Moving forward together,
to the horizon and beyond.

OUR STATEMENT

They are the visionaries

Those who see possibilities beyond the horizon

The entrepreneurs who view value in the challenge

Who look into the eyes of difficulty and keep going

Even when storms of doubt and

winds of worry get in the way

They never lose sight of their vision

UB Ventures is here to add experience and readiness

Helping entrepreneurs turn vision into reality

They are the visionaries

Those who see possibilities beyond the horizon

The entrepreneurs who view value in the challenge

Who look into the eyes of difficulty and keep going

Even when storms of doubt and

winds of worry get in the way

They never lose sight of their vision

UB Ventures is here to add experience and readiness

Helping entrepreneurs turn vision into reality

ABOUT US

An Enduring Vision:
VC for Entrepreneurs, by Entrepreneurs

UB Ventures is a team of venture capitalists whose entrepreneurial experiences inform investment in the growth of entrepreneurs and businesses pioneering new industries worldwide. Support for the overseas expansion of startups from Asia represents one such focus.

OUR VALUES

What UB Ventures Values

  • Diversity
    first

  • Giving
    back

  • Insight-
    driven

  • Empower
    entrepreneurs

  • Open-
    minded

What UB Ventures Values

SUPPORT

  • PRODUCT MARKET FIT

    PRODUCT-MARKET FIT

    Roadmap design for achieving PMF based on "must-have" product elements, introduction of client companies for beta testing etc.

  • GO-TO-MARKET

    GO-TO-MARKET

    Support for selection and execution of growth strategy tailored to product and market.

  • CULTURE BUILDING

    CULTURE BUILDING

    Keys to fostering management culture rooted in mission and values, establishment throughout the organization.

  • TEAM BUILDING

    TEAM BUILDING

    Experience-informed development program for second-generation management, insight into challenges such as growth beyond 30 employees.

  • FINANCIAL STRATEGY

    FINANCIAL STRATEGY

    Virtual CFO support for growth-oriented capital planning, development of IPO-focused financing strategy and equity story.

  • COACHING

    COACHING

    Coaching by capitalists certified in international coaching programs, to foster and maximize entrepreneurs' innate potential.

UBV RULES  6×6

6 VALUES

UB Ventures supports entrepreneurs/startups with six particular characteristics.

  • STORY

    STORY

    A business that is based on personal formative experiences

  • TEAM

    TEAM

    A team of people that have full trust in one another

  • INCLUSIVE

    INCLUSIVE

    A focus on diversity that enables all members to play an active role.

  • REVOLUTIONARY

    REVOLUTIONARY

    A business that seeks to rewrite the rulebook

  • ENTHUSIASTIC

    ENTHUSIASTIC

    Products and services backed by passionate and enthusiastic people

  • RESILIENCE

    RESILIENCE

    A business that does not fear market changes and embraces adversity

6 THEMES

UB Ventures focuses on six investment themes.

    SAAS
  • FUTURE OF WORK

  • PRODUCT-LED

  • MARKETPLACE

  • HARDWARE ENABLED

  • VERTICAL FOCUSED

  • METAVERSE

COMMUNITY

Thinka is a social community for founders, managed by UB Ventures.
It is a place where next-generation entrepreneurs can gather, learn, and express themselves with the shared goal of advancing Japan's industrialization.
Real experience over theory. Failure over success. Sharing over showing-off.
At Thinka, we bring together the top entrepreneurs, business people, and specialists to share their own experiences, and discuss the challenges that our founders face, all to foster a culture of learning from mistakes and a readiness to take on new challenges.

CONTACT

Marunouchi office
Company Name
UB Ventures, Inc
Address
Marunouchi office : 2-chōme-5-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Representative
Osamu Iwasawa
Founded
February 16, 2018
Business
Venture Capital

FAQ

  • Does UB Ventures invest in specific types of business?

    UB Ventures is a venture capital company that focuses on specific themes:
    subscription services (B2B/SaaS, digital media), the metaverse, and IoT, utilising the business experience and knowledge of its partners and venture capitalists. It also leverages its management experience in Asia to conduct investment activities that support the overseas expansion of Japanese start-ups and further growth of overseas start-ups.

  • Please provide a brief explanation of UB Ventures' investment rounds.

    UB Ventures has strengths in mentoring, focusing on support for newly established companies through to Series A start-ups, spanning the creation of a product vision, development, and co-planning of go-to-market strategies.

  • How long does it take UB Ventures to make the decide on an investment?

    Investment decisions are made through a five stage process: 1) Initial meeting, 2) initial review, 3) project review meeting, 4) partner interview, and 5) investment committee meeting. Typically it takes between one and a half to two months to complete this process.

  • What criteria form the basis for investment decisions?

    In light of the 6 Values & 6 Themes, decisions are made based on three perspectives: 1) "proof of market" (what is the scale of the problem it solves?), 2) "proof of product" (clarity of end user, degree of fidelity for the product), and 3) "proof of execution" (the team's capability to achieve the goal).

  • What kind of post-investment support do you provide?

    We provide growth support based on the management experience of our venture capitalist partners.
    In the early stages, we work together on process design to establish a product market fit (PMF) and provide support for the implementation of a go-to-market strategy.
    Throughout all stages, we provide support for the creation and permeation of
    company culture, in addition to team building and leader development for fostering the next generation of leaders. Throughout all stages we provide support for planning finance strategies and mentoring in the form of dialogue with management.
    For more information, refer to the Support category.