World Innovation Lab
Venture capitalPalo Alto · Growth–Late Stage · 30 people tracked
Also known as WIL, LLC
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Investment thesis
WiL invests in growth-stage companies that aspire to scale and enter new markets, focusing on sectors such as AI, B2B SaaS, fintech, insurtech, automation and productivity, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, developer tools, health tech, and sustainability. Drawing on capital from global corporations and government entities in Japan and Asia, WiL positions itself as a bridge between startups and corporations, leveraging its Limited Partner network to accelerate portfolio companies' global expansion, with a particular emphasis on Japan. In addition to direct investments, WiL invests in other venture capital firms and co-invests in select portfolio companies to help them grow globally.
Source: firm website, verified Sep 27, 2026.
Team · 30 people
from the firm's website & curatedElizabeth Gray is Finance Manager at Seven Seven Six. She has more than seven years of financial analysis experience, including work at Google and PwC, and is an inactive CPA. Her work covers financial modeling, forecasting, budget analysis, and FP&A, along with SQL scripting, data transformation, and dashboard building.
Carlos Batista is Chief Executive Officer at Vantage Legacy Capital and co-owner of a hospitality company he has led since September 2022, with more than eight years of experience in the industry. He holds the SIE and Series 63 certifications and graduated from Baruch College in 2015 with a background in accounting and finance. His areas of focus include hospitality, business planning, marketing, and leadership.
SVP of Sales at fintech company Bill.com where his team scaled revenue from $30M to $200M through IPO. He previously founded and sold Caring.com and is an angel investor in fintech and senior-care startups.
Sarah Boles is an Executive Assistant at Seven Seven Six. Her work focuses on administrative support and collaboration in service of company objectives.
Daisuke Hara works at Open Network Lab at Digital Garage. His stated professional focus is on corporate finance functions, including raising equity and debt, hiring, and allocating capital such as M&A, with attention to a company's future valuation.
Jean Shi is a Director at World Innovation Lab (WiL), working in venture capital and corporate innovation. Her experience includes launching and running startup incubator and accelerator programs, conducting early-stage startup sourcing and due diligence, and executing investment projects across financial modeling, deal negotiation, and portfolio development. She has focused on verticals including cybersecurity, blockchain, insurtech, mobility, and foodtech, has developed partnerships with Japanese OEMs and research institutions, and is trilingual in English, Japanese, and Mandarin.
Karuna Miyoshi is a Senior Director at World Innovation Lab (WiL), where she works as an innovation partner supporting Japanese companies in new business development from ideation to execution and facilitates strategic collaboration between large corporations and startups. Her work includes designing and running internal business contests for more than 15 companies annually, covering promotion, judging criteria, mentoring, and final pitch evaluation. Prior to WiL, she spent three and a half years at Bain & Company providing strategy consulting to clients in sectors including machinery, home appliances, retail, consumer goods, and education.
Masanori Okumura is Chief of Staff and Senior Director at WiL (World Innovation Lab), which he joined in March 2026. He previously worked at SoftBank Investment Advisers, adviser to the SoftBank Vision Funds, and spent a decade at SoftBank Group Corp. in acquisition finance and capital raising. He holds an MA in Science from Waseda University.
What they invest in
from 33 of 39 portfolio companiesSaaS ×21AI & Machine Learning ×19Enterprise Software ×14Developer Tools ×9Fintech ×6Cloud Computing ×4Advanced Manufacturing ×3Consumer ×3
HQs:United States×28United Kingdom×4Japan×3China×1
Investments · 39 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 32025 · 12024 · 32023 · 22022 · 42021 · 32019 · 12018 · 22017 · 42015 · 124 dated
Asana is a collaborative work management platform that helps teams align work to goals, coordinate tasks, and automate processes using AI-powered workflows.
Enterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkMarketing TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Dustin Moskovitz(Founder)inJustin Rosenstein(Founder)inTim Wan(Executive Officer)inEve Saltman(Executive Officer)inDan Rogers(Chief Executive Officer and Director)Aziz Megji(Chief Financial Officer)in
Co-investors8VCAndreessen HorowitzFounders FundG SquaredinfoShareKapor Capital+13 more
Wise is a financial platform offering international money transfers, multi-currency accounts, and debit cards with low fees and competitive exchange rates, serving millions of users globally.
