Fundraising FoxKeio Innovation Initiative
Impact investorTokyo · Seed–Growth · 22 people tracked
Also known as 株式会社慶應イノベーション・イニシアティブ
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Investment thesis
KII focuses on backing research-and-development-oriented, deeptech startups, helping translate university lab technologies and inventions into products that can change society. Originally investing in ventures tied to Keio University, from its second fund onward KII broadened its scope to support a wider range of R&D-focused ventures beyond Keio. The firm positions itself as an impact-oriented VC, supporting companies from the seed stage through to and beyond IPO, and actively pursues impact investing to advance its mission of changing society through deeptech.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 26, 2026.
Team · 22 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
What they invest in
from 29 of 79 portfolio companiesDeep Tech ×14Medical Devices ×12Healthtech ×9Biotech ×8AI & Machine Learning ×7Cleantech ×5Energy ×4Enterprise Software ×4
HQs:Japan×27United States×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 18 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×102 founders×53 founders×14+ founders×2
Investments · 79 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathCuebus builds CUEBUS, an urban three-dimensional robotic warehouse system that stores goods vertically and retrieves them on demand from any chosen point.
HardwareLogistics & Supply ChainRoboticsTokyo, JP
Katsuhiro Okubo(代表取締役社長兼CEO (President & CEO))Ryota Fujinami(取締役副社長兼CTO (Vice President & CTO))
Co-investorsAbies VenturesMitsubishi HC CapitalMLC Ventures
Luxonus develops photoacoustic (optical ultrasound) 3D imaging devices and services for visualizing blood and lymphatic vessels, building on technology from Japan's Cabinet Office ImPACT program.
Deep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesKawasaki, JP
Sadakazu Aiso(代表取締役 (Representative Director))Taro Terashi(COO)inYoshiharu Takahashi(Executive Officer, Sales & Marketing)in
BoardOsami Kono(Director)Tomokatsu Hongo(Director)inLiu Bingxian(Director)
Co-investorsKyoto University Innovation CapitalMIRAI SOUZOU
BackofficeForce provides back-office business process services to companies through a browser-based platform.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSTokyo, JP
筧 智家至(代表取締役社長)
Kaz Watanabein
Co-investorsGlobal BrainUTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.
CureApp HT is a smartphone application that helps patients manage hypertension through self-monitoring of blood pressure and lifestyle changes, with supporting guidance from physicians.
AI & Machine LearningDigital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
Kohta Satake, MD, MPH, MBA(Founder)in
Co-investorsBeyond Next VenturesSaisei Ventures
Heartseed develops cardiac regenerative medicine, creating heart muscle cells from iPS cells for transplantation to treat heart failure, with its lead pipeline HS-001 nearing clinical trials.
BiotechHealthtechMedical Devices
Keiichi Fukuda(代表取締役社長 (President & CEO))
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.Astellas Venture Management LLCMedical Incubator Japan K.K.SMBC Venture CapitalSumitomo Mitsui Trust nvestment Co. Ltd.UTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.
JCCL develops carbon dioxide capture and resource recovery technology for achieving carbon neutrality.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechClimate TechTokyo, JP
Co-investorsInclusion JapanDai Nippon Printing
Neusignal Therapeutics develops novel drugs for central nervous system disorders, including dementia and psychiatric conditions, with research focused on calcium signaling in neurons and target discovery for brain diseases.
BiotechDeep TechDigital HealthMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
有本 達(代表取締役社長CEO)in森口 茂樹(創業科学者/特別顧問)
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.Red CapitalFast Track InitiativeNippon Venture CapitalThe Gogin Capital
Newmo operates taxi services and autonomous taxi operations in Japan, serving regional transportation needs in areas facing labor shortages and declining population.
B2B MarketplacesMobility & TransportationSaaSTokyo, JP
松本 龍祐(Founder)inKentaro M.(Founder)in松本龍祐(Founder)青柳 直樹(代表取締役 CEO)Naoki Aoyagi(Founder)
Co-investorsBonds Investment GroupCoral CapitalDCM VenturesDIMENSIONGlobal BrainGlobis Capital Partners+9 more
Red Arrow Therapeutics develops cancer therapies using a proprietary nanopolymer drug-delivery system for programmable encapsulation and release of biologics such as peptides, antibodies, and proteins.
BiotechHealthtechMedical DevicesCambridge, US
Horacio Cabral(Scientific Founder / Technology Pioneer)Philipp Steiner(Chief Scientific Officer (CSO))
Co-investorsBeyond Next VenturesOSAKA University Venture CapitalUTEC
Tokyo-based provider of video search and analysis software for sports, education and enterprise, including FL-UX and PITCHBASE.
