The Venture Codex

Led · Series B · Dec 2025

Smooth operates a fintech platform that breaks up the hefty upfront costs of renting—such as security deposits, key money, and brokerage fees—into manageable installment payments. The service is delivered via LINE and features an AI-driven credit screening that can render a decision in as little as 15 seconds. It is popular with cash-constrained customers like new graduates and job-changers, and had more than 430,000 LINE registrants as of December 2025. Real-estate agencies benefit because the product reduces tenant drop-off and boosts contract conversion, leading to a three-fold year-over-year increase in participating stores nationwide. Smooth monetizes by financing the initial rental outlays and recouping them over time from users, and it is now expanding its product suite to adjacent financial services. The fresh capital will fund product enhancements, operational scale-up, and further development of new financial offerings. The company is also exploring diversified financing structures to support the growing volume of upfront rental advances.

Led · Series B · Nov 2024

Gitai develops space robotics hardware and systems for on-orbit services and lunar infrastructure construction. The company is building robotic satellites for on-orbit services, lunar robotic rovers for infrastructure construction, and inchworm-type robotic arms usable in both areas, with all technologies developed in-house. Gitai aims to reduce the cost of space operations by 100 times. Led by CEO Sho Nakanose, the company relocated its headquarters from Japan to the United States in late 2023 and now operates from Torrence, CA. Since the move, Gitai has expanded its U.S. space and defense market presence and production capabilities, achieving selection for NASA SBIR, orders from DARPA, a technology demonstration outside the ISS, AS9100 and NIST SP800-171 certifications, and expanded headquarters and production facilities. Financially, Gitai's Series B extension has totaled US$60.5M following an additional US$15.5M raised in the latest tranche. Gitai develops space-ready robotic systems — notably a two-meter “inchworm” robotic arm and a lunar rover — intended to perform excavation, inspection, assembly and welding for space infrastructure. The company tests technologies in simulated environments such as a Mojave Desert lunar surface and a mock regolith chamber, and has completed a technology demonstration aboard the ISS Nanoracks Bishop Airlock. Gitai is preparing to deploy a 1.5-meter autonomous arm called “S2” outside the Airlock next year, pending NASA safety review, and is discussing a 2026 lunar demonstration to build communication antennas and solar panels. The seven-year-old company has offices in California and Japan and will use new funding to increase its California headcount and deepen relationships with NASA, U.S. commercial space firms and the Department of Defense. Financially, Gitai closed an additional $15 million in funding following a $30 million Series B extension announced a little over three months earlier; the recent financing also included a loan from MUFG Bank. Participating investors named in the most recent round are Green Co-Invest Investment Limited Partnership, Pacific Bays Capital’s Pacific Bays Fund 1 & 1A Investment Limited Partnerships, and MSIVC 2021V Venture Capital Investment Limited Partnership. Gitai develops autonomous robots for in-space applications, notably a robotic arm and a robotic rover designed for assembly, inspection and routine maintenance. The company aims to replace costly and dangerous human labor in space to enable construction of lunar and Martian infrastructure such as solar panels, communication antennas, fuel generators and habitation modules. Gitai demonstrated its robotic arm on the International Space Station in 2021 and is preparing a more difficult external ISS demo next year, while targeting a lunar rover mission as early as 2026. It is investing in U.S. operations—relocating leadership and engineers to Los Angeles, pausing hiring in Japan, and planning to add 20 U.S. employees by year-end and 40–50 by the end of next year. The company is building testing facilities including a mock lunar environment and a vacuum chamber to raise its technological readiness level. Financially, Gitai closed a $30 million (¥4 billion) Series B extension from a syndicate of Japanese funds and venture firms and will use the proceeds to expand U.S. manufacturing, testing capacity and workforce. GITAI develops general-purpose robots intended to perform labor inside and outside space stations, conduct orbital servicing (docking, lifespan extension, debris removal), and support lunar exploration and base development. The company positions its robots as Robots-as-a-Service to reduce astronaut risk and dramatically lower transportation and training costs for space labor. A technical demonstration of GITAI robots on the International Space Station was scheduled for summer 2021. GITAI operates as GITAI Inc. and has a U.S. branch, GITAI USA; Nakano Sho is listed as CEO. Epson has agreed to partner operationally by investigating GITAI's core technologies, dispatching engineers to the company, and promoting open innovation through personnel exchanges. No operating or financial metrics are disclosed in the article. GITAI, founded in 2016 and based in Tokyo, builds robots to service satellites, replace batteries or hardware, and support astronauts in construction and maintenance of space outposts. Its G1 is a two-armed, 120-kg general-purpose helper with autonomous abilities and remote operation via the H1 telepresence control system. The company emphasizes motor-drive control and tight integration of hardware and software — including motion planning, electronics and sensors — to perform in zero gravity. GITAI has worked with major clients including JAXA and commercial space businesses, and staged experiments in a mockup of the ISS Kibo module. It was selected to deploy S1, a 1-meter robotic arm, to the station in 2021 to be fitted onto Nanoracks’ Bishop airlock. The company plans to use robots first outside the ISS, then on the lunar surface (potentially as rovers or construction machines) to extend human capabilities in space.

