Asahi Medialab Ventures

Asahi Medialab Ventures is a Tokyo-based corporate venture capital firm founded in April 2017, managing funds backed by The Asahi Shimbun — one of Japan's largest daily newspapers, founded in 1879 — and the Asahi Shimbun Group's television station companies. CEO and President Hiroshi Nozawa leads a team of two, overseeing a focused investment mandate across Japan and the United States. The firm launched its initial fund with ¥50 million in capital and subsequently raised its Asahi Medialab Ventures No. 2 fund in 2022. With 43 investments at seed through Series A stages, Asahi Medialab deploys $500K to $3 million per deal across media and entertainment, software, food and beverage, sports, and lifestyle technology. Notable portfolio companies include GameOn Inc., East Meet East Inc., Snaq.me, PostCoffee, Pixellot, and Ai Robotics. The firm has achieved four portfolio exits, with Ai Robotics exiting in September 2024. The most recent investment was in Share-Me at seed stage in January 2026. The fund's principal advantage is its parent company's media ecosystem: portfolio companies gain potential access to Asahi Shimbun's editorial relationships, television distribution, digital platforms, and the broader Asahi Group network of content and commercial partnerships. For consumer technology and media startups seeking distribution in Japan — one of the world's largest and most media-sophisticated markets — this access is a significant commercial accelerant that financial investors alone cannot provide.