Tokyo
Co-investorsGlobal BrainKDDI Open Innovation FundSony Ventures CorporationTechstarsW Inc.
Starlight Engine develops fusion energy technology and aims to demonstrate commercial fusion power generation using advanced superconducting tokamak (FAST) technology.
CleantechClimate TechDeep TechEnergyTokyo, JP
菊地 清貴 (Kiyotaka Kikuchi)(代表取締役社長CEO (CEO))
Co-investorsGlobal BrainKDDI Open Innovation FundKyoto University Innovation Capital
AeterLink develops long-range wireless power transmission technology, including its "AirPlug" spatial wireless power system, and holds Japan's first WPT (wireless power transfer) radio station license.
CleantechDeep TechHardwareIoTTokyo, JP
Ryo Iwasa(Representative Director / CEO)inYuji Tanabe(Director / CTO)inKazuhiro Esashi(CAO (Chief Accounting Officer) / Head of Finance)
Co-investorsAozora Corporate InvestmentEnergy & Environment InvestmentFunds Startups
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Optieum develops next-generation CAR-T cell therapies using a proprietary CAR discovery platform to optimize immune cell activation for treating solid tumors and hematological malignancies.
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
Co-investorsHiroshima Venture Capital Co. Ltd.Iyogin CapitalKobe University CapitalUntroD CapitalVision Incubate
Generic Solution provides data management and big data analytics products aimed at helping customer businesses turn data into concrete outcomes and improve market competitiveness.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise Software
Co-investorsIyogin Capital
Japanese company that develops digital health services focused on epilepsy care, including a seizure-tracking app for families of children with epilepsy and related tools for doctors, pharmacies, and online consultations.
Digital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
Nihon Agri is a Japanese agricultural company engaged in the production and sales of fruits and vegetables, with operations spanning domestic cultivation, distribution, and international trade through subsidiaries in Taiwan and Thailand.
Advanced ManufacturingAgTechFoodTechIoTTokyo, JP
Shohei Naito(CEO)inAkito Kawai(COO)
Co-investorsGlobal Brain
FingerVision develops and deploys robot systems equipped with vision-based tactile sensors to address industry-specific automation challenges, with a focus on food processing and handling applications that require flexible manipulation of soft or irregularly-shaped objects.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareRobotics
Akihiko Yamaguchi(Director)Yuki Nono(Founder)
Co-investorsMonozukuri VenturesTOHOKU University Venture Partners
BONX WORK is a workplace communication platform designed for frontline and deskless workers, offering hands-free voice calling, push-to-talk, team chat, and real-time transcription features.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of Work
Co-investorsJR East Start UPOSS VenturesTIS Ventures
Eco-Pork is a data company focused on improving pig farming production efficiency using AI, IoT, and ICT technologies, serving pig farmers in Japan and globally.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningIoTTokyo, JP
神林 隆
Co-investorsMIRAI SOUZOUUntroD Capital
EXORPHIA develops extracellular vesicle (EV) technology for assisted reproductive medicine, focusing on cell-free IVF culture medium additives to improve embryo development and fertilization success rates.
BiotechFemTechHealthtechMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
口石 幸治 (Kohji Kuchiishi)
Co-investorsCoral Capital
Helical Fusion is a company working in nuclear fusion technology, specifically developing magnetic confinement approaches to fusion energy.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyTokyo, JP
田口昂哉(代表取締役CEO)TaguchiYousuke Kubo(COO)Junichi Miyazawa(Founder)Takaya Taguchi(Founder)Takuya Goto(Founder)
Co-investorsSony Ventures CorporationDreamers VCGE Ventures
iXgene develops regenerative medicine therapies using genome-edited induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat conditions including glioblastoma and traumatic brain injury.
BiotechDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
Toshiharu FurukawaAtsushi Mizunoin
Co-investorsUTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.
Lifescapes develops brain-machine interface (BMI) technologies, including medical-grade and rehabilitation-focused devices for hand and finger control applications.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHealthtechMedical DevicesTokyo, JP
Junichi Ushiba(Chairman (Founder, BMI Developer))Masaaki Hayashi(Representative Director, CEO)in
Co-investorsBeyond Next VenturesX-HUB TOKYO Global Startup Accelerator
LINEA Innovations is a fusion energy company developing commercial reactors based on advanced-fuel fusion reactions and related technologies.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyTokyo, JP
Tomohiko Asai(Co-founder & Director, CSO)Mizuki Sakamoto(Co-founder & Director, CTO)Yuta Nojiri(Representative Director & CEO)inRyo Tamaki(Director, CFO)in
Co-investorsON&BOARDSpiral CapitalSpiral Innovation Partners
Mazin develops industrial equipment and provides staffing services in manufacturing sectors.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHR TechTokyo, JP
Co-investorsGlobal Brain
Miresso develops beryllium materials and supply chain solutions for fusion energy applications.
