Global Brain

Global Brain Corporation, established in 1998, is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that invests in technology-focused startups globally, from seed to pre-IPO stages. With a track record of 300+ investments, 25 IPOs, and 61 M&As, the firm provides hands-on support to its portfolio companies. Global Brain manages both independent and corporate venture capital funds, partnering with tier 1 public companies across various industries.

Kaori Akiba

Director

Hidetaka Aoki

Investment Group Partner and Fellow Chief of Space Lab

Tatsunori Arai

Director

Megumi Asatsuma

Director

Anjani Bansal

Partner / India Office Representative

Brooke Beers

Partner

Takuji Chida

Director

Hogil Doh

General Partner

Thomas Duong

Principal

Brian Flucht

Partner / US Division Head

Hajime Furuya

Venture Partner

Kenji Hayashi

Principal

Shohei Hayashi

Partner

Harue Hayashi

Partner / Vice Chief Fund Management Officer

Jie He

Director China office Representative

Yosuke Hirai

Director

Joopyo Hong

Partner Investment Group

Naoki Horie

Principal

Jang Hyeokjin

Principal

Shohei Ichimiya

Partner / US Office

Sho Ikeda

Partner / Indonesia Office Representative

Nozomu Ikuta

Principal

Kotona Inaida

Director

Tomoaki Ishikure

Partner

Yoshinari Ito

Venture Partner

Yuki Ito

Director

Hiroyuki Izumi

Partner

Ken Kajii

General Partner

Daisuke Kashiro

General Partner

Kirin Kato

Principal

Takashi Kato

Partner, San Francisco Office Representative

Masaya Kawakami

Principal, Investment Group

Hiroyuki Kawamoto

Principal

Ko Kawaragi

Director

Maiko Kayata

Principal

ByeongJin Kim

Principal

Riichiro Kimura

Director / US NY Office

Issei Kokubu

Director

Yoshiomi Kubota

Principal

Jinya Kurita

Director

KyungHun Lee

Partner

YingQi Liang(Joy)

Principal

Chukaku Lin

Director

Atsushi Matsuda

Venture Partner

Tatsuya Matsumoto

Partner / Singapore Office Representative

Akira Matsumoto

Principal

Yuki Matsuo

Director

Natsumi Matsuoka

Principal

Tomoko Minagawa

Director

Ai Minamizaki

Principal

Shigeru Mitarai

Director

Shuhei Mori

Principal

Seiichiro Mukai

Director

Satoko Murata

Principal, Investment Group

Kohtaro Nagawa

Director

Tasuke Nakagawa

Partner / M&A

Mitsutaka Nakao

Principal, Investment Group

Shien Nakayama

Director

Yuya Namiki

Director

Ying Jian Ng

Director

Daisuke Nishida

General Partner

Yukari Nishiyama

Director, Investment Group

Akiko Noguchi

Director

Rina Obi

Investment Group Director, Berlin Office

Sho Ohtani

Principal

Tetsui Okada

Director

Mayu Okamoto

Director

Akane Okuyama

Director

Shingo Otaki

Partner

Rampalli Karthik

Principal

Naoki Sadakuni

Venture Partner

Enen Sai

Principal

Youichi Sakagawa

Director, Investment Group

Kazuki Sakuragawa

Partner / Editor in Chief

Masumi Sato

Principal

Naoki Sato

Principal, Investment Group

Tomoki Sekiguchi

Principal

Rie Shibata

Director

Takeru Shigemura

Director

Miku Shimamura

Principal

Masamune Shin

General Partner

Ayu Shinoyama

CFO and Board Member

Chisa Shinsakaue

Director

Divyansh Singh

Principal

Hiroto Sorita

Director

Sachiko Sugiura

Director

Yusuke Suzuki

Partner

Kazumo Tachibana

Director

Mana Takabayashi

Director

Hiroki Takai

Director

Toko Takao

Principal

Hideyuki Tanaka

Director

Marika Tazaki

Partner

Hirotaka Togashi

Director

Haruka Tsujii

Director

Atsushi Ueda Ph.D

Principal, Investment Group

Takuya Ukai

Principal, Investment Group

Tetsuya Urimoto

Director

Noriko Usui

Partner / Chief Fund Management Officer

Keita Washizu

Principal

Masao Yamada

Senior Partner

Kazunori Yamaguchi

Partner, Investment Group

Kazunor Yamaguchi

Partner

Ryozo Yamamoto

Partner

Michiko Yamazaki

Principal, Investment Group

Takuro Yoda

Principal, Investment Group

Sayaka Yoshino

Director

Miku Yoshio

Partner

Yasuhiko Yurimoto

Founder, Owner, CEO and General Partner

Miyazawa Yusuke

Venture Partner

Lusheng Zou

Director

Takuya Hosomura

Partner

Past deals in Hardware

Cellid

Venture Round in 2025
Cellid specializes in hardware and software solutions for augmented reality applications, focusing on the development of display modules and spatial recognition software. The company's product offerings include waveguides and micro projectors, as well as advanced spatial recognition engines that facilitate the identification of data linked to human movement and environmental interactions. By leveraging optical simulation capabilities, Cellid enhances the functionality of AR glasses, allowing users to experience a seamless integration of digital information with their surroundings. The company provides multiple communication channels for customer inquiries, including mail, phone, and a physical address.

