Nippon Venture Capital

Nippon Venture Capital (NVCC) was established in 1996 by Japanese business leaders of blue-chip companies and ranks among the largest independent venture capital firms in Japan. Headquartered on the 34th floor of the Marunouchi Building in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, NVCC is led by President Shuichi Okuhara. Over roughly 30 years the firm has raised 21 or more funds — including its NVCC No. 9 flagship vehicle and the Osaka University Venture NVCC No. 1 — totaling approximately $700 million (JPY 100 billion) in capital. NVCC has invested in more than 1,000 companies and produced 174 IPOs as of December 2025, making it one of the most prolific IPO generators in Japanese venture. The firm's enterprise partner and shareholder roster spans Japan Inc.: Ushio, OMRON, ORIX, Kaneka, Kikkoman, Suntory Holdings, Shionogi, Sysmex, Daikin, Daiwa Securities, Fast Retailing, FUJIFILM, Mizuho Bank, Nomura Holdings, MUFG, SMBC, and Nippon Life Insurance, among many others. Academic partnerships with Kyoto University, Osaka University, Nagoya University, and others underpin a strong university-spinout pipeline. NVCC leads rounds and invests from seed through Series B in communications, software, systems and devices, life sciences, and environmental technologies. Recent investments include Neusignal Therapeutics (JPY 1.15 billion Series A, January 2025) and Stayway (Series B, July 2024). Recent IPOs include PRONI (December 2025) and AI Robotics, MFS, and Chordia Therapeutics in 2024. NVCC's breadth of corporate shareholders and university relationships gives it unmatched deal flow across Japan's industrial and academic ecosystem, and its multi-decade IPO track record provides LPs with a proven pathway from early-stage investment to public-market liquidity.