Monozukuri Ventures
Venture capitalKyoto · Pre-Seed–Late Stage · 25 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 · 25 people
from the firm's website & curated & public directories
What they invest in
from 38 of 65 portfolio companiesHardware ×21IoT ×12AI & Machine Learning ×8Deep Tech ×8Robotics ×8SaaS ×6Enterprise Software ×5New Materials ×5
HQs:Japan×19United States×17
Who they back
founder profiles across 14 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×112 founders×3
Accelerator rootsportfolio companies that came through a program
Investments · 65 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2022 · 12021 · 12017 · 12015 · 14 dated
16Lab develops a wearable device that lets users control TVs, air conditioners, Bluetooth devices and other household appliances through gestures and hand movements.
ConsumerHardwareIoT
Provides space cameras for satellites and develops technology for satellite image analysis using deep learning.
Japanese health-data company operating Alysis, a platform that measures and analyzes vital signs and behavioral data.
Kosuke Shimizu(Founder)in
Co-investorsColopl Next
Arieca develops patented Liquid Metal Embedded Elastomer (LMEE) thermal interface materials that combine thermal performance with mechanical reliability for semiconductor applications.
HardwareNew MaterialsSemiconductorsPittsburgh, US
Navid Kazem(CEO & Co-Founder)Carmel Majidi(CTO & Co-Founder)
BoardIlana Diamond(Director)Hitoshi Suzuki(Director)Ken Joyce(Director)
Atmoph makes the Atmoph Window, a digital display device that shows over 2,000 high-definition landscape views with matching ambient sound to simulate a real window.
ConsumerHardwareIoT
Co-investorsEnergy & Environment Investment
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
Barmak Heshmat Dekhordi(Executive Officer, Director)Alok Mehta(Director)
BoardCalvin Chin(Director)in
Co-investorsLG Technology VenturesLockheed Martin VenturesGrit VenturesOne Way VenturesThe E14 FundType One Ventures+1 more
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)Peter Borman Kinney(Executive Officer, Director)Justin Sabo(Executive Officer, Director)Matthew Stewart(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsBeresford VenturesiNetworks
EarthGrid uses patented plasma-powered boring machines to tunnel and excavate through hard rock via thermal spallation, without drilling chemicals, at lower cost and faster speeds than traditional methods.
CleantechDeep TechEnergyRichmond, US
Troy Helming(Founder)inDavid Rees(Director)Rachel Payne(Director)ALYSIA HELMING(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsAurum Venture PartnersBand of AngelsBoston Harbor AngelsD3VCHBS Angels of BostonInterlock Capital+5 more
EASEL provides IoT consulting services, offering support that ranges from basic specification planning to ODM supply.
Deep TechEnterprise SoftwareHardwareIoT
Edge Case provides safety solutions and a real-time safety intelligence platform for organizations deploying complex autonomous and AI systems, using its DevSafeOps methodology to build safety assurance into the product lifecycle.
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechDefense TechRoboticsPittsburgh, US
Michael Wagner(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)inPhilip Koopman(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)
Co-investorsTrucks VCLiberty Mutual Strategic Ventures
Develops next-generation perovskite solar cells that are thin, lightweight, flexible, and maintain efficiency under cloudy or indoor conditions.
Co-investorsWoven Capital
Enowa (株式会社笑農和) develops smart water management technology for rice paddy cultivation, including features that optimize irrigation and monitor water temperature for farmers.
AgTechIoTSaaS
下村
Develops cutting-edge electroadhesive actuators for robots using Carnegie Mellon technology to reduce weight, size, and cost.
Pittsburgh, US
Randall Eger(Director)Stuart Diller(Executive Officer, Director)Carmel Majidi(Director)
BoardIlana Diamond(Director)
EveryKey is an access management platform built around a patented universal smart key that unlocks devices, applications, and online accounts based on physical proximity, replacing passwords with continuous, AI-driven identity authentication.
AI & Machine LearningCybersecurityEnterprise SoftwareSaaSLakewood, US
Chris Wentz(Executive Officer, Director)Daniel Thomas(Executive Officer)Craig Lewis(Executive Officer)
BoardEdward Cochran(Director)Raymond Wentz(Director)
Co-investorsBand of AngelsTamiami Angel
Long Island City, US
Linh Le(Executive Officer, Director)
Co-investorsEntrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA)
BiotechPittsburgh, US
Matthew Kesinger(Executive Officer, Director)Daniel Willis(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsDorm RoomLiebenthal VenturesBlack Tech Nation VenturesElevate Capital
Co-investorsAtland VenturesBackstage CapitalChaos VenturesThe Venture Collective
Healthcare startup addressing nicotine dependence using a device that controls nicotine dosage via smartphone app for gradual reduction.
