WASEDA University Ventures

WASEDA University Ventures (WUV) is a venture capital firm established in April 2022, focusing on creating businesses and industries that contribute to the evolution and well-being of human society by implementing academic knowledge and research results into society through the creation and development of startups. WUV specializes in founding investments in the deep-tech area, co-founding from research seeds of Waseda University, other universities, and overseas research institutes, targeting fields such as physical sciences, information sciences, life sciences, humanities and social sciences, and sports sciences. WUV is not a captive fund but is independently managed by professional venture capitalists and funded by outside institutional investors. WUV can invest in opportunities coming out of any universities and research labs in the world, seeking synergies with Waseda University and Japan. WUV's mission is to be a capitalist who creates startups that harness academia and the practical application of scholarship to build businesses and industries that contribute to the evolution and well-being of human society, as well as our sustainability. WUV launched its first fund, WUV 1 Limited Partnership, in August 2022, with a fund size of JPY 8.4 billion and a term of 10 years, with a possible extension of 3 years. The fund aims to build businesses with global impact from the excellent research results of Waseda University and other universities and research institutions in Japan and overseas. WUV works with researchers, entrepreneurs, and business professionals to create new startups with the aim of building businesses with global impact from outstanding research results at universities and research institutions in Japan and abroad. WUV's founding limited partners include Daiwa Securities Group, Japan Investment Corporation (JIC), Mizuho Bank, Ltd., Mizuho Securities Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. WUV's board of directors includes Chairman Yasuyuki Abe, Representative Directors Ted Yamamoto and Hiroaki Ohta, and Audit & Supervisory Board Member Aiko Sekine. WUV's capital is JPY 10 million, with shareholders including WUV Partners LLP (80%) and Waseda University (20%).

Deep-tech startups, Research-based innovations, Global impact potential