Participated · Series B · May 2024

Onedot operates Petnote, a pet O2O quick‑commerce service that delivers pet food and supplies in roughly 30–60 minutes. Petnote launched in May 2022 and in two years expanded to 10 Chinese cities with about 80 dark‑store locations; some regions are already profitable. In addition to Petnote, Onedot runs the parenting media Babily, the inbound medical platform OneMedica, and a China digital strategy and marketing support business. The company says it will use newly raised funds to accelerate Petnote’s geographic expansion, invest in service development, and hire business and product talent in Japan and China. Onedot aims to become a comprehensive O2O platform in China by adding services such as pet health management, online health consultations, and animal hospital referrals. The company was founded in December 2016 and is headquartered in Tokyo.

Participated · Series A · Apr 2024

UtaiTe, founded December 28, 2022 and headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo, develops and operates 2.5-dimensional IP. Its core product is the UTAITE group, a singer/streamer collective launched in June 2024 that manages multiple debuting units. The company debuted 6-member unit 'すぱどり' (supadori) in June 2024 — their debut song surpassed 100,000 YouTube views within two days — and 5-member unit 'きみとぴあ！' (kimetopia!) in July 2024, which reached 60,000 YouTube subscribers within two weeks. Activities extend beyond YouTube: 'すぱどり' provided an original song used as the August 2024 opening theme for TV Asahi's nationwide program musicru TV. UtaiTe plans both online and offline events and is actively hiring to support expansion. Financially, the company completed a ¥1.0 billion Series A extension 1st close and reports cumulative funding of approximately ¥2.9 billion. The newly raised funds will be used for aggressive talent recruitment and business investments to secure the capability to produce higher-quality content for UTAITE. UtaiTe produces "2.5-dimensional" idol content by combining 2D animation characters with 3D real-world talent and supports individual creators to broaden fanbases. The company was founded in December 2022 and aims to create a new entertainment market around this hybrid format. It announced a new project called Pop✖Diff, which seeks to discover and train "singer×streamer" talents under the concept of making esports lighter and more pop. Pop✖Diff will provide illustrations from illustrator Terada Tera for audition winners and offer support including original music production, streaming equipment, and live events. Auditions for singer and streamer candidates are open on a special page through June 3. Financially, UtaiTe has raised a cumulative ¥1.9 billion and plans to use new funds to expand into music×game streaming and grow its talent-production pipeline. Utaite develops and operates 2.5-dimensional IP, producing and managing serialized IP and live events. Founded in December 2022 and based in Setagaya, Tokyo, the company positions itself as a platform to support creators, performers, and fans. Utaite aims to expand its IP portfolio continuously and pursue collaborations with games, anime, and other adjacent areas. The company plans to invest in IP development, operations, live-event production, and platform construction to maximize opportunities for creators and fans. In 2024 the company formalized a new mission and values framework as it scales its team and recruiting efforts. Financially, Utaite has raised a cumulative ¥1.6 billion to date, including the recent Series A first-close.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2024

Blue Laser Fusion develops a proprietary laser fusion system that pairs a high-efficiency megajoule pulse-energy laser with a fast repetition rate and a high-gain, aneutronic solid fuel target to achieve commercial fusion. The company positions its technology as a complete clean energy system for providing electrical power to homes, businesses, and electric vehicles. Blue Laser Fusion closed a $37.5M Seed funding round. Backers in the round included SoftBank Corp., Yusaku Maezawa through the Maezawa Fund, Itochu Corporation, JAFCO Group Co., Ltd., SPARX Group Co., Ltd. (Mirai Creation Fund III), and Waseda University Ventures. Founded in 2022 and based in Palo Alto, CA, the company was co-founded by Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura, Hiroaki Ohta, and Richard Ogawa. BLF plans to complete its first prototype in 2025 and to demonstrate a commercial-ready fusion reactor by 2030. Blue Laser Fusion is developing a proprietary laser fusion technology using HB11 fuel aimed at accelerating the transition to a carbon-free electrified world. Its laser enables Mega Joule pulse energy with a fast repetition rate to achieve commercial fusion, and the company holds over 200 claims in patent applications. The company recently raised $25M in initial Seed funding to support R&D and prototype development. Founded in 2022 by Shuji Nakamura (President and CEO), Hiroaki Ohta, and Richard Ogawa, the company is based in California. Blue Laser Fusion intends to use the funds to expand R&D operations in the Santa Barbara area and Tokyo to develop its prototype commercial reactor. It plans to complete its first prototype in 2025 and to demonstrate a commercial-ready fusion reactor by 2030. The company aims to create a complete clean energy system to supply electric power to homes, businesses and electric vehicles.