Hibersense offers a room-by-room climate control system that acts like an individual thermostat in each room, adjusting temperature based on user preferences and usage patterns.
CleantechHardwareIoTPittsburgh, 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.
Imacreate develops, operates, and consults on VR/AR/MR systems, with a focus on "doing" rather than "watching" XR experiences applied to skills training (e.g. welding training with the Kobe Steel group).
AI & Machine LearningDeep TechEdTechTokyo, JP
山本 彰洋(代表取締役 CEO)川崎 仁史(取締役 CTO)
Co-investorsUTokyo Innovation Platform Co. Ltd.
Develops solar-powered devices with cameras and sensors to monitor crops and environmental conditions for smart agriculture.
Campbell, US
Koki Terui(Executive Officer, Director)Taizo Otsuka(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardAkihito Nagata(Director)
Kidou Systems builds ARGUS, a real-time AI system embedded into industrial buildings that creates a digital twin of a site, connects sensors, machines, robots, and software into one interface, and orchestrates robot actions and operator tasks to maximize throughput.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningRobotics
Koji Shiono(Co-Founder & CEO)Bogdan Epureanu(Co-Founder & CTO)
Lab 91 develops semiconductor processes and devices based on 2D materials such as MoS2.
Deep TechNew MaterialsSemiconductorsAustin, US
Co-investorsDeep Future
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.
Log Build offers "Log System", a remote construction site management platform that digitizes and shares site information among all project stakeholders using 360-degree photo VR (Log Walk), a video-call app (Log Meet), and a remote site-management service (Remote Daiko).
Construction TechPropTechSaaS
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
Yuya Miyajimain
Co-investorsCarbide VenturesHulic StartupInclusion JapanJIC Venture Growth InvestmentsMPowerTechstars
Little Canada, US
Jacob Balma(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Alejandro Rodriguez(Executive Officer)Michael Karpe(Executive Officer)Joseph Kenneth Balma(Director, Promoter)
BoardNick Swenson(Director)Gary Burandt(Director)
Melody International develops IoT medical devices and digital platforms for maternal and fetal monitoring, aimed at maternal care providers and expectant mothers.
Digital HealthFemTechIoTMedical DevicesTakamatsu, JP
Builds augmented reality hardware and software platform for industrial use, providing affordable and rapidly deployable AR solutions.
Monolets provides an end-to-end, item-level asset tracking system using printable Bluetooth shipping labels that self-organize into a mesh network to report location and condition data both inside buildings and in transit by land, sea, and air.
HardwareIoTLogistics & Supply Chain
Co-investorsBeyond1435 GmbHTecPier
mui develops the mui Board, a natural-wood smart home controller that lets users send handwritten and voice messages, control connected lighting, air conditioning and speakers, display calendar events, and access alarms, weather and radio through a touch-sensitive wooden panel.
EnergyHardwareIoT
Co-investorsEnergy & Environment Investment
OhmniLabs builds robots for healthcare, including an autonomous UV-C disinfection robot (OhmniClean), a mobile telehealth platform (OhmniCare) for providers to expand patient access in fields like nutrition and pharmacy, and telepresence robots.
Digital HealthHealthtechRobotics
Co-investorsFuel Venture CapitalSCB 10X
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.
Proteus Motion offers a patented assessment and 3D resistance training platform that measures full-body power, strength, and speed and generates personalized training and rehabilitation recommendations.
HardwareHealthtechSports TechLong Island City, US
Samuel A. Miller(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Geoffrey Bernstein(Executive Officer)Lisa Frankovitch(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardBenjamin Bisconti(Director)Dan Fetters(Director)Paul Byrne(Director)
Co-investorsAcies InvestmentsLauder PartnersLiebenthal VenturesHarris Blitzer Sports & EntertainmentHBSE Ventures
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
Co-investorsGlobal BrainAbies Ventures
Provides inventory management and automatic order placement system using proprietary IoT scale for retail and food businesses.
Sana Health develops an audiovisual device intended to help users improve physical recovery and mental well-being, targeting relief and more restful states of mind.
Digital HealthHealthtechMedical DevicesMental HealthLafayette, US
Richard Hanbury(Founder)
Co-investorsCheckmate Capital Group LLCClick VenturesFlucas VenturesHealthtech CapitalNCL Technology Ventures Ltd.Noetic+2 more
SeaSats develops autonomous maritime vessels ("Lightfish" and "Quickfish") for ocean surveillance, intelligence gathering, and domain awareness.
