetsu Venture Partners
ASIOT develops edge-AI and IoT devices and services, including "A Smart", a retrofit service that automates utility meter reading, and provides big-data analytics and IoT+AI consulting.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareIoTPropTechTokyo, JP
Yohei Mikami(Representative Director)三上 楊平(代表取締役 (Representative Director))
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Software platform for retail store operations management.
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsCarbide VenturesJIC Venture Growth InvestmentsNew Commerce VenturesOriental Land InnovationsJAFCO Group
CloudPick develops AI-powered checkout and inventory management solutions for retail stores using computer vision and machine learning.
AI & Machine LearningIoTRetail TechShanghai, CN
Alex Ng(Founder)Jeff Feng(云拿科技创始人兼CEO (Founder & CEO))inRosie Zhang(Founder)in
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsCathay InnovationGlobal BrainIntel Capital
Commune provides community-building software and services for companies to strengthen relationships with customers and employees, offering tools for Voice of Customer/Employee analysis, engagement programs, AI agents, and loyalty management.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaS
Co-investorsZ Venture CapitalJAFCO Group
DentaLight provides digital health solutions for dental clinics and patients to improve oral preventive healthcare and quality of life.
Digital HealthHealthtechWellness & FitnessTokyo, JP
Genki Fujikubo
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsBeta venture capital
Diggle is a SaaS platform for budget and forecast management that automates variance analysis and data aggregation to replace spreadsheet-based processes.
Data & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareSaaSTokyo, JP
山本 清貴in
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsDnx VenturesAozora Corporate Investment
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EventX, headquartered in Hong Kong, builds a platform for running events in virtual and hybrid formats.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaSHong Kong, HK
Angus L.(Founder)inAngus LukSum WongSunny Tamin
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investors500 GlobalClick VenturesGobi Partners
Yuichi Takarabe(CEO)Akira Aiba(COO)Toshiaki Arai(CTO)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsSalesforce Ventures
Japanese PriceTech company providing pricing-strategy consulting and SaaS for retailers and manufacturers.
Greensboro, US
Leigh Butchart Roseanne(Executive Officer)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsGlobis Capital PartnersKintetsu Venture Partners
LobbyAI provides an AI-powered platform that analyzes government and municipal policy information to help private companies identify policy opportunities and timing for engagement with local governments.
AI & Machine LearningGovTechSaaSTokyo, JP
髙橋京太郎(代表取締役 CEO)
Co-investorsON&BOARD
ONE CAREER operates a career data platform that collects and visualizes job-search and recruitment data to make hiring information transparent for both individuals and companies.
Data & InfrastructureFuture of WorkHR TechTokyo, JP
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsPKSHA Technology Capital
OPTiM/OPTFIT is a Japanese company that develops AI-based products including "KaigoDX", a system offering bed-exit and fall detection for elderly care settings, and products for the fitness/sports sector.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthSports Tech
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsAccord VenturesFull Commit PartnersPARTNERS FUNDZeroichi Capital
PECO operates one of Japan's largest pet information media platforms, serving around 15 million monthly users.
ConsumerMedia & Entertainment
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsCoreline VenturesJapan Post Capital Co. Ltd.
PRONI operates a concierge-style B2B matching service that connects buyers with suitable vendors, combining IT technology with human support to simplify procurement decisions such as research, comparison, and quoting.
B2B MarketplacesEnterprise SoftwareSaaSTokyo, JP
Norio Kuriyama(代表取締役 Founder)inDaisuke Shibata(代表取締役 CEO)
Co-investorsHakuhodo DY VenturesJapan Post Capital Co. Ltd.JIC Venture Growth InvestmentsMobile Internet Capital, Inc.Nippon Venture Capital
Realm manages distribution and monetization for independent podcasts and audio content creators, handling ad sales, multi-channel distribution, and live events representation for podcast networks and individual shows.
Creator EconomyMarketing TechMedia & EntertainmentSaaS
Joseph FinkJeffrey Cranor
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsEudemian VenturesRethink Impact
Retreat provides a planning platform combined with hands-on support to help People Ops and Operations teams organize corporate retreats, including sourcing venues, estimating budgets, building itineraries, and coordinating logistics.
Future of WorkSaaSTravel & Hospitality
Shun Yamada(CEO & Co-Founder)inJack Tadami(COO & Co-Founder)in
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsExpansion Capital
Scalebase provides a platform to manage complex recurring billing and revenue processes for subscription and SaaS businesses, along with expert-led implementation and operational support.