OptQC

Seed Round in 2025
OptQC specializes in commercializing advanced optical quantum computing technologies, originally developed by the Furusawa-Endo Laboratory. The company operates a quantum computing platform that leverages scalable optical quantum technology, offering significant advantages such as enhanced quantum bit scalability, reduced power consumption, and faster processing speeds. This positions OptQC's optical quantum computers as a potential long-term pinnacle in quantum technology, capable of handling complex computations with up to one million quantum bits, thereby enabling industrial applications to harness the power of quantum computing.

SiLC

Series A in 2023
SiLC Technologies is a startup specializing in silicon photonics, focusing on photonic sensors and 3D imaging applications. The company develops innovative technologies and integrated solutions that cater to the increasing demands of an autonomous and intelligent environment. SiLC's products are designed to enable machines to perceive their surroundings similarly to humans, offering long-range, interference-free operation and instantaneous velocity for low-latency object classification and threat detection. This capability allows for accurate diagnostics and measurement of moving objects, as well as effective human detection and analysis.

Pixie Dust Technologies

Post in 2023
Pixie Dust Technologies, Inc., founded in 2015 and based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in the development of advanced phased array and digital fabrication technologies. The company’s flagship product is an ultrasonic phased array system that enables various innovative applications, such as generating force in mid-air, transporting objects without physical contact, and delivering targeted sounds to individuals in a crowd. Additionally, Pixie Dust Technologies creates devices like Sound Hug, which combines music with light and vibration, and Sonorepro, a hair care tool utilizing non-contact oscillating pressure stimulation. The company's offerings also include Vuevo, a service designed to visualize conversations among multiple people, and kikippa, a device focused on gamma wave sound care. Through its unique technological solutions, Pixie Dust Technologies aims to enhance social trust and improve user experiences across different domains.

Toggle

Series A in 2023
Toggle is a company based in the United States that specializes in robotics and automation solutions for the construction industry. It offers a robotics as a service (RaaS) platform specifically designed for assembling rebar cages used in reinforced concrete applications. Utilizing advanced two-arm robotic platforms and proprietary jig designs, Toggle's technology enables the construction of rebar structures directly from computer blueprints, allowing for precise and efficient pre-assembly services.

Cellid

Series B in 2022
Cellid specializes in hardware and software solutions for augmented reality applications, focusing on the development of display modules and spatial recognition software. The company's product offerings include waveguides and micro projectors, as well as advanced spatial recognition engines that facilitate the identification of data linked to human movement and environmental interactions. By leveraging optical simulation capabilities, Cellid enhances the functionality of AR glasses, allowing users to experience a seamless integration of digital information with their surroundings. The company provides multiple communication channels for customer inquiries, including mail, phone, and a physical address.

Eclypsium

Series B in 2022
Eclypsium, Inc. is a cybersecurity company based in Portland, Oregon, founded in 2017. It specializes in a cloud-based device security platform designed to protect the firmware and hardware layers of enterprise infrastructure, which includes laptops, servers, and networking equipment. The platform enables security teams to gain insights into vulnerabilities below the operating system, allowing for the implementation of essential security controls. Additionally, Eclypsium focuses on digital supply chain security, ensuring the integrity of critical software, firmware, and hardware within organizations. By addressing risks associated with complex technology supply chains, Eclypsium aims to enhance the overall security posture of enterprises and government agencies.

Photosynth

Series A in 2021
Photosynth Inc. is an information technology company based in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in the development of smart locks for homes. Founded on September 1, 2014, the company focuses on research and development in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector and operates cloud-based entrance and exit management systems. Through its innovative solutions, Photosynth aims to enhance security and convenience for residential users.

SiLC

Series A in 2021
SiLC Technologies is a startup specializing in silicon photonics, focusing on photonic sensors and 3D imaging applications. The company develops innovative technologies and integrated solutions that cater to the increasing demands of an autonomous and intelligent environment. SiLC's products are designed to enable machines to perceive their surroundings similarly to humans, offering long-range, interference-free operation and instantaneous velocity for low-latency object classification and threat detection. This capability allows for accurate diagnostics and measurement of moving objects, as well as effective human detection and analysis.

