SMBC Venture Capital

Established in 2005, SMBC Venture Capital is a Tokyo-based corporate venture capital arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. It invests primarily in early-stage companies operating within the information technology, life sciences, services, and manufacturing sectors.

Furuta Daiji

Managing Director

Keita Kawato

Deputy General Manager

Tetsuji Nakano

Deputy General Manager

Akira Ochiai

President and CEO

Hiroya Ota

Executive Officer

Past deals in Recruiting

Ababa

Series B in 2025
Ababa is a recruitment solutions provider that specializes in connecting job seekers with employment opportunities through a unique platform. The company focuses on facilitating the job search process by allowing companies to recommend graduate students who may not have been hired due to cultural fit or personnel reductions during final interviews. By enabling companies to share candidates and hire students recommended by other organizations, Ababa helps create a pathway for graduates to secure positions across various firms, ultimately enhancing their career prospects. This innovative approach benefits both employers and job seekers, streamlining the recruitment process while broadening opportunities for new graduates.

Hireroo

Series A in 2025
Hireroo is an online platform that evaluates the skills of engineering candidates through programming tests. It offers a wide range of problems suitable for various levels, from entry-level to experienced professionals. The platform also provides customizable assessments and live coding tasks to help tech recruiters make informed hiring decisions.

Good News

Venture Round in 2024
Good News is a staffing agency that specializes in recruitment consulting services, offering comprehensive support to businesses in their hiring processes. The company provides a range of services, including media selection, advertisement production, and effectiveness verification following job postings. Additionally, Good News develops recruitment public relations strategies to enhance employer branding and attract quality candidates. By facilitating the entire recruitment process and focusing on employee training, Good News aims to foster a collaborative work environment where businesses can effectively connect with and hire talent.

Pathos Logos

Series A in 2024
Pathos Logos is an HR co-creation platform that focuses on sales of SaaS products and supply of human resources, aiming to enhance corporate efficiency.

Ascenders

Series A in 2024
Ascenders Inc. is a Tokyo-based company established in 2016 that specializes in the sports human resources sector. The company focuses on developing a platform that facilitates the creation of career opportunities within the sports industry, aiming to foster professionals and enhance their self-realization in sports. Ascenders offers a range of services, including sports education and asset management, designed to create a supportive infrastructure for individuals pursuing careers in sports. By enabling access to a conducive work environment, Ascenders strives to cultivate world-class talent in the sports management field.

Xaion Data

Series A in 2024
Xaion Data is a technology company that develops an AI-driven data platform for recruitment and sales support. The platform integrates open data collection and search engine technologies to help businesses identify and engage with potential candidates and customers, thereby enhancing hiring efficiency and driving sales growth.

Ababa

Series A in 2024
Ababa is a recruitment solutions provider that specializes in connecting job seekers with employment opportunities through a unique platform. The company focuses on facilitating the job search process by allowing companies to recommend graduate students who may not have been hired due to cultural fit or personnel reductions during final interviews. By enabling companies to share candidates and hire students recommended by other organizations, Ababa helps create a pathway for graduates to secure positions across various firms, ultimately enhancing their career prospects. This innovative approach benefits both employers and job seekers, streamlining the recruitment process while broadening opportunities for new graduates.

X Mile

Series B in 2024
X Mile is an HR platform that connects logistics companies with drivers, aiming to address industry challenges like labor shortages and low productivity.

Findy

Series B in 2020
Founded in 2016, Findy is a Tokyo-based company that connects IT engineers, freelancers, and sideline engineers with companies. It offers job change services, hiring information, and an interview platform for active engineers called Findy Engineer Lab.

Roxx

Series B in 2020
ROXX Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in developing and providing a job placement platform and related services tailored for musicians. Founded in 2013 and rebranded from Scouter Inc. in July 2019, ROXX operates key products such as Back Check, a reference verification service, and SARDINE, a cloud-based job database. The company's platform emphasizes the recruitment of inexperienced full-time employees and incorporates features that enhance reference compliance and research capabilities.

