Led · Convertible Note · Jul 2026

Founded in 2023 by CEO Maro Gil, SAZO develops agentic AI infrastructure to automate key processes in cross-border shopping, including shipping fee and customs duty prediction, translation, local pricing, payment, and customs clearance. The company reports approximately 95% accuracy in predicting shipping fees, customs duties, and service charges. SAZO currently operates services connecting Korea, the United States, and Japan and has seen monthly transaction volume grow roughly sevenfold over the past six months on its Korea-Japan service. It has secured partnerships with platforms including Mercari, Rakuten, and Bungaejangter. In 2025 SAZO received a strategic investment from Japan Post Capital, and the company says it will expand into additional markets and deepen partnerships with brands and platforms while hiring to support growth. SAZO's aim is to provide a cross-border purchase experience comparable to domestic online shopping by connecting local platforms with logistics and payment infrastructure across countries.

Participated · Series A · Jun 2026

Dioseve is developing ReproNest (development code DIOS-101), a co-culture IVM product that uses ovarian support cell-like cells differentiated from iPS cells to support maturation of immature oocytes. The co-culture approach cultivates patient-derived oocytes together with support cells in the same system and is not intended as a cell therapy for administration into the body. Non-clinical studies reported by the company have shown potential benefits in supporting oocyte maturation compared with conventional IVM culture conditions. The company's technological strength is its proprietary differentiation induction technology, which it says enables efficient induction of oocytes and ovarian somatic cells from iPS cells and production of ovarian support cell-like cells. Dioseve sees applications in fertility preservation (including oocyte freezing), treatment of patients at high risk of OHSS, and rapid fertility preservation before cancer treatment. The recent funding will support validation, manufacturing and quality control setup, reproducibility assessment, regulatory compliance work, and business development to advance ReproNest toward practical application.

Participated · Series A · Mar 2026

Free Standard offers Retailor, a re-commerce operating system that allows brands and manufacturers to create branded secondary-market channels and manage end-to-end operations. Retailor supports creation of brand-specific reuse sites and provides semi-customizable services including product collection, authentication, maintenance, storage, photography, and listing. The company plans to deepen its supply-chain capabilities through collaboration with the Yamato Group to optimize logistics for re-commerce. It also intends to improve social messaging and experience design with support from investor D4V and to expand consumer touchpoints by partnering with Mitsubishi Estate and Mitsui Fudosan to bring re-commerce into physical commercial venues. Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Free Standard has raised a cumulative ¥1.37 billion through equity (including a Series A) and debt financing. The company has deployed Retailor with multiple major apparel brands and aims to mainstream brand-official re-commerce as a lifestyle option.

Participated · Equity · Sep 2025

Thirdverse is an XR game studio that plans, develops, sells, and operates XR games for global markets. The company states a vision of creating a new virtual world used by one billion people and has offices in Tokyo and San Francisco. Thirdverse was founded on May 1, 2023, and is headquartered in Nakano, Tokyo. It recently announced a social VR title with Sanrio, "Hello Kitty Skyland," and plans further large Japanese IP social VR expansions. The studio intends to leverage industry networks and celebrity and Hollywood collaborations as part of its international push. The company completed a ¥200 million financing to support these product and IP expansion plans. Thirdverse develops multiplayer VR games and is focused on combining virtual reality with blockchain technologies. The company aims to build a virtual reality world where anyone can create online communities. Its notable titles include Swords of Gargantua and Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds. Thirdverse concentrates on the production and development of VR game content and multiplayer experiences. Recently the company secured outside capital through a strategic investment. The funding underscores ongoing efforts to expand its VR and blockchain ambitions. Thirdverse is a VR game developer focused on multiplayer experiences and the production of VR titles. The company aims to combine virtual reality with blockchain and to build a virtual reality world where anyone can create online communities. Thirdverse is dedicated to the creation and development of VR games and experiences. Its notable titles include Swords of Gargantua and Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds. The company recently completed new financing to support its continued development and product roadmap. No operating metrics or founding year were disclosed in the article. Thirdverse develops virtual reality games, including Swords of Gargantua, and is building multiplayer VR experiences that integrate gaming, blockchain and NFTs. The company employs about 60 people and is focused on creating a ‘‘third place’’ in the metaverse where players can socialize and play. It has two VR titles in development and plans to use recent funding to bring those games to market. Thirdverse emphasizes NFTs and blockchain as ways to enable in-game economies and cross-game ownership of digital items. The company has seen renewed traction since the launch of lower-cost wireless headsets such as Oculus Quest 2, which boosted sales of Swords of Gargantua. Leadership is being reinforced by Hironao Kunimitsu, who recently left Gumi to lead Thirdverse full time and accelerate its metaverse strategy. Thirdverse is a Tokyo-based studio building multiplayer virtual reality games, best known for Swords of Gargantua. The company relaunched as Thirdverse in June after starting four years earlier as Yomuneco, aligning around a mission to build a “Third Place inside the Metaverse.” Its current product focus is multiplayer VR games, while its longer-term plan is to combine VR with blockchain to create VR worlds and online communities. Thirdverse has seen sales and active users increase since late March, with most current users located in America and many using Oculus Quest headsets. The company is preparing to release Frostpoint VR: Proving Grounds, a multiplayer shooter due later this year for Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and Valve Index. Funding will be used for hiring, according to co-founder Masaru Ohnogi.

Participated · Series A · Oct 2024

Sun Metalon, founded in 2021, develops sustainable manufacturing and recycling solutions for the metal industry, including a high-speed metal 3D printer currently under development and a proprietary metal heating recycling technology. The firm says its printer will be 500 times faster and 90% cheaper than traditional production methods, while its heating process can cut energy consumption by 85% compared with existing methods. Sun Metalon reports core patents granted in Japan and the US for its heating technology, which combines electromagnetic energy with a specialized heating booster to enable rapid, low-energy processing without melting the metal. The company operates in Japan and the United States and has expanded its US plant into a collaborative hub for manufacturing and recycling operations. Sun Metalon has established partnerships with customers across automotive, construction machinery, heavy industry, and steel manufacturing to support decarbonization and circular supply chains. It plans to use new capital to further develop and integrate its recycling capabilities with client companies and to scale operations. Sun Metalon develops ultra-high-speed metal 3D printing technology that speeds up the metal 3D printing process. The company was established in February 2021 and is led by CEO Kazuhiko Nishioka. In 2022 it completed a US$5.6m pre-series A funding round. In April 2023 Sun Metalon raised an additional US$2.0m in a pre-series A extension, bringing total investment to US$9.7m. As part of its growth push the company appointed former EOS CEO Dr. Adrian Keppler as an independent director and former 3D Systems VP Mark Cook as VP of Product and Business Development for global expansion. The financing and hires indicate a focus on scaling technology and expanding internationally. Sun Metalon is developing an ultra-fast metal 3D printer that can create metal products from local ores. The company is advancing machine lineups that will expand the size of parts producible in stages, with three machine lineups planned for market as of 2023. Its first machine is under development and the first customer delivery was scheduled for October 2022. Sun Metalon intends to use new funding to expand its business globally. Financially, the company raised US$5.6M in a Pre-Series A round, bringing total investment to US$7.7M. The company was established on February 2, 2021, and is led by CEO Kazuhiko Nishioka in Kawasaki, Japan.