Enterprise SoftwareFintechSaaS
Co-investorsGlobis Capital Partners
A platform for streamlining and maximizing revenue for subscription businesses
Shoma Takeo(Founder)
Co-investorsDentsu VenturesGMO VenturePartners
Combines software and hardware to address the '2024 problem' in construction through on-site data collection.
Yono, JP
Yuichiro Aoki(Founder)
HR Tech startup running the collaboration SNS 'Spready' to create connections for business development.
masaaki sako(Founder)in
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsGMO VenturePartnersRelic
Zen Intelligence (formerly SoftRoid) develops Physical AI, including AI foundation models and robots for automating construction site management, inspection, and data collection.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechRoboticsTokyo, JP
野﨑 大幹(代表者)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.Rice Capital
QUANDO Inc. develops IoT/AI-based business solutions, application and web development, and provides consulting for software implementation.
AI & Machine LearningConstruction TechEnterprise SoftwareIoTSaaS北九州市, JP
下岡 純一郎(Representative Director CEO)中野 雅俊(Representative Director CTO)Junichiro Shimooka(Representative Director & CEO)Takuma Saeki(Director & CFO)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsBeta venture capitalG-STARTUP
A 'memory platform' that FIRSTLIGHT backed as lead investor from the seed stage.
Tokyo, JP
Keisuke Kuroyanagi(Founder)Haruhito (Harry) Yoshikawain
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsGlobal BrainZ Venture Capital
A Japanese company developing and deploying renewable energy solutions, including solar roofing and wall-integrated systems.
CleantechConstruction TechEnergyYokosuka, JP
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsGMO VenturePartnersSpiral CapitalSpiral Innovation Partners
WorkCircle operates an anonymous career social network ("WorkCircle") and a crowdsourced salary database ("OpenSalary") for working professionals in Japan.
Future of WorkHR TechSocialTokyo, JP
Drew Terry(Founder)in岩崎 朋也(代表取締役 (CEO))
Boardテリー・ドリュー・フィリップ・サハラ(取締役 (Director))
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Takumi Giken is a Japanese company addressing challenges in the manufacturing/machining industry, working with processing and fabrication firms.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSTokyo, JP
前田 将太(代表取締役社長 (CEO))井坂 星南(取締役 CTO)原 崇文(取締役 CBO)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.Shizuoka CapitalUTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.Genesia Ventures
LayerX is a technology company focused on digitizing economic activity, aiming to reduce friction in work and daily life through software.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFintechSaaSTokyo, JP
yoshinori fukushima(Founder)in福島良典(代表取締役CEO)松本勇気(代表取締役CTO)Yoshinori Fukushima(Founder)Yuki Matsumoto(Founder)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsDIMENSIONGMO VenturePartnersZ Venture Capital
PeopleX is an AI-native HR platform that automates recruitment and employee development through AI-powered interviews, role-play simulations, and team assessments.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechTokyo, JP
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.
KUZEN develops and operates a customer engagement platform that automates conversations, offered to enterprise clients in Japan.
AI & Machine LearningMarketing TechSaaSTokyo, JP
白倉 弘太(取締役/CTO（共同創業）)Shogo Ota(代表取締役 CEO)Kota Shirakura(取締役 CTO)Kohei Nakazato(執行役員 COO)Kai Narita(執行役員 CFO)Yoshio Takahashi(執行役員 VP of Engineering)
PartnerOsamu Iwasawa· solo GP
Co-investorsNCB Venture CapitalNippon Venture CapitalSumisho Venture PartnersUTEC
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
VeeRWorkCircle
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesCloudpick · cathayinnovation.com · Jun 3, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has FIRSTLIGHT Capital made?
- FIRSTLIGHT Capital has 39 tracked investments.
- What stage does FIRSTLIGHT Capital invest at?
- FIRSTLIGHT Capital invests at the Seed, Series A stages.
- What sectors does FIRSTLIGHT Capital focus on?
- FIRSTLIGHT Capital focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Enterprise Software, Marketplaces, Media & Entertainment, SaaS, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is FIRSTLIGHT Capital located?
- FIRSTLIGHT Capital is headquartered in Tokyo, JP.
- Who does FIRSTLIGHT Capital co-invest with?
- FIRSTLIGHT Capital most often shares deals with GMO VenturePartners, Angel Bridge Co.,Ltd., Japan Post Capital Co. Ltd., among 45 tracked co-investors.
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