Investor Profile: SBI Investment — Thesis, Cheque Size & How to Apply

SBI Investment funding is one of the quieter doors into Japan's startup ecosystem — and one of the largest. The venture capital subsidiary of SBI Holdings has backed a cumulative 1,314 companies at home and abroad, with 219 exits via IPOs or acquisitions (March 2025). If your map already includes a list of angel investors in india, SBI Investment is the institutional name for the round where a Japanese financial conglomerate's network starts to matter.

Thesis & focus

The firm calls itself a "New Industry Creator" — its management philosophy is to lead in creating and cultivating the core industries of the 21st century. As the core company in SBI Group's asset management business, it plugs portfolio startups into the group's banking, securities and insurance operations. Current focus spans fintech, IoT, AI, big data, blockchain, security, metaverse and Web3, with a hands-on approach to business development.

Sectors & stages

Capital concentrates in growth fields: a JPY 30 billion fintech-specialist fund (December 2015) backing neobanks, payments, PFM and robo-advisory startups; an IT/DX lineage stretching back to a JPY 150.5 billion fund (March 2000); plus blockchain, cybersecurity and life sciences. The flagship SBI Digital Space Fund, closed in June 2025 at JPY 100 billion in commitments, ranks among Japan's largest VC funds. The active SBI Investment Fund XI lists India among its investment countries, investing from seed to growth.

Fund size & cheque size

Cumulative fund commitments reached JPY 841.4 billion after the Digital Space Fund close, with the group's private-equity business targeting JPY 1 trillion in assets under management. Cumulative CVC commitment capital stands at JPY 186.5 billion, including JPY 159 billion in private funds with 21 corporate partners (March 2025). Cheque sizes are not publicly disclosed and vary by fund — from the JPY 4 billion Hankyu Hanshin CVC vehicle to the JPY 100 billion flagship.

Notable portfolio

With 1,314 cumulative investments and 219 exits, the portfolio is vast. Named examples include Pixie Dust Technologies and Mesh, whose $75 million Series C (Dragonfly-led, $1 billion valuation) SBI Investment joined. India links include an early $3 million SBI Holdings investment in LIQVID e-Learning and SBI Holdings' backing of healthtech startup MFine. Corporate-venture partnerships include the Panasonic Kurashi Visionary Fund and the Hankyu Hanshin CVC vehicles.

Key people

The firm is led by Representative Director, Chairman and President Yoshitaka Kitao, who also chairs SBI Holdings, with Tomoya Asakura serving as president. Senior leadership draws on long tenures across Nomura Securities, SoftBank Group and JAFCO.

Programs, credits & perks

The firm's equivalent of a program is its CVC architecture — joint funds with Panasonic, Tokyu Fudosan and Hankyu Hanshin that turn portfolio startups into vendors and partners of Japan's largest companies.

How to apply for funding

There is no public pitch form detailing how to get funding from SBI Investment; the firm engages through website contact channels and introductions via co-investors, corporate partners and the SBI Group network. Identify the right vehicle first — a fintech seed fits the fintech fund or a relevant CVC; later-stage rounds belong with the flagship funds — and show how SBI Group's network accelerates the business.