STRIVE is an early-stage venture capital firm headquartered in Tokyo, focused on seed-stage startups across Southeast Asia, India and Japan. The firm was originally founded as GREE Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Japanese social-media company Gree, before rebranding to STRIVE as it became an independent, cross-border Asian fund.

Investment thesis and focus

STRIVE is a hands-on seed investor in business-to-business (B2B) startups, backing founders from company formation through early scaling. Its stated approach is proactive, hands-on partnership — the firm describes itself as the founders' closest "running companion" from seed to early stage. Geographically it operates as a single cross-border platform with presence in Japan, Southeast Asia and India, deliberately linking entrepreneurs to customers, talent and co-investors across those markets. It has a strong habit of co-investing alongside leading global VCs such as Sequoia Capital, Monk's Hill Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Accel Partners.

Funds

STRIVE's third fund, STRIVE III, launched in April 2019 and announced its final close at more than $100 million, with backing from returning limited partners including government-backed SME Support Japan, Gree, and members of the Mizuho Financial Group — Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Capital. Around the same time the firm promoted Nikhil Kapur to partner to lead its Southeast Asia and India investments. Kapur has made more than a dozen investments in his four years with the firm. At its first close in May 2019, the fund had already backed ClassPlus and TrustDock, a Tokyo-based know-your-customer API provider.

Notable portfolio companies

  • Hasura — the GraphQL API platform, one of the firm's signature seed-stage bets
  • ClassPlus — Indian edtech platform for coaching businesses
  • Saleswhale — AI-powered B2B sales engagement
  • TrustDock — Tokyo-based know-your-customer API infrastructure
  • Kudo — Indonesian fintech, later acquired by ride-hailing giant Grab
  • Medtrail — healthtech

Programmes

STRIVE does not run a structured accelerator or startup-credits programme; its support model is intensive, hands-on investment work with portfolio founders rather than a formal scheme. The firm's edge is its pan-Asian network — a founder in Jakarta or Bengaluru gets routed into STRIVE's relationships in Tokyo, Singapore and beyond.

Why it matters for founders

If you are building a B2B startup in India or Southeast Asia and want a seed partner with a genuinely cross-border Asian network — and the discipline to lead seed rounds while co-investing with top-tier global funds — STRIVE is one of the most specialist options in the region. Its GREE heritage also means it understands product-led consumer and developer growth better than most Asian seed funds. The Gree and Mizuho LP base in STRIVE III also gives the firm rare access to Japanese corporate networks.