FintechLondon, GB
Kristo Käärmann(Founder)inTaavet Hinrikus(Founder)in
Co-investorsAdventure FundAndreessen HorowitzCDP Venture CapitalEUREKA! VentureFabric VenturesFelicis Ventures+28 more
Aisera develops agentic AI systems for enterprises that proactively anticipate needs and solve repetitive tasks, freeing teams to focus on strategic decisions and complex problem-solving.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSanta Clara, US
Abhi Maheshwari(Chief Executive Officer)inJared Lucas(Chief People Officer)inDejan Deklich(Chief Development Officer)inRahul Guha(VP of Product Management)inUtkarsh Contractor(Field Chief Technology Officer)inBen Lu(Chief Financial Officer)in
Co-investorsIcon VenturesMenlo VenturesThoma BravoTrue VenturesAIX VenturesCisco Investments+8 more
Workstream provides technology and services for the global deskless economy, serving the 2.7 billion workers and business owners in this segment.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkHR TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
Desmond Lim(Founder)inMax Wang(Founder)inHuang Hui Lim(Executive Officer, Director)Ruoyu Wang(Executive Officer, Director)Lei Xu(Founder)in
BoardKeith Rabois(Director)in
Co-investorsBasis Set VenturesBond Capital ManagementGaingelsNotable CapitalSoma CapitalFounders Fund+19 more
Cresta provides a unified platform combining human and AI agents to automate and augment customer service interactions for enterprise contact centers.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSales TechSunnyvale, US
Sebastian Thrun(Founder)inTim Shi(Founder)inZayd Enam(Founder)inAndre Esteva(Founder)inShan Huang(Co-Founder)inPing Wu(Chief Executive Officer)in
Board seatRob Theis· per SEC Form D · $125M raise · filed Jan 2025
Co-investorsAndreessen HorowitzTiger Global ManagementBallistic VenturesBrilliant Phoenix CapitalComcast VenturesGreylock Partners+17 more
Algolia provides an API platform that enables developers to integrate search and discovery functionality into websites and mobile applications, serving thousands of companies across e-commerce, media, and SaaS.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Nicolas Dessaigne(Board Member)inJulien Lemoine(CTO)inBernadette NixoninBernadette Nixon (CEO)(Founder)Gabriel Dillon(Senior Partner Sales Executive, Americas)Kristie Rodenbush(Chief People Officer)
Co-investors500 GlobalAccelAcequia Capital (AceCap)Aglae VenturesCollective LiquidityDag Ventures+20 more
Alven is an independent early-stage venture capital firm that invests in and supports entrepreneurs, with a portfolio that includes companies such as Qonto, Typology, Gorgias, and Yubo.
Sector Agnostic
Co-investorsPeakQuadrille CapitalAccelDag VenturesFlex Capital PartnersForestay Capital+2 more
AnywhereCam sells solar-powered 4G/LTE cellular surveillance cameras with pan-tilt-zoom, two-way audio, night vision, and cloud storage that operate off-grid without wired power or Wi-Fi.
ConsumerE-commerceHardwareIoT
Michael Blecha(Founder)in
Co-investorsGreater Colorado Venture FundGeneral AtlanticHercules Capital, Inc.New Enterprise Associates (NEA)Novo HoldingsSoftBank Group+1 more
Anywhere (now part of Compass International Holdings) is a residential real estate services company operating brands for franchising, brokerage, title insurance and settlement services, and global relocation.
Enterprise SoftwareInsurTechPropTech
Co-investorsAlkeon CapitalBain CapitalGeneral AtlanticHercules Capital, Inc.ICONIQ GrowthKleiner Perkins+5 more
Auth0 is an authentication and authorization platform that secures applications, AI agents, and internal tools by providing identity management, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and fine-grained access control capabilities.
CybersecurityDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareBellevue, US
Carlos Eugenio Pace(Executive Officer, Director)Matias Woloski(Founder)inEugenio P.(Founder)inJonathan I. Gelsey(Executive Officer, Director)Eugenio Pace(Founder)
BoardSunil Nagaraj(Director)in
Co-investorsBessemer Venture PartnersDraper CygnusEndeavor CatalystFounders Circle CapitalFUSEK9 Ventures+13 more
Autify builds no-code, AI-based test automation technology for software development teams.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaSChuo-Ku, Tokyo, US
Ryo Chikazawa(Founder)inSam Yamashita(Founder)Sam Y.(Founder)inTakayuki(COO)Thomas(VP of Engineering)Chiharu(VP of Finance)
Co-investorsANOBAKAGenesia VenturesGlobal BrainGlobis Capital PartnersLG Technology VenturesUncorrelated Ventures+5 more
Birdeye is a crypto analytics and trading platform providing real-time token data, trader tracking, charts, and market discovery tools across multiple blockchains including Solana, Base, Ethereum, and BNB Chain.
Crypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureFintech
Co-investorsBitDAOMantle NetworkAccel-KKRTrinity Ventures
Bokksu offers a subscription service that delivers monthly boxes of authentic Japanese snacks, candies, and teas sourced from family-run makers in Japan, along with a culture guide describing each product's origin and flavor.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerE-commerceCarlstadt, US
Danny Taing(Executive Officer, Director)in
BoardJonathan Shulkin(Director)
Co-investorsGaingelsKube VCSprint VcValor Equity PartnersCompany VenturesHeadline Asia
CADDi builds an AI data platform for the manufacturing industry, alongside a procurement platform for custom (made-to-order) parts, using data and AI to unlock knowledge from the production floor.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningB2B MarketplacesSaaSTokyo, JP
Yushiro Kato(Founder)in加藤 勇志郎(代表取締役CEO・共同創業者)Aditya Sastry(Founder)Aki Kobashi(Founder)Alejandro Castellano(Founder)Kato Yushiro(Founder)
Co-investorsAtomicoCoreline VenturesDCM VenturesGlobal BrainGlobis Capital PartnersMinerva Growth Partners+7 more
ClearMotion develops active suspension systems for automotive vehicles.
Advanced ManufacturingAI & Machine LearningDeep TechHardwareMobility & TransportationChangshu, CN
Zack Anderson(Founder)inShak Avadhany(Founder)Zackary Anderson(Executive Officer, Director)Shakeel Avadhany(Executive Officer, Director)inChristian Steinmann(CEO)in
BoardKrishna Kolluri(Director)
Co-investorsATEL VenturesEileses CapitalM12 (Microsoft's Venture Fund)New Enterprise Associates (NEA)NewView CapitalQualcomm Ventures+4 more
Cortex provides a platform for SRE teams to enforce production readiness standards, prevent incidents through automated monitoring and ownership tracking, and resolve issues faster during outages.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
Ganesh Datta(CTO and co-founder)inAnish Dhar(Founder)inNikhil Unni(Founder)inSerena Dinh(Head of Talent)Grace Mason(Lead Business Recruiter)Cristina Buenahora(Founding Engineer)
Co-investorsAngel Collective Opportunity FundCross Creek AdvisorsGaingelsIVP (Institutional Venture Partners)Kearny JacksonSAV (Scale Asia Ventures)+6 more
Curebase provides a software platform for clinical trial management, serving contract research coordinators and trial sites.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechDigital HealthHealthtechSaaSFort Lauderdale, US
Storm Stillman(COO)inTom Lemberg(Founder)inMatthew Rials(CTO)Noah Debrincat(Lead Product Manager)inHannah Gittleman(Head of People)Sam Oliver(Lead Recruiter)
Co-investorsAcrew CapitalBold Capital PartnersBreyer CapitalC3 VenturesFuture Planet CapitalGaingels+15 more
San Francisco, US
Alastair Ewan Paterson(Executive Officer, Director)James Chappell(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardEileen Michael Burbidge(Director)inRyan Floyd(Director)inStuart McClure(Director)
Co-investorsOctopus VenturesPaladin Capital GroupPassion CapitalStorm VenturesTen ElevenIndustry Ventures+1 more
FloQast provides reconciliation management and workflow automation software for accounting teams, designed by accountants to streamline financial processes and improve productivity.
