Monozukuri Ventures
Venture capitalKyoto · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 24 people tracked
Investment thesis
Monozukuri Ventures invests in hard tech companies while also providing hands-on support beyond capital. The firm maintains a dedicated team to help startups with hardware prototyping, mass production, and business development. Its goal is to enable entrepreneurs and startups to rapidly produce and sell high-quality products, even in small quantities.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 24 people
from the firm's website & public directories
What they invest in
from 14 of 70 portfolio companiesHardware ×6AI & Machine Learning ×4Deep Tech ×3Healthtech ×3IoT ×3New Materials ×3Medical Devices ×2Robotics ×2
HQs:United States×14Japan×7
Investments · 70 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathProvides space cameras for satellites and develops technology for satellite image analysis using deep learning.
Arieca develops thermal interface materials (TIMs), including high-adhesive and liquid metal-based polymer products, for heat management in electronics.
HardwareNew MaterialsSemiconductorsPittsburgh, US
Navid Kazem(CEO & Co-Founder)Carmel Majidi(CTO & Co-Founder)
BoardIlana Diamond(Director)Hitoshi Suzuki(Director)Ken Joyce(Director)
Brelyon develops headset-free virtual displays using optical and computational techniques to create 3D depth and panoramic imagery for gaming, entertainment, and enterprise applications.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareSan Mateo, US
Calvin Chin(Director)Alok Mehta(Director)Barmak Heshmat Dekhordi(Executive Officer, Director)
Develops home-use atmospheric pressure plasma facial skincare device for reducing blemishes and improving skin regeneration.
Develops engaging learning robots including Cozmo coding robot and Vector AI companion robot for educational purposes.
Pittsburgh, US
Harry Jacob Hanchar(Executive Officer)
Develops IoT devices based on long-range, power-saving LoRa technology for industrial and smart city applications.
EASEL provides custom development services for IoT products, with expertise in wireless communication and wireless network design for various applications and environments.
Deep TechHardwareIoT
Edge Case provides safety validation and assurance for autonomous and AI-driven systems, helping organizations identify vulnerabilities and edge cases to make their technology reliable and deployment-ready.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechRoboticsPittsburgh, US
Michael Wagner(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Philip Koopman(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Develops next-generation perovskite solar cells that are thin, lightweight, flexible, and maintain efficiency under cloudy or indoor conditions.
Develops cutting-edge electroadhesive actuators for robots using Carnegie Mellon technology to reduce weight, size, and cost.
Pittsburgh, US
Ilana Diamond(Director)Randall Eger(Director)Stuart Diller(Executive Officer, Director)Carmel Majidi(Director)
EveryKey builds a proximity-based, AI-driven authentication platform that turns a user's phone into a universal key for accessing devices, applications, and networks.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecuritySaaSLakewood, US
Daniel Thomas(Executive Officer)Chris Wentz(Executive Officer, Director)Edward Cochran(Director)Raymond Wentz(Director)Craig Lewis(Executive Officer)
BiotechPittsburgh, US
Daniel Willis(Executive Officer)Matthew Kesinger(Executive Officer, Director)
Healthcare startup addressing nicotine dependence using a device that controls nicotine dosage via smartphone app for gradual reduction.
Pittsburgh, US
Robert Fields(Executive Officer)Brendan Quay(Executive Officer, Director)Jacob Kring(Executive Officer, Director)
Sharing economy startup providing mobile battery rental service for spectators at entertainment venues.
Develops Active VR virtual training materials for industrial and medical fields where users engage physically in virtual environments.
Develops solar-powered devices with cameras and sensors to monitor crops and environmental conditions for smart agriculture.
Campbell, US
Koki Terui(Executive Officer, Director)Akihito Nagata(Director)Taizo Otsuka(Executive Officer, Director)
Develops centralized AI-driven control system shifting robotic intelligence to infrastructure-side sensors for scalable automation.
Designs and manufactures semiconductors for cryptocurrency mining and AI inference with superior power efficiency.
Develops connected teapot enabling automatic brewing via smartphone with personalized brewing based on physical condition and mood.
Coroyawa is a specialized flooring material designed to reduce fracture and trauma risk for elderly users by combining stable walking comfort with impact absorption during falls.
