Funded Artificial Intelligence Startups in Japan
Sakana AI’s $129M round on 2025-11-20 is the clear size outlier in this Japan AI set: the next-largest disclosed rounds are $19M (Atom on 2026-05-27 and MW…
Sakana AI’s $129M round on 2025-11-20 is the clear size outlier in this Japan AI set: the next-largest disclosed rounds are $19M (Atom on 2026-05-27 and MW on 2026-06-11) and $17M (Shizen Connect on 2026-05-25), while the top-$10M tier is clustered around mid-2026 ($10M each for Sazo on 2026-07-22, Kotoba Technologies on 2026-06-24, and ALGO ARTIS on 2026-06-09; $6M for Tier IV on 2026-06-09).
Geographically, listings concentrate heavily in Tokyo (17 of 28 rows, with Yokohama appearing twice), and the disclosed funding dates span 2025-11-20 to 2026-07-22. Stage disclosure skews toward incomplete classifications: 5 of 9 disclosed-attributed entries at the top include specific Series labels, while multiple newer deals are marked “Series Unknown” (for example, JiMED on 2026-06-18 at $2M and Welmo on 2026-06-18 at $4M).
Most recent rounds
28 shownRelated listings
Frequently asked
What’s the largest disclosed round here, and how different is it from the rest?
Sakana AI raised $129M on 2025-11-20, dwarfing all other disclosed amounts; the next-largest disclosed value is $19M (Atom on 2026-05-27 and MW on 2026-06-11). The next tier after that drops to $17M (Shizen Connect on 2026-05-25) and $10M rounds (Sazo 2026-07-22; Kotoba Technologies 2026-06-24; ALGO ARTIS 2026-06-09).
Do particular cities concentrate disproportionately among these funded AI rounds?
Tokyo dominates the list with 17 of 28 rows (e.g., multiple deals in 2026 including Sazo in Nagoya only once, but Tokyo entries such as Kotoba Technologies on 2026-06-24 and Sazo’s own Tokyo not present; instead, Tokyo is repeatedly represented by companies like MW on 2026-06-11). Yokohama is a smaller but recurring node with two entries (Secondz Digital on 2026-05-20 and Minna no Code on 2026-04-28).
Where do the largest rounds cluster over time?
The biggest disclosed amounts skew toward mid-2026: after the 2025-11-20 outlier (Sakana AI $129M), the next-largest disclosed rounds land between 2026-05-25 and 2026-06-11 (Shizen Connect $17M on 2026-05-25; Atom $19M on 2026-05-27; MW $19M on 2026-06-11). The remaining top-disclosed amounts also appear in that mid-June window (e.g., Sazo $10M on 2026-07-22; Sazo is later, but the $10M cluster begins in June).
How does stage labeling look across these rows, especially “Series Unknown”?
“Series Unknown” appears frequently among the newer deals: Welmo on 2026-06-18 is $4M with Series Unknown, JiMED on 2026-06-18 is $2M with Series Unknown, and Tier IV is Series Unknown on 2026-06-09 at $6M. Several other “Series Unknown” entries are undisclosed (e.g., Malme on 2026-06-12; AIsing on 2026-06-01; Zaimo.ai on 2026-06-01).
Are there small-disclosed outliers worth attention compared with the largest disclosed rounds?
Yes. The smallest disclosed amount is $30K for Minna no Code on 2026-04-28, which is substantially below the $6M–$19M range that holds most of the largest disclosed rounds (Tier IV $6M on 2026-06-09; Atom and MW at $19M in May–June 2026). This creates a wide disclosed spread from $30K up to $129M.
Which cities and companies show repeated presence in the highest-disclosed tiers?
The highest-disclosed tiers include multiple Tokyo-linked rounds, including Atom ($19M, Koto, Tokyo) on 2026-05-27 and MW ($19M, Tokyo) on 2026-06-11. Non-Tokyo also appears in the top segment via Sazo ($10M, Nagoya) on 2026-07-22 and Shizen Connect ($17M, Tokyo), but Tokyo remains the repeated anchor for the largest disclosed figures (e.g., Tier IV $6M on 2026-06-09 in Tokyo and ALGO ARTIS $10M in Tokyo on 2026-06-09).
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