The Japanese tech firms on the rise

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Hello reader,

My colleague Winston enjoys Japanese music. He’s introduced me to a bunch of artists from the country, such as Mariya Takeuchi, best known internationally for her 1985 song Plastic Love, and Shishamo, a rock band with some pretty cool music videos. I’m personally more into pop punk and K-pop these days, but it’s definitely fun listening to his song recommendations and checking out these Japanese artists.

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this. Well, in this incredibly seamless segue, today’s article is all about Japan – specifically, the startups and tech firms in the country that have raised the biggest bucks.

Today we look at,

• The top-funded startups and tech companies in Japan
• A startup that wants to be “the Udemy of GameFi”
• Other newsy highlights such as Sequoia Capital India’s new program for female founders and Antler’s blockchain investment plans in India

Premium summary

The Japanese startups bagging the biggest bucks

Image credit: Timmy Loen

How do you determine which businesses are making the biggest impact? Looking at how much funding they’ve raised is one way, even if it isn’t quite perfect. So let’s take a look at some rising startups and tech companies from the land of the rising sun.

• You got the money, honey: Paidy comes up on top of the list, having raised US$3 billion to date. It aggregates the most popular non-credit card payments into a single, real-time payment network, allowing users to complete their online purchases with just a phone number and email address.

• Picture perfect: In second place, with US$530 million in funding, sits Kakao Japan, a subsidiary of South Korean tech giant Kakao. The firm runs Piccoma, a popular webtoon and manga subscription platform that recently exceeded US$1 billion in total consumer spend.

• Spell it with a B: Spiber, a biotechnology firm, comes in third, with US$458 million to its name. It produces next-generation biomaterials for medical and innovative uses, with its major offering being a synthetic protein that is used as a substitute for animal-based materials in clothing.

Read more: Meet the 50 top-funded startups and tech companies in Japan

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