AI & Machine LearningConsumerEnterprise SoftwareFintechFoodTechSaaS
Mike Whitmire(Founder)inChris Sluty(Founder)inKushal Malde(Head of Financial Control)inCullen Zandstra(Founder)Michael Whitmire(Founder)
Co-investorsAmplify.LAICONIQInsight PartnersLeft Lane CapitalNewView CapitalNorwest Venture Partners+9 more
Gorgias provides a helpdesk platform for customer support agents, serving e-commerce merchants and brands.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureE-commerceRetail TechSaaSSan Francisco, US
BoardAlex Plugaru(Founder)inRomain Lapeyre(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlvenAmplify PartnersConvergeCRV (Charles River Ventures)FJ LabsForerunner Ventures+11 more
HappyRobot provides a platform for deploying autonomous AI agents across complex enterprise operations.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSSan Francisco, US
Pablo Palafox(Founder)inLuis Paarup(Founder)inJavier Palafox(Founder)inMarisol Santillan(Recruiter)Miguel Bautista(Recruiter)Isolina Zambrana(Talent)
Co-investorsAb Capital Holding BVAlumni VenturesAndreessen HorowitzArray Ventures Management LlcavraBase10 Partners+10 more
Lovable is an AI-powered platform that enables users to build web applications and websites through conversational chat interactions with artificial intelligence.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsSaaSDover, US
Fabian Hedin(Founder)inAnton Osika(Founder)inAndy Toung(Executive Officer)Anton Osika Fabian Hedin(Founder)
BoardBenjamin Fletcher(Director)Matt Murphy(Director)in
Co-investors20VC83NorthAccelAIX VenturesAlanda Capital Holding LimitedAnthropy Partners+47 more
Mural Pay provides stablecoin-based financial infrastructure that lets platforms, fintechs, and banks launch accounts, wallets, and cross-border payments.
Crypto & Web3FintechSaaSNew York City, US
Chris Fernandes(Founder)inSinclair Toffa(Founder)in
Co-investorsAlleyCorpDigital Currency GroupEntrée CapitalPredictive VCAlley Robotics VenturesIntel Capital
PeerStreet operates an online investment platform that gives accredited investors access to real estate debt as an asset class, offering high-yield, short-term, real estate-backed loan investments.
FintechMarketplacesPropTechManhattan Beach, US
Brewster Johnson(Executive Officer)Brett Crosby(Executive Officer)inBrew Johnson(Founder)inDan Graham(Executive Officer)Scott Eric Gottlieb(Executive Officer)Joaquin Jay Hartman(Executive Officer)
Co-investorsGaingelsGMO VenturePartnersRembrandt Venture PartnersAndreessen HorowitzThomvest VenturesWorld Innovation Lab (WiL)
Pipedream provides an integration and automation platform for developers to build, run, and deploy AI agents and workflows that connect thousands of APIs.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsSaaSSan Francisco, US
Jason Endo(Founder)in
Co-investorsTrue VenturesWinklevoss Capital8-Bit CapitalCRV (Charles River Ventures)Felicis VenturesTechstars
Pipedream Labs operates an underground automated delivery system that enables rapid pickup of groceries, restaurant orders, and other goods within 15 seconds.
FoodTechLogistics & Supply ChainPropTechAustin, US
Garrett McCurrach(Founder)inCanon Reeves(Founder)inTod Sacerdoti(Founder)
Co-investorsBlack FlagCortado VenturesGaingelsMyelin VCSHORSpacecadet Ventures+8 more
Pipedream Industries develops nano-concrete additives that improve cement efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in concrete production.
Advanced ManufacturingCleantechConstruction TechNew MaterialsStockbridge, US
Co-investorsAtlanta Technology AngelsCRV (Charles River Ventures)Felicis VenturesTrue VenturesWiL
Rad AI develops generative AI models and automation solutions specifically designed for radiology and healthcare workflows.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareHealthtechMedical DevicesSan Francisco, US
Dr. Jeff Chang(Co-founder)inDoktor Gurson(Founder)inJeff Chang(Founder)in
BoardStuart Peterson(Director)inBruce Armstrong(Director)in
Co-investorsAlpha PartnersArray Ventures Management LlcArtis VenturesCity LightCorewell Health VenturesCrosscourt Ventures+13 more
A browser extension or command bar interface for the Arc browser that enables users to search and navigate browser history, manage open tabs, and access productivity tools like ChatGPT integration and system utilities.