Swift Navigation

Series C in 2021
Swift Navigation, Inc. is a technology company specializing in precise global positioning system (GPS) solutions, founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, California, with an additional location in Melbourne, Australia. The company develops hardware and software that provide centimeter-level accuracy through real-time kinematics (RTK) technology. Its product lineup includes the Piksi Multi GNSS Module, a versatile RTK receiver, and the Duro Ruggedized Receiver, designed for various industrial applications such as agriculture and robotics. Additionally, Swift Navigation offers the Skylark cloud corrections service and the Starling GNSS positioning engine, which caters to automotive and autonomous vehicle needs. The company's innovative solutions, characterized by their affordability and high accuracy—100 times better than standard GPS—serve multiple industries, including unmanned aerial vehicles, surveying, and space applications. Swift Navigation's commitment to making advanced positioning technology accessible is recognized by notable accolades, including mentions in Inc. and Forbes 30 Under 30 lists.

Aroma Bit

Venture Round in 2021
Aroma Bit, Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in the development, production, and sale of electronic equipment, particularly compact odor imaging sensors. The company focuses on digitizing smell through innovative technology that converts various odors into visual patterns, allowing for the collection of digital olfactory data. This technology enables businesses to identify ingredients in food through a simple touch device and assists healthcare providers in detecting diseases. Aroma Bit's products and services aim to enhance the understanding and utilization of the olfactory sense, which is often overlooked despite the variety of scents present in everyday life.

LetinAR

Series B in 2020
LetinAR Co., Ltd., founded in 2016 and based in Seoul, South Korea, specializes in developing augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. The company has introduced a pioneering technology known as PinMR™ lens, which addresses common issues in existing AR products, such as bulkiness, high costs, and limited functionality. By utilizing proprietary pin mirror technology, LetinAR's smart glasses reflect light from a microdisplay and guide it into the wearer's pupils through a unique pinhole effect. This innovation enhances optical control during augmented reality experiences, allowing for designs that closely resemble traditional eyeglasses while improving wearability and usability.

Photosynth

Series D in 2020
Photosynth Inc. is an information technology company based in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in the development of smart locks for homes. Founded on September 1, 2014, the company focuses on research and development in the Internet of Things (IoT) sector and operates cloud-based entrance and exit management systems. Through its innovative solutions, Photosynth aims to enhance security and convenience for residential users.

Pixie Dust Technologies

Series A in 2019
Pixie Dust Technologies, Inc., founded in 2015 and based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in the development of advanced phased array and digital fabrication technologies. The company’s flagship product is an ultrasonic phased array system that enables various innovative applications, such as generating force in mid-air, transporting objects without physical contact, and delivering targeted sounds to individuals in a crowd. Additionally, Pixie Dust Technologies creates devices like Sound Hug, which combines music with light and vibration, and Sonorepro, a hair care tool utilizing non-contact oscillating pressure stimulation. The company's offerings also include Vuevo, a service designed to visualize conversations among multiple people, and kikippa, a device focused on gamma wave sound care. Through its unique technological solutions, Pixie Dust Technologies aims to enhance social trust and improve user experiences across different domains.

UnaBiz

Venture Round in 2019
UnaBiz Pte Ltd, established in 2016 with headquarters in Singapore and an office in Taipei, specializes in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. The company provides low-power wide-area network connectivity services, along with wireless infrastructure and devices. UnaBiz offers a range of SIGFOX ready solutions such as Unashield, UnaBell, ModBus Reader, adaptors, GPS trackers, and chipsets/modules. They also provide onboarding, prototyping, and manufacturing services to clients in healthcare, building management, agriculture, environment, cities, utilities, and industries. The company focuses on cost efficiency and sustainability, empowering businesses to leverage IoT for operational growth through smart metering, asset management, supply chain monitoring, facilities management, and asset tracking applications.

Findy

Series A in 2019
Findy is a company dedicated to revolutionizing the lost and found process through innovative technology. With a team of IT professionals, engineers, and designers, Findy focuses on creating locating devices that help users find lost items, such as pets, cars, and bikes, without tracking their movements. Instead, these devices pinpoint the current location of valuables, operating on minimal energy consumption and battery power for efficiency. The founders, experienced in the tracking industry through work with insurance companies, aim to blend technical perfection with a user-friendly approach, moving away from traditional corporate practices. Their mission is to empower individuals to rely on technology for everyday challenges, enhancing the way they manage and protect their belongings.

PebbleBee

Seed Round in 2019
Pebblebee, founded in 2013 and based in Seattle, Washington, specializes in trackable technologies for both consumers and enterprises. The company develops smart tracking devices designed to monitor valuable items, providing users with peace of mind. Pebblebee's products are characterized by their long battery life and ease of attachment to various belongings, allowing individuals and businesses to efficiently track their possessions.