Defense TechIoTRoboticsSan Diego, US
Co-investorsDns CapitalHemisphere Ventures LLCIceNineKonvoy VenturesRed Beard VenturesShield Capital+3 more
Sembient offers a platform of wireless, privacy-protecting ceiling sensors, dashboards, and REST APIs that provide real-time occupancy and people-counting data for office and retail environments.
HardwareIoTPropTech
Startup developing spatial transmission wireless power transfer technology to create a genuinely wireless society.
Japanese company that plans, develops, and sells IT products.
Enterprise SoftwareSaaSTokyo, JP
高嶋 晃(代表取締役 (CEO))
Co-investorsMiyako Capital
teplo makes a smart tea brewing device that uses six built-in sensors (measuring pulse, fingertip temperature, room temperature, humidity, light, and noise) plus an app-selectable tea database to automatically control brewing temperature, time, and method for personalized tea.
ConsumerHardwareIoT
Co-investorsDG IncubationShizuoka Capital
ugo builds work-support robots and a cloud platform (ugo Platform) for managing multiple robots, offering remote operation, no-code automation programming, and automatic report generation.
HardwareRoboticsSaaS
Co-investorsJR East Start UPNTT DOCOMO VenturesSeibu Shinkin Capital
Vertiq designs high-performance propulsion systems for commercial and defense unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), combining a lightweight integrated motor and ESC with an embedded position sensor and motor control software.
Defense TechHardwareRobotics
Co-investorsRed & Blue VenturesRobin Hood VenturesGabriel Investments
Waqua (formerly Y's Global Vision) makes small, portable seawater desalination and water purification devices that turn seawater or contaminated water into usable water, along with a platform and subscription services toward a smart water grid.
CleantechClimate TechHardware
Co-investorsSony Ventures Corporation
EneCoat Technologies develops and manufactures perovskite solar cells (PSCs) and related materials.
CleantechEnergyNew MaterialsKyoto, JP
加藤尚哉 (Naoya Kato)(Representative Director / Executive Officer / CEO)堀内保 (Tamotsu Horiuchi)(Director / Executive Officer / CTO)
Co-investors15th RockGlobal BrainKyoto University Innovation CapitalMIRAI SOUZOUNippon Venture Capital
VELDT Inc. develops xCausal®, a causal AI (white-box) platform and Causal AI Assistant that estimate cause-and-effect relationships in data so businesses can understand the reasons behind AI decisions and simulate the impact of actions.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureEnterprise SoftwareTokyo, JP
Jin Nonogami(Founder)野々上 仁(代表取締役 CEO)安西 智宏(取締役)上田谷 真一(取締役)
Co-investorsAccord VenturesFast Track Initiative
FingerVision develops vision-based tactile sensors that use cameras to capture force distribution, slippage, object weight, grip position, shape, and texture for robots.
Deep TechHardwareRobotics
Co-investorsKeio Innovation Initiative
Mitate Zepto Technica is a venture company developing dedicated genome analysis hardware using advanced semiconductor technology to accelerate genome sequencing.
BiotechHardwareSemiconductors
Co-investorsKyoto University Innovation Capital
EdgeCortix is a fabless AI semiconductor company that designs energy-efficient edge AI accelerators (such as the SAKURA-II chip) along with the MERA compiler software and hardware modules for running generative AI and machine learning inference at the edge.
AI & Machine LearningHardwareSemiconductors
Co-investorsGlobal Hands-On VCMPowerAero X Ventures
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Teams · bioengineer.org · Aug 19, 2026
Mui · timesofindia.indiatimes.com · Jul 26, 2026
Maxwell Labs · tcbmag.com · Apr 10, 2026
Vertiq · hospitality-on.com · Apr 3, 2026
Seasats · latimes.com · Apr 1, 2026
Proteus · sportsbusinessjournal.com · Oct 30, 2025
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Monozukuri Ventures made?
- Monozukuri Ventures has 65 tracked investments.
- 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.
- Who does Monozukuri Ventures co-invest with?
- Monozukuri Ventures most often shares deals with Techstars, Global Brain, Kyoto University Innovation Capital, among 73 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
from their channel【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
【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 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 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 特別編その2「新規事業を推進する優秀人材の獲得と“アクハイア”の考え方」
Monozukuri Ventures
Images
Co-investors · 7
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Innovation Works is a nonprofit early-stage investor supporting the growth of Southwestern Pennsylvania's tech economy through venture funding, accelerator programs, and ecosystem support.
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.
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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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