Investor Profile: KDDI Open Innovation Fund — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

KDDI Open Innovation Fund funding is Japan's telecom giant putting its balance sheet behind startup co-creation. The corporate venture fund of KDDI Corporation, operated by Global Brain Corporation, has invested in 157 startups as of August 2026 across Japan, the US, Korea, Israel, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. Its current flagship, KOIF V, launched in April 2025 to back AI and DeepTech. For founders who want distribution and corporate partnership — not just capital — it is one of Asia's most active CVCs.

Thesis: what KDDI Open Innovation Fund funding backs

The concept is business co-creation: startups get capital plus access to KDDI's group resources — network infrastructure, retail and digital distribution, marketing muscle — while KDDI gets a window on emerging technology. KOIF III (established April 2018) targeted AI, IoT, data marketing, fintech, B2B SaaS and entertainment; KOIF V (April 2025) widens that to AI and DeepTech more broadly, drawing on KDDI's expertise in communications technology. The fund invests in IT startups in Japan and overseas, from early to growth stages.

Cheque size & stages

KDDI's releases put KOIF III's total operating fund at ¥20 billion (later KDDI releases cite ¥30 billion), making it one of Japan's larger corporate venture vehicles; the original 2014 fund was ¥5 billion. The size of KOIF V is not publicly disclosed, and per-company cheque sizes are not published either — founders should approach it as a strategic investor writing institutional early-to-growth cheques, with the real prize being co-creation rather than the largest possible ticket.

Notable portfolio

The official portfolio page names 157 companies. Standouts include Sakana AI (Japan's foundation-model lab), Groq (US AI chips), Turing Inc. (autonomous vehicles), GITAI (space robotics), Cluster Inc. (metaverse), QunaSys (quantum computing), Mojo Vision (US smart contact lenses), Airmeet (US virtual events), 10X, CAMPFIRE (crowdfunding), giftee, Origami, iRidge, EditForce (genome editing), vivola (femtech), Modhaus (Korea, Web3 entertainment), MOSH, SPeak, Hayden AI (US), KaiOS Technologies and Allganize — a spread that shows the fund's genuine range from deeptech to consumer.

Programs & perks

Two programmes matter. The AI Startup Support Program by KDDI & Google AI Futures Fund is a joint KDDI–Google scheme offering support and investment to Japanese AI startups building next-generation AI services. The broader KDDI Open Innovation Program / MUGENLABO is the co-creation platform linking startups with KDDI business units — the channel through which pilots, distribution deals and joint products happen. Perks are commercial, not cosmetic: KDDI has used its marketing and channel assets to accelerate portfolio companies such as vivola's femtech app, and similar business-development support is the norm for investments.

How to apply for funding

Founders apply through the KDDI Open Innovation Program pages at kddi.com/english/open-innovation-program/koif/ and the MUGENLABO programme; the fund itself is operated by Global Brain, so introductions through Global Brain's network also route correctly. There is no single public application form — engagement typically starts with a co-creation conversation about what KDDI's assets can do for the startup. Come with a product that benefits from telecom-scale distribution or infrastructure, and a clear co-creation hypothesis.