Sonas

Series A in 2018
Sonas Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in the planning, design, manufacturing, and sales of hardware and software solutions for sensing and measurement. The company is developing "UNISONet," an innovative wireless communication technology aimed at addressing traditional Internet of Things (IoT) challenges. This technology distinguishes itself by employing a unique approach that integrates features such as power-saving capabilities, high-speed acquisition, low-latency bidirectional communication, and advanced data collection methods. These advancements enable the effective sensing of both small variables like temperature and humidity, as well as larger data sets including acceleration and images. By focusing on high-quality wireless sensing, Sonas aims to establish itself as a fundamental component of modern society.

UnaBiz

Series A in 2018
UnaBiz Pte Ltd, established in 2016 with headquarters in Singapore and an office in Taipei, specializes in Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. The company provides low-power wide-area network connectivity services, along with wireless infrastructure and devices. UnaBiz offers a range of SIGFOX ready solutions such as Unashield, UnaBell, ModBus Reader, adaptors, GPS trackers, and chipsets/modules. They also provide onboarding, prototyping, and manufacturing services to clients in healthcare, building management, agriculture, environment, cities, utilities, and industries. The company focuses on cost efficiency and sustainability, empowering businesses to leverage IoT for operational growth through smart metering, asset management, supply chain monitoring, facilities management, and asset tracking applications.

exiii

Seed Round in 2018
exiii Inc., founded on October 29, 2014, and based in Tokyo, Japan, specializes in developing functional prosthetic hands and wearable robotic devices. The company's signature product, EXOS, is a haptic device designed for extended reality (XR) applications, which enhances the virtual experience by reproducing a sense of touch. By simulating pivotal and radicular flexion, exiii's technology provides realistic tactile feedback, allowing users to engage more fully with virtual environments. This innovation not only benefits individuals requiring prosthetics but also enables businesses to create more immersive VR experiences for their clients.

XSHELL

Seed Round in 2016
Xshell Inc. is a Tokyo-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in the development of Internet of Things (IoT) software and hardware. The company focuses on creating solutions that integrate various components of IoT, including networking, computing, enclosures, and software. Xshell possesses the expertise necessary to connect devices to the Internet, facilitating data accumulation and feedback mechanisms. By leveraging its comprehensive skill set, Xshell aims to advance the capabilities of IoT technologies.

XSHELL

Seed Round in 2015
Xshell Inc. is a Tokyo-based company founded in 2014 that specializes in the development of Internet of Things (IoT) software and hardware. The company focuses on creating solutions that integrate various components of IoT, including networking, computing, enclosures, and software. Xshell possesses the expertise necessary to connect devices to the Internet, facilitating data accumulation and feedback mechanisms. By leveraging its comprehensive skill set, Xshell aims to advance the capabilities of IoT technologies.

HWTrek

Series A in 2015
HWTrek, established in 1995 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, specializes in a cloud-based platform for hardware innovators. This platform facilitates project planning, development, and launch, enabling startups, crowdfunding creators, and small to medium-sized companies to manage their product development, connect with industry experts in manufacturing and supply chain, and bring their projects to market both locally and internationally. The platform tailors management flows to each project and fosters collaboration with HWTrek's ecosystem of industry partners, ensuring optimal matches based on project specifics and expertise. This streamlined process aims to deliver high-quality products on time, within budget, and at scale.

16Lab

Seed Round in 2014
16Lab Inc., based in Kamakura, Japan, designs and develops the OZON, a smart wearable device that enables users to control various electronic devices, including computers, smartphones, cameras, and lighting systems, through gestures and hand movements. The company specializes in ultra-low power, high-precision 3D motion analysis technology and embedded security, providing an integrated platform for IoT and wearable developers. 16Lab also offers software development kits (SDKs) that facilitate the creation of devices serving as universal authentication tools and multifunction controllers, catering to the needs of the Smart City era. Their innovative approach has led to collaborations with industry leaders, such as Sony, and garnered both venture capital funding and government support. 16Lab's technology positions it as a significant player in the evolution of computing platforms, allowing users to manage multiple functions with a single device.

Epiphotonics

Series A in 2011
Epiphotonics, established in 2007, specializes in designing and manufacturing PLZT (lead zirconium titanate) photonics components and subsystems for telecommunications, data communications, and fiber optic sensing markets. Based in Tokyo, Japan, with locations in San Jose, California, the company's portfolio includes high-speed optical switches, variable optical attenuators, wavelength selective switches, and optical beam deflectors. Epiphotonics' proprietary epitaxial PLZT waveguide technology enables these products to offer superior speed, power efficiency, integration, size, and resilience compared to conventional technologies. The company also provides contract development services for PLZT devices, aiming to drive innovation in future communications networks.
Spot something off? Help us improve by flagging any incorrect or outdated information. Just email us at support@teaserclub.com. Your feedback is most welcome.