AI & Machine LearningDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaSLondon, GB
Thomas Mann(Founder)inPetr Nikolaev(Founder)inThomas Paul Mann(Founder)Daniel Sequeira(Engineering Manager)
Co-investorsAccelAtomicoChapter OneCoatue ManagementMaximilian StoiberY Combinator+3 more
An affiliate comparison website that reviews and ranks foreign online casinos operating without the Dutch CRUKS gambling-exclusion registration, focusing on payout conditions, bonus terms, licensing, and player protection.
AdTechMedia & EntertainmentTarzana, US
Jin Wook James Chung(Chief Executive Officer)Geoffrey Branda(Chief Financial Officer)Taehoon Oh(Secretary)
BoardAkinori Koto(Director)
Co-investorsRothenberg Ventures
Sendbird provides an AI-powered conversation platform that enables businesses to build conversational AI agents for customer interactions.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareSaaSSan Francisco, US
John S. Kim(CEO)inBrandon Jeon(Recruitment Manager)inHarry Kim(CTO)inJoseph Pagano(Executive Officer)Yoonho Jeon(Director)Yeusin Kim(Director)
Co-investorsAugust CapitalBallpark VenturesCapstone Partners KoreaCategory VenturesEmergence Capital PartnersFundersClub+21 more
This is not applicable—the page is a personal portfolio, not a company site.
New York, US
Co-investorsCompoundIndustry VenturesOctopus VenturesTrinity Ventures
Soracom operates a cloud-native IoT platform offering cellular and satellite connectivity, cloud integration, and AI services, with coverage across 500+ carriers in 200+ countries through a single platform and SIM.
AI & Machine LearningCloud ComputingDeveloper ToolsIoTSaaSTokyo, JP
Kenta Yasukawa(Founder)in
Co-investorsNTT DOCOMO VenturesWorld Innovation Lab (WiL)
Synthesia is an AI video platform that lets businesses generate videos with AI avatars and agents, aimed at helping organizations train, onboard, and upskill employees.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareMarketing TechSaaSLondon, GB
Victor Riparbelli(Founder)inSteffen Tjerrild(Founder)inLourdes Agapito(Founder)inMatthias Niessner(Founder)in
Co-investorsAccelAir Street CapitalFirstMark CapitalGV (Google Ventures)Kleiner PerkinsMMC Ventures+22 more
Tive provides visibility solutions for supply chain and shipment operations, helping stakeholders track and manage shipments to ensure on-time and complete delivery.
HardwareIoTLogistics & Supply ChainSaaSBoston, US
Krenar Komoni(Founder)in
BoardRaju Rishi(Director)Andy Cohen(Director)Alex Scherbakovsky(Director)
Co-investorsBaukunstBeaconsfield CapitalBroom VenturesBVVCFloating PointHyperplane Venture Capital+16 more
Other
Tracked investments with no reachable website or further public details — typically companies that wound down, renamed, or were absorbed.
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Exits · 5
2 IPOs · 3 acquisitions · showing 2Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companiesAuth0 · clay.com · Oct 11, 2026

Algolia · getlatka.com · Sep 17, 2026

Cortex · forgeglobal.com · Sep 12, 2026

PeerStreet · crowdfundedwealth.com · Aug 24, 2026

Lovable · techfundingnews.com · Aug 20, 2026
HappyRobot · theaiinsider.tech · Aug 19, 2026
Gorgias · ringly.io · Jun 22, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has World Innovation Lab made?
- World Innovation Lab has 39 tracked investments, 5 of which have exited, including 4 dated in the last 24 months.
- What stage does World Innovation Lab invest at?
- World Innovation Lab invests at the Growth, Late Stage stages.
- What sectors does World Innovation Lab focus on?
- World Innovation Lab focuses on AI & Machine Learning, Climate Tech, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Developer Tools, Enterprise Software, Fintech, Healthtech, InsurTech, SaaS.
- Where is World Innovation Lab located?
- World Innovation Lab is headquartered in Palo Alto, US.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamStanford Seminar - Gen Isayama of World Innovation Lab
Stanford Online · Gen Isayama
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