STRIVE

What STRIVE does

STRIVE is a Tokyo-headquartered venture capital firm that invests in seed to early-stage (Seed through Series A, with selective Series B) internet, mobile, and technology companies across Asia, with operational hubs in Tokyo and Singapore covering Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. Originally established as GREE Ventures in 2014, the firm rebranded to STRIVE in May 2019 and has since managed three successive funds totaling approximately $240M in committed capital (Fund I $50M in 2014, Fund II $60M in 2016, and Fund III $130M in 2019), with anchor limited partners including GREE Inc., Mizuho Financial Group (Mizuho Bank and Mizuho Capital), and SME Support JAPAN under Japan's METI. Fund I produced 3 IPOs (WealthNavi, Geniee, and the Retty/Lancers/Raksul group), 1 private unicorn (Bukalapak), 7 acquisitions, and returned over 4x with 1x+ DPI and over 40% IRR before fully dissolving in March 2024.

The firm has invested in over 100 portfolio companies to date, with a current strategic tilt toward B2B sectors such as SaaS, fintech, HRtech, climate tech, and developer infrastructure. Notable active and exited investments include Cover Corporation (Hololive Production, IPO 2023), TalentX (IPO March 2025), Caster (IPO 2023), TRUSTDOCK, M&A Cloud, Asuene, MyGlamm (unicorn), Hasura (unicorn), Qoala, 100ms, Testsigma, and Bytebeam, alongside co-investments with tier-one regional VCs including Sequoia Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, Kalaari Capital, and Monk's Hill Ventures.

STRIVE's primary differentiator is a hands-on operational support model built around its "STRIVER" network — a dedicated in-house team spanning talent acquisition, communications/PR, research, and domain expertise (HR, marketing, sales, customer success, UI/UX, legal) — which delivers value beyond capital to portfolio companies. The firm earns revenue through management fees on committed fund capital (approximately 2% industry standard) and carried interest on profits from successful IPO and M&A exits, with no public revenue disclosure available. Strategic direction is led by Representative Partner Tatsuo Tsutsumi and General Partner Yusuke Amano, with Partner Nikhil Kapur overseeing Southeast Asia and India operations.

Name

STRIVE

Legal name

STRIVE株式会社

Website

https://strive.vc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

STRIVE is a Tokyo- and Singapore-based venture capital firm investing in seed to early-stage technology startups across Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. It manages three funds totaling ~$240M, anchors B2B sector focus, and differentiates through in-house hands-on operational support via its STRIVER expert network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSANAAAD

Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists)

Financial & Insurance/Private Equity & Venture Capital/Venture Capital Firms

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Early-stage startups
• Seed stage funding
• Cross-border investments
• B2B startup funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: STRIVE earns management fees on committed capital across its three venture funds (Fund I 2014, Fund II 2016, Fund III 2019). Fees are charged on LP committed capital during the investment period.
2. Carried Interest (Performance Fees): STRIVE earns carried interest on profits generated from successful exits (IPOs and M&A) of portfolio companies. Fund I returned fully with 1x+ DPI and over 40% IRR, with 3 IPOs and 7 acquisitions over 5 years.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STRIVE is a venture capital firm that provides seed to early-stage equity investment in startups primarily across Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. The firm manages three venture funds and complements capital with hands-on operational support through a proprietary network of 'STRIVER' domain experts in HR, marketing, PR, sales, UI/UX, and legal/admin functions, plus board-level engagement via dedicated investment managers.

Product overview

STRIVE is a venture capital firm offering a comprehensive platform for startup investment and growth support. Their core offering consists of investment services targeting seed to early-stage startups across Japan, Southeast Asia, and India, complemented by hands-on support programs featuring 'STRIVER' professionals who provide expertise across HR, marketing, UI/UX design, sales, customer success, PR, and legal/compliance domains. The firm maintains a diverse portfolio of over 100 companies and connects talent with portfolio companies through dedicated talent partnership services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Services Equity capital investment for seed to early-stage startups primarily across Japan, Southeast Asia, and India. The firm focuses on B2B sectors and deploys capital from business launch through growth stages, typically investing from seed through Series A and occasionally follow-on rounds.
• Hands-on Support Program (STRIVER Network) Hands-on operational support for portfolio companies delivered by STRIVE's 'STRIVER' professionals, covering HR, marketing, UI/UX design, sales, customer success, PR, and labor/social security (legal/admin) functions. The program helps portfolio companies solve operational challenges they could not easily address internally.
• Talent Partnership Services Connects portfolio companies with talent candidates through STRIVE's talent partners, providing hiring support, candidate introductions, and career consultation services to help startups build teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fund I (2014): 1x+ DPI, over 40% IRR, 3 IPOs, 1 private unicorn, 7 acquisitions in 5 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Block71 (NUS Enterprise) and Salim GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2018, GREE Ventures (now STRIVE) partnered with Block71 and Salim Group to launch SKALA, a new form of accelerator in Indonesia. SKALA represents a strategic initiative to support Indonesian startup ecosystem development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kalaari Capital: India-focused early-stage VC with deep seed-to-Series-A coverage of Indian tech startups. Listed as an active STRIVE co-investor (Hasura, jointly backed unicorn), operating a comparable early-stage Asia-tech mandate within India.
• BEENEXT: Japan- and Singapore-headquartered early-stage fund focused on internet/mobile startups across Asia. Highly comparable in stage, geography, and sector to STRIVE's seed-to-Series-A Asia mandate.
• East Ventures: Indonesia-headquartered early-stage VC investing across Southeast Asia in tech-enabled startups. Directly comparable as a regional seed/Series-A tech investor covering similar geographies (SEA, partial India) with comparable check sizes and similar broad sector mandates.
• Golden Gate Ventures: Singapore-based early-stage VC investing across Southeast Asia. Active STRIVE co-investor in seed and Series A rounds in Singapore and Indonesia, mirroring STRIVE's regional mandate and stage focus.
• Openspace Ventures: Singapore-based early and growth-stage VC investing across Southeast Asia. Comparable regional mandate with overlapping seed/Series-A coverage in similar B2B tech sectors.
• Monk's Hill Ventures: Singapore-based early-stage VC focused on Southeast Asian tech startups. Listed as an active STRIVE co-investor, operating with similar seed-to-Series-A mandate and B2B tech focus across overlapping geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Global Brain: Established Japanese venture capital firm with broader stage and sector coverage across Japan and international markets. Representative Partner Tsutsumi worked at Global Brain pre-GREE Ventures; comparable as a Japan-headquartered VC operating across similar technology sectors.
• Jungle Ventures: Singapore-headquartered VC covering Southeast Asia with a broader Series-A-to-growth mandate. Comparable as a regional Asia-tech investor but with somewhat larger check sizes and a more growth-stage bias.
• JAFCO: Major Japanese venture capital and private equity firm listed on TSE. Listed among STRIVE's portfolio co-investors (Gaudiy Series B), positioning it as a larger incumbent operating across both VC and growth-stage investments in Japan.
• Nexus Venture Partners: India-US early-to-growth-stage VC. Listed as a STRIVE co-investor partner; comparable as an active India-focused early-stage tech investor with similar sector exposure (SaaS, B2B, consumer tech).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/strive_jp
• Facebookfacebook.com/strive.vc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments152 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about STRIVE