HardwareHealthtechMedical DevicesNew MaterialsHamamatsu, JP
Little Canada, US
Alejandro Rodriguez(Executive Officer)Nick Swenson(Director)Michael Karpe(Executive Officer)Gary Burandt(Director)Norman Troullier(Director)Jacob Balma(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Develops wireless fetal monitoring system based on University of Tokyo technology enabling remote prenatal care.
Melody International Ltd. makes iCTG, a wireless wearable fetal monitor combining a fetal heart rate transducer, a uterine contraction monitor, and a tablet app that transmits CTG data over the internet for remote analysis.
Digital HealthFemTechMedical Devices
Builds augmented reality hardware and software platform for industrial use, providing affordable and rapidly deployable AR solutions.
Provides ball-shaped pet toy with camera, mic, and speaker enabling remote monitoring and interaction with pets.
Portable cleaning device using special solvent for quick steam cleaning of clothing in apartment buildings and hotels.
Develops training device providing 3D resistance with real-time motion monitoring for sports and rehabilitation applications.
HardwareHealthtechLong Island City, US
Benjamin Bisconti(Director)Paul Byrne(Director)Dan Fetters(Director)Samuel A. Miller(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Geoffrey Bernstein(Executive Officer)Lisa Frankovitch(Executive Officer, Director)
Develops odor sensors and data management systems using AI to identify and eliminate unwanted smells in manufacturing and food industries.
RUTILEA provides a comprehensive AI platform that enables enterprises to safely deploy and operationalize generative AI applications through vertically integrated infrastructure, including secure closed-network environments, data foundations, GPU datacenters, and no-code AI tools.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingEnterprise Software
Provides inventory management and automatic order placement system using proprietary IoT scale for retail and food businesses.
Startup developing spatial transmission wireless power transfer technology to create a genuinely wireless society.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Monozukuri Ventures invest at?
- Monozukuri Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B, Series C, Late Stage stages.
- What is Monozukuri Ventures's typical check size?
- Monozukuri Ventures typically writes checks of $100K – $300K.
- What sectors does Monozukuri Ventures focus on?
- Monozukuri Ventures focuses on Advanced Manufacturing, Deep Tech, Hardware, Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Monozukuri Ventures located?
- Monozukuri Ventures is headquartered in Kyoto, JP.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
from their channel【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 第4回「米国第4位の都市、ヒューストン。世界のエネルギーの首都が石油価格暴落から10年で再生できた理由」ほか
Monozukuri Ventures
【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 第3回「世界第2位のスタートアップ都市 ニューヨークの利点を活用する 製造業スタートアップが急増」
Monozukuri Ventures
【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 特別編「企業文化が変わるのを待たずに“担当者レベル”でオープンイノベーションを推進する方法」
Monozukuri Ventures
【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 第1回 「任天堂がUSJのマリオカートに選んだのは創業4年のスタートアップ」
Monozukuri Ventures
【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 第8回: 米国の製造業回帰は本気か？ 国防総省が予算を20倍に。著名VCも「製造業＝イノベーション」と再定義
Monozukuri Ventures
【Monozukuri Innovation Institute】朝活ウェビナー 第2回「BMWが描く未来の製造業 Figureのヒューマノイドロボットをどう活用するのか」
Monozukuri Ventures
Images
Co-investors · 7
First Round Capital is an early-stage venture firm that partners with founders at the earliest stages of company creation, pairing active partners (many former founders) with functional teams for go-to-market, recruiting, and other support.
An investment platform that enables elite athletes to participate in venture capital investments alongside established top-tier investors in promising startups.
Alchemist Accelerator runs a six-month program for technical founders building enterprise-focused AI-SaaS and deeptech companies, providing coaching, mentorship, commercialization support, and access to Silicon Valley investors.
Innovation Works is a Pittsburgh-based economic development organization and startup investor serving Southwestern Pennsylvania, running accelerator and hardware programs and supporting founders across robotics, life sciences, software and manufacturing.
Riverfront Ventures is an early-stage venture capital fund based in Pittsburgh that invests in early-growth stage technology companies, serving as the venture capital arm of Innovation Works.
A venture capital firm that leads pre-seed institutional rounds in vertical enterprise software, AI, and fintech companies, providing hands-on mentorship and follow-on capital through Series A.
KK Fund is a venture capital firm backing early-stage technology startups in the mobile and internet space across multiple industry sectors, primarily in Southeast Asia, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Firms observed investing alongside Monozukuri Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Monozukuri Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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