NetOn

Venture Round in 2019
NetOn, Inc. is a consulting and recruitment firm based in Osaka, Japan, founded in 2004. The company specializes in providing cloud-based hiring solutions tailored for the Chinese market. Its services encompass web marketing consulting, assistance in creating recruitment-focused websites, and managing applicant information to streamline the hiring process. By enabling businesses to attract job applicants directly through their own platforms rather than relying on traditional job advertisements, NetOn aims to enhance recruitment efficiency and effectiveness. The firm offers comprehensive support, facilitating corporate management and monitoring recruitment status to better serve its clients' hiring needs.

Talent and Assessment

Venture Round in 2019
Talent and Assessment Inc. is a Tokyo-based company, founded in 2014, that specializes in developing an AI-driven recruitment platform known as SHaiN. This innovative application provides artificial intelligence-based interviewing services that allow candidates to participate in interviews anytime and anywhere using their smartphones. The platform utilizes unique strategic hiring methods to analyze candidates’ qualifications and offers diagnostic reports on their performance. By engaging applicants interactively, the AI assesses their responses and provides clients with detailed evaluations, which enhance recruitment efficiency and streamline the hiring process. Talent and Assessment’s focus on cutting-edge HR technology positions it as a leader in the talent acquisition sector.

Roxx

Venture Round in 2019
ROXX Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in developing and providing a job placement platform and related services tailored for musicians. Founded in 2013 and rebranded from Scouter Inc. in July 2019, ROXX operates key products such as Back Check, a reference verification service, and SARDINE, a cloud-based job database. The company's platform emphasizes the recruitment of inexperienced full-time employees and incorporates features that enhance reference compliance and research capabilities.

Caster Biz

Seed Round in 2019
Caster, Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in providing virtual assistant services. Founded in 2014, it offers a wide range of support, including research and analytical tasks, recruitment assistance, customer service, appointment management, and mail handling. The company also provides accounting and human resource services, aiming to simplify daily business operations for its clients. Caster's assistants are equipped with proficiency in essential software tools such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, allowing them to effectively manage various administrative tasks. By leveraging online communication channels, Caster facilitates easy access to its services, enhancing productivity and efficiency for businesses looking to streamline their operations.

WELKS

Venture Round in 2019
Welx is a human resource agency focused on addressing challenges within the childcare industry. The company provides staffing solutions, including childcare and long-term care services, alongside information resources aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of these sectors. Welx's mission is to create a society where every individual has the opportunity for self-realization, irrespective of their environment or circumstances. By leveraging professional skills, Welx seeks to contribute to the well-being of all people and facilitate the resolution of social issues related to childcare.

Identity Japan

Venture Round in 2018
Identity has set a mission of "Reduce mismatches in the world with IT!" And provides services as a comprehensive IT support company specializing in IT human resources (engineers and creators). We provide recruitment support for both agent services and media services, and offer a wide range of recruitment, mid-career, freelance, and overseas human resources in recruitment advertising media. From employment to retirement, we work closely with users to support career design.

Roxx

Series A in 2017
ROXX Inc. is a Tokyo-based company that specializes in developing and providing a job placement platform and related services tailored for musicians. Founded in 2013 and rebranded from Scouter Inc. in July 2019, ROXX operates key products such as Back Check, a reference verification service, and SARDINE, a cloud-based job database. The company's platform emphasizes the recruitment of inexperienced full-time employees and incorporates features that enhance reference compliance and research capabilities.

SCOUTER

Series A in 2017
SCOUTER is a social headhunting platform that compensates users, called Scouters, who passed the examination is a next generation career support service that can receive compensation by introducing friends acquaintance to companies.

Infratop

Venture Round in 2017
Infratop Inc., founded in 2014 and based in Tokyo, Japan, is a company that specializes in education programming and human resources services. It offers a variety of programs including a coding boot camp designed for graduates, an agent service that assists engineers in transitioning to new careers, and a media service providing information for beginners in programming. The company aims to empower individuals by enhancing their skills through learning, enabling them to achieve personal and professional growth. Infratop's services are structured to support students through online learning systems combined with face-to-face lectures, ensuring effective career development.

