NOW Venture Capital
NOW Venture Capital (also known as NOW, Inc.)[1][2] is a venture capital (VC) firm headquartered at 1-5-5 Kudanminami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan.[3] The firm is co-founded in 2017 by Kazuma Ieiri[4], recognized by Forbes in the 2020s as one of Japan's leading serial entrepreneurs,[5][6] and Ryosuke Kajitani[7], formerly of the Mizuho Securities investment banking division.[8]
Hiroki Nakajima is a Partner at this venture capital firm. He began his career in the international division of a Big Four accounting firm, where he was involved in auditing global investment funds and major general trading companies. He also provided advisory services to large listed companies, including support for building internal control systems and adopting IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards). He has been with this VC since 2018 and holds an MBA from London Business School in the United Kingdom and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), registered with the Japanese Institute of Certified Public Accountants.[9] Haruka Motohara is also a partner of this VC. While at Mizuho Bank, she worked in investment banking and played a role similar to that of a co-founder, supporting a wide range of fundraising and IPO processes—primarily as a coverage banker for the SoftBank Vision Fund and its international portfolio companies. She joined this VC in 2021 and holds a law degree from Hitotsubashi.[10]
The firm has launched its second fund, forming a VC fund with a total scale of approximately 15 billion JPY.[11]
Major Investments
Since its establishment in May 2018, NOW Venture Capital’s first fund, Founder Foundry[12] No.1 Investment Limited Partnership, has made approximately 100 investments—including follow-on investments[13]—across more than 74 startups. NOW VC's second fund has invested in over 50 companies.[14]
Philosophy
The name "NOW" stands for "Next One For The World."[15]
References
- ↑ "ＮＯＷ株式会社の会社情報と与信管理 | NIKKEI COMPASS - 日本経済新聞". www.nikkei.com (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-24.
- ↑ "VCのNOW、新生銀などが20億円出資". 日本経済新聞 (in 日本語). 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2025-05-24.
- ↑ "NOW opens startup-focused office in Kudanshita in collaboration with Sumitomo Realty & Development". Nikkei (in 日本語). 2024-02-21. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Kazuma Ieiri and others establish venture capital firm "NOW" with plans for a fund up to 5 billion yen". ITmedia NEWS (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Kazuma Ieiri of CAMPFIRE: From "Savior During the Pandemic" to Facing Defeat | Forbes JAPAN". forbesjapan.com (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Kazuma Ieiri | Forbes JAPAN". forbesjapan.com (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Kazuma Ieiri to become Co-CEO of MIKAWAYA21 starting June 2025". MIKAWAYA21 (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Seed-stage VC "NOW" receives approximately 2 billion yen in funding from Shinsei Bank, Daiwa Securities Group, and others". Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "EYアクセラレータープログラム 第4期 参加者". www.ey.com (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ↑ "Tokyo Women in VC、現役VCと話せるキャリアイベント「VC Career Fair」を2025年6月14日(土)に開催：マピオンニュース". www.mapion.co.jp (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ↑ "NOW launches second fund focused on seed and early-stage startups, with a maximum scale of 10 billion yen". PR TIMES (in 日本語). 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Founder Foundry 1号投資事業有限責任組合への出資について | ニュース アーカイブ（2020年~2011年） | ニュース アーカイブ | 株式会社SBI新生銀行". corp.sbishinseibank.co.jp. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ↑ "シードVC「NOW」が最大100億円規模の2号ファンド設立、ブロックチェーン領域への投資も検討". あたらしい経済 (in 日本語). 2021-04-16. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ↑ kigoyama (2021-04-16). "シードVC「NOW」が2号ファンド設立、1号出資のヌーラボや「食べチョク」運営など躍進 - BRIDGE（ブリッジ）" (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-28.
- ↑ "About | NOW". NOW (in 日本語). Retrieved 2025-05-23.
External links
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