• Letara

  Participated · Equity · Aug 2026

  Founded in 2020, Letara commercializes hybrid rocket combustion technology originating from work at Hokkaido University by its co-CEOs Shota Hirai and Landon Thomas Kamps. Its hybrid engines use a plastic-based fuel (HTPB) paired with an oxidizer, which the company says is safer to handle than many conventional fuels while maintaining performance. Letara initially focused on miniaturized in-space thrusters but has expanded ambitions to build both satellite thrusters and scalable launch-class hybrid engines. Its in-development product lines include two spacecraft thrusters for satellite propulsion and one hybrid engine designed for launch vehicles and point-to-point logistics. The company raised ¥2.6B ($16M) in a pre-Series A to advance these development efforts, backed by a mix of U.S. and Japanese venture and strategic investors.

• ElevationSpace

  Participated · Series B · Jun 2026

  ElevationSpace is developing the ELS-R series re-entry satellites and the ELS-RS high-frequency cargo recovery service to return payloads from orbit to Earth. The company is close to completing assembly of AOBA, its first private re-entry satellite and the inaugural ELS-R model. ElevationSpace leverages Japan’s small-satellite lift-guided re-entry expertise for returning payloads and crew from space. It has pursued global partnerships, including an agreement with Axiom Space and plans to integrate Redwire’s biopharma technology into its platform. Financially, the company has raised $63.5 million in total after securing $40 million in its Series B. Management framed the funding as supporting expansion of domestic and international business and service development under its vision of building an in-orbit transportation network.

• Synspective

  Participated · Series C · Jun 2024

  Synspective develops and operates the StriX series of small SAR satellites (100kg-class) and provides SAR-based data analytics to governments and enterprises. Its SAR sensors use microwaves to enable all-weather, day-or-night observation, and the small-satellite approach reduces weight and costs versus traditional SAR platforms. The company offers analytics products including ground deformation monitoring (LDM), flood-damage assessment, and disaster-damage evaluation. Synspective launched its fourth small SAR satellite, StriX-3, on March 13, 2024, with successful orbit insertion, communications, and antenna deployment. It aims to build a 30-satellite constellation in the late 2020s to enable wide-area, high-frequency Earth observation. Financially, Synspective reported a Series C raise of ¥7.0 billion and cumulative funding of about ¥28.19 billion (281.9億円), and plans to use proceeds for satellite development, manufacture, launch and operations, mass-production facility preparation, and global expansion of its data solutions. Synspective is a Japanese startup that provides satellite data solutions using small Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites. Its SAR data and solutions are used by governments and private companies. The company raised $100M in funding. It intends to use the funds to strengthen SAR satellite and solutions development and manufacturing systems. Synspective is led by co-founder and CEO Motoyuki Arai. Its core technology was developed under the ImPACT program led by the Cabinet Office of the Government of Japan, enabling the company to build small SAR satellites and a constellation to allow frequent observation of areas of interest.

• ThinkCyte

  Participated · Equity · Nov 2023

  ThinkCyte develops VisionSort, the company’s flagship AI-based, dual-mode fluorescence and morphometric cell sorting platform, launched in June 2023. VisionSort has been adopted by major biopharmaceutical companies and leading academic research institutions worldwide. The company plans to use new funding to scale production and manufacturing and to accelerate global commercial expansion of VisionSort. ThinkCyte completed a Series C financing (including a recent extension) and also secured a loan to support growth. The new proceeds bring ThinkCyte’s total funding to $91 million. ThinkCyte was founded in 2016 and maintains offices in Tokyo, Japan and Redwood City, California. ThinkCyte develops scientific instruments that combine proprietary optics, microfluidics, and artificial intelligence to enable high‑throughput, label‑free single‑cell analysis and sorting using its Ghost Cytometry technology. Its flagship product, VisionSort, commercially launched in June and is an AI‑based dual‑mode fluorescence and morphometric cell sorting platform. Since the summer launch the company has completed deliveries to major pharmaceutical companies and leading research institutions in the U.S. The company plans to use new funding to expand production capacity for VisionSort and accelerate sales across North America, Europe, and Asia. ThinkCyte says it will continue developing complementary technologies and products to broaden the impact of Ghost Cytometry in life sciences. The company was founded in 2016 and has offices in Tokyo and Redwood City, California. ThinkCyte develops life‑science research, diagnostic, and therapeutic platforms built around its proprietary image‑based high‑throughput cell sorting technology, Ghost Cytometry. The company focuses on drug discovery, cell therapy, and clinical diagnostics applications of its image‑based cell analysis and sorting system. ThinkCyte intends to use new funding to accelerate development of its cell‑therapy sorting system, expand clinical diagnostics and drug‑discovery activities, and pursue global business growth. The company was founded in 2016 and is led by CEO Waichiro Katsuda. ThinkCyte is based in Tokyo, Japan, and also maintains offices in San Carlos, California. The recent financing strengthens its balance sheet to support product development and international expansion plans.

• COUNTERWORKS

  Participated · Series C · Oct 2023

  COUNTERWORKS provides two core products: SHOPCOUNTER, an online marketplace that allows brands to search and reserve idle retail space, and SHOPCOUNTER Enterprise, a SaaS solution that helps commercial facility operators manage tenant recruitment and operations. SHOPCOUNTER had roughly 80,000 tenant users spanning apparel, lifestyle goods, and food sectors as of the end of June 2025, while the Enterprise product has been adopted by more than 1,000 commercial facilities. The company has been rapidly expanding outside Tokyo, with regional contracts rising from 12.5 % of transaction value in 2019 to 59.2 % in 2024. COUNTERWORKS plans to use new capital to upgrade product quality, advance system development, hire talent, and open additional spaces—particularly in regional areas—through collaborations with municipalities and local companies. Financially, the firm raised about ¥1.2 billion in Series C funding in October 2023 (¥860 million equity and ¥350 million debt) led by Z Venture Capital, bringing total funding to roughly ¥2.3 billion prior to the latest debt tranche. The newly announced loans further strengthen its balance sheet, although specific revenue or profitability figures were not disclosed.

No current team members are available.