Agrimedia

Venture Round in 2017
Agrimedia is a facilities provider that focuses on connecting urban residents with agricultural opportunities through farm renting and recruitment for producers. The company specializes in matching idle farmland in suburban areas with individuals looking to engage in farming activities. By offering accessible farm rentals, Agrimedia aims to revitalize underutilized farmland, addressing challenges such as the aging farmer population and the increasing amount of unused land. This approach allows city residents to easily own and operate farms, fostering a closer relationship between urban communities and agricultural practices.

BizReach

Series A in 2016
BizReach is a leading online career networking service in Japan, transforming the executive recruitment landscape by allowing career-oriented professionals to connect directly with employers and recruiters. Often likened to "LinkedIn of Japan," BizReach enables over half a million executives to explore career opportunities through a secure platform where they can share their resume information exclusively with talent-seeking organizations. This service has disrupted traditional executive search methods by functioning as a cloud-based talent sourcing platform. Complementing BizReach, CareerTrek focuses on connecting young professionals in their 20s and early 30s with potential employers, leveraging a recommendation engine to enhance job matching. Additionally, Stanby serves as a comprehensive job search engine that aggregates postings from numerous job sites, allowing users to access over 4 million job listings in one search. Stanby also offers a free cloud-based applicant tracking system for employers, streamlining job posting and candidate management processes. Together, these platforms aim to modernize and enhance recruitment practices in Japan's HR services industry.

Howtelevision

Venture Round in 2015
Founded in Tokyo, Japan in 2010, Howtelevision operates a career platform for university students. It facilitates internships and job-hunting activities, offers company information and recruitment resources, and provides Liiga, a career improvement support service for working professionals.

Leading Mark

Series A in 2015
Leading Mark Inc. is an employment agency based in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in human resources services. The company is focused on streamlining the recruitment process through its online platform, which aggregates job listings tailored to users' interests. This approach aims to enhance the job-seeking experience by prioritizing the needs of applicants, in contrast to larger, traditional agencies that may focus more on the hiring companies. Additionally, Leading Mark is expanding its operations to include mid-career and international hiring, with a dedicated team in China working to connect top Japanese-speaking Chinese students with domestic employers. By emphasizing a user-centric model, Leading Mark seeks to alleviate the frustrations often faced by job seekers, ensuring they receive the information and opportunities they need to advance their careers.

Neo Career

Venture Round in 2014
Founded in 2000, Neo Career operates an online platform for mid-career and new graduate recruitment. It offers recruitment services for various roles including doctors, nurses, office workers, and caregivers, along with temporary staff placement and outsourcing solutions. The company also provides education and training services. With headquarters in Shinjuku, Japan, Neo Career has additional offices across Asia.

Cookbiz

Venture Round in 2014
Cookbiz is an online platform that offers a job search engine catering focused on food-related industries. It was launched by Kenji Yabuno in 2007 and is operated from Osaka, Japan.

DIP

Venture Round in 2002
DIP Corporation is a Japan-based employment agency that connects individuals with job opportunities through its online platform. The company operates five main business divisions. The Baitoru Com segment focuses on providing job information to contractors and recruitment firms. The Job Engine segment offers career transition information to various recruitment companies. Hatarako Net caters to staffing companies by providing staff service job information. Additionally, the Other division specializes in services tailored for the restaurant industry, while the Agent segment delivers employment services specifically for healthcare facilities. Through these diverse offerings, DIP Corporation addresses a wide range of employment needs in the Japanese market.

Findy

Founded in 2016, Findy is a Tokyo-based company that connects IT engineers, freelancers, and sideline engineers with companies. It offers job change services, hiring information, and an interview platform for active engineers called Findy Engineer Lab.

Startup Class

Startup Class operates a platform that connects ambitious entrepreneurs with opportunities and provides recruitment support. It runs a job search site focused on startup roles and flexible work, enabling users to change jobs or join startups as core team members or as part-timers. The service includes initiatives aimed at career women and broader social impact by expanding access to startup employment and facilitating recruitment for early-stage ventures.
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.