Tohoku University Venture Partners

What Tohoku University Venture Partners does

Tohoku University Venture Partners Co., Ltd. (THVP) is a Japan-based venture capital firm established on February 23, 2015 as the first wholly-owned subsidiary of Tohoku University. The firm operates two investment limited partnerships: THVP-1 Fund (92.8 billion yen committed capital, established 2015, new investments concluded) and THVP-2 Fund (78 billion yen committed capital at final close in September 2021, actively investing). THVP functions as a university-originated venture capital manager, providing seed and early-stage capital to startups commercializing research from Tohoku University and other national universities in the Tohoku region and Niigata Prefecture, with investment verticals spanning AI/robotics, healthcare/biotech, space, semiconductors, materials, and agrifood.

THVP's operational model is hands-on, providing portfolio companies with not only capital but also operational support including intellectual property strategy, business model development, personnel planning, and fundraising planning. The firm invests both directly and through syndicated co-investment with other VCs and corporate investors. Its revenue model comprises management fees (2.5% of committed capital declining to 0.5% over the fund life) plus 20% carried interest on distributions exceeding contributed capital. As of the input data, the firm has invested in 40+ startups and recorded at least 8 successful exits (IPOs including ispace on TSE Growth and Pixie Dust Technologies on Nasdaq; M&A exits including Epigeneron, BallWave, Tohoku Magnet Institute, and others).

The firm's competitive positioning rests on its exclusive upstream pipeline from Tohoku University, deep relationships with regional financial institutions and government bodies, and inclusion in national programs such as NEDO's R&D-Type Startup Support Business VC certification (2022) and NEDO's MPM (Management Personnel Market) accelerated track (2025). The firm also participates in the Patent Office's VC-IPAS program, dispatching IP specialists to portfolio startups. Strategic partnerships include Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo) for medical big data access and KPMG Japan for the "Tohoku University Kara Nihon wo Kaeru" corporate-startup matching symposium series.

Name

Tohoku University Venture Partners

Legal name

東北大学ベンチャーパートナーズ株式会社

Website

https://thvp.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tohoku University Venture Partners (THVP) is a Sendai-based venture capital firm, wholly owned by Tohoku University, that manages two university-originated seed and early-stage funds (THVP-1 at 92.8 billion yen and THVP-2 at 78 billion yen committed capital) investing in Tohoku-region university startups across healthcare, deep tech, space, and semiconductors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Fund Accounting & NAV Calculation (FSAAAMAB)

Keywords

• Venture capital investment
• University startup funding
• Seed stage investing
• Deep tech investment
• Startup incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Sendai-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: THVP earns management fees from operating venture capital funds (THVP-1 and THVP-2). Fee structure: 2.5% annually for first 5 years, 2.0% from year 5-7, 1.5% from year 7-9, 0.5% thereafter.
2. Carried Interest (Success Fees): 20% of distributions exceeding the contributed capital amount, earned upon successful exits of portfolio companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

THVP is a university-affiliated venture capital firm that manages two investment funds (THVP-1 and THVP-2) to support the commercialization of research outcomes from Tohoku University and other national universities in the Tohoku region of Japan. The firm provides seed to early-stage capital along with hands-on operational support including IP strategy, business model development, and fundraising planning for university-originated startups.

Product overview

Tohoku University Venture Partners (THVP) is a university-affiliated venture capital firm that operates two investment funds (THVP-1号ファンド and THVP-2号ファンド) to support the commercialization of research outcomes from Tohoku University and other national universities in the Tohoku region. The firm provides hands-on investment support to seed and early-stage university-launched startups across technology sectors including robotics/IoT, healthcare/medicine, AI/DX, agrifood, environment/energy, semiconductors/materials, and space. THVP-1号ファンド (established 2015, 92.8 billion yen) has completed new investments, while THVP-2号ファンド (established 2020, 78 billion yen) is actively making investments. The firm does not offer a unified software product but provides investment and business development support services to its portfolio companies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• THVP-1号ファンド (THVP-1 Fund): The first investment fund managed by THVP, focused on startups commercializing Tohoku University's research. Committed capital of 92.8 billion yen; new investments concluded.
• THVP-2号ファンド (THVP-2 Fund)

Products and services

• THVP-1 Fund (THVP-1号ファンド)
• THVP-2 Fund (THVP-2号ファンド)

Quantifiable outcome

• 8+ successful exits (IPOs and M&As) from THVP-1 Fund portfolio
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization (ToMMo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023THVP signed a partnership agreement with ToMMo to support life science startups using ToMMo's extensive health and medical big data. ToMMo operates Japan's largest integrated biobank with genomic, omics, and health information data from cohort studies. This partnership helps THVP portfolio companies accelerate R&D through access to medical data.
• Tohoku University Startup Business Center (東北大学スタートアップ事業化センター)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2023THVP collaborates with Tohoku University's dedicated startup support center to provide seamless support from research to commercialization. This partnership enables coordinated support for university researchers seeking to start ventures.
• NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2022THVP was certified as a VC under NEDO's 'Research and Development Type Startup Support Business / VC Certification' program. This enables THVP to support seed-stage technology-based startups in accessing NEDO subsidy programs for commercialization.
• Tohoku Economic Research Federation Business Center (東経連ビジネスセンター)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting innovation ecosystem development in the Tohoku region. Collaborates on startup support initiatives and ecosystem building activities.
• Tohoku University Graduate School of Engineering (Watanabe Laboratory)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHVP portfolio company Storyline Co. collaborates with Tohoku University's Watanabe Laboratory on supercritical CO2 extraction technology for caffeine-free coffee processing. This represents university-industry collaboration for technology commercialization.
• Sendai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (仙台商工会議所)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional business organization providing support for small and medium enterprises in Sendai. Collaborates on local startup ecosystem development.
• SME Support Organization (中小機構)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting small and medium enterprises. Provides support programs and resources for startup ecosystem development in the Tohoku region.
• Tech Sta (テクスタ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMiyagi Prefecture technology startup support platform. Provides resources and networking for local startups and entrepreneurs.
• Michinoku Academia Startup Platform (MASP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional platform connecting academia and industry for startup creation across the Tohoku region.
• JVCA (Japan Venture Capital Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational industry association for venture capital firms in Japan. THVP participates in industry events and collaborates on policy advocacy.
• KPMG Japan (有限責任 あずさ監査法人)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor accounting firm co-organizes 'Tohoku University Kara Nihon wo Kaeru' symposium series with THVP and Tohoku University, bringing together startups and large corporations for collaboration opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SBI Investment: Major Japanese VC firm under SBI Holdings with one of the largest fund management operations in Japan. Comparable broad incumbent for VC asset management, though diversified across all stages and sectors rather than specialized in university-originated deals.
• DBJ Capital: Venture investment arm of Development Bank of Japan focused on growth-stage and impact-oriented investments. Comparable as a government-affiliated investment firm and a documented THVP co-investment partner, though operating at a different stage and scale.
• JAFCO Group: Japan's largest and oldest VC firm, managing multiple funds across venture and buyout stages. Relevant broad incumbent comparison for THVP in fund management business model, though JAFCO operates a much larger, diversified portfolio not specialized in university-origin deals.
• NIF (Nippon Investment & Finance): Long-established Japanese VC firm under SMBC group, providing venture investment across multiple stages and sectors. Comparable as a broad incumbent in Japanese VC asset management, though not specifically focused on university-originated deals.

Direct peers

• Osaka University Venture Capital: University-affiliated VC firm from Osaka University focused on biotech, regenerative medicine, and pharmaceutical startups. Direct peer to THVP in business model and co-invests with THVP on healthcare-related deals like Toregem Bio and Luqsana BioTech.
• Kyoto University Innovation Capital: University-affiliated VC firm