Deep TechEnergyNew MaterialsMisawa, JP
Masaru Nakamichi(CEO)inYu Nakano(Technical Development Director)
Co-investorsGlobal BrainMPowerNTT DOCOMO VenturesSpiral CapitalSpiral Innovation PartnersGenesia Ventures+1 more
Orbital Lasers develops space optical technology centered on satellite lasers, including systems aimed at addressing space debris, satellite bus, and mission instrument development.
Deep TechHardwareSpace TechTokyo, JP
Tadanori Fukushima(Representative Director & CEO)inYoshiyuki Muramatsu(Director & CFO)Teppei Kato(Executive Officer, CBO (Chief Business Officer))inMasayuki Maruyama(CLTO (Chief Laser Technology Officer))in
Co-investorsAngel Bridge Co.,Ltd.JIC Venture Growth InvestmentsOSAKA University Venture CapitalUTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.
PURMX Therapeutics develops nucleic acid medicines as anti-cancer drugs based on microRNA research and the concept of an "ageing switch" to induce ageing in cancer cells.
BiotechHealthtechLongevityMedical DevicesHiroshima, JP
Hidetoshi Tahara(CEO/Representative Director and President)in
Co-investorsHiroshima Venture Capital Co. Ltd.OSAKA University Venture CapitalUTEC
Synspective develops SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite solutions and geospatial data services for government and commercial clients, with applications in disaster management, environmental monitoring, and national security.
Climate TechData & InfrastructureDeep TechGovTechSpace Tech
Dr. Motoyuki Arai(Founder & CEO)Motoyuki Arai(Founder)Seiko Shirasaka(Founder)
Co-investorsaSTARTEnergy & Environment InvestmentJapan Post Capital Co. Ltd.MIRAI SOUZOUSumitomo Mitsui Trust nvestment Co. Ltd.UTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.+2 more
Vetanic develops regenerative medicine products and biologics for animals, starting with dogs, using its own animal iPS cell technology to produce donor-independent treatments such as canine mesenchymal stem cells (MSC).
BiotechDeep TechMedical Devices
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
㈱DigitalArchi2329BlueWX株式会社Crowd CareelleThermoLYMPHOGENIX Ltd.Nanofiber Quantum Technologies, Inc.One Genomics Inc.Optieum Biotechnologies Inc.PhotoructionSENSY株式会社T.G.MedicalT1D Scout, Inc.アリヴェクシス株式会社インスタリム株式会社エイターリンク株式会社クオン株式会社グラフェナリー株式会社クリングルファーマ株式会社サーブ・バイオファーマ株式会社スカイゲートテクノロジズ株式会社ノックオンザドア株式会社ひむかAMファーマ株式会社ファーメランタ株式会社フェルメクテス株式会社メタジェンセラピューティクス株式会社モーションリブ株式会社リンクメッド株式会社株式会社AdipoSeeds株式会社AYUMI BIONICS株式会社JiMED株式会社WAKU株式会社Z-Works株式会社アクセルスペースホールディングス株式会社クラウドケア株式会社グレースイメージング株式会社クロバーナ株式会社ケイファーマ株式会社コルバトヘルス株式会社ビードットメディカル株式会社フェリクス株式会社フォトラクション株式会社ヘッジホッグ・メドテック株式会社ユーフォリア株式会社坪田ラボ株式会社日本農業
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesStarlight Engine · finsmes.com · Jul 16, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Keio Innovation Initiative made?
- Keio Innovation Initiative has 79 tracked investments.
- What stage does Keio Innovation Initiative invest at?
- Keio Innovation Initiative invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B, Growth stages.
- What sectors does Keio Innovation Initiative focus on?
- Keio Innovation Initiative focuses on AgTech, AI & Machine Learning, Biotech, Deep Tech, Healthtech, Impact & Social Good, Medical Devices, Quantum Computing, Space Tech.
- Where is Keio Innovation Initiative located?
- Keio Innovation Initiative is headquartered in Tokyo, JP.
- Does Keio Innovation Initiative lead rounds?
- Keio Innovation Initiative typically participates in rounds rather than leading them.
- Who does Keio Innovation Initiative co-invest with?
- Keio Innovation Initiative most often shares deals with Global Brain, Beyond Next Ventures, UTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd., among 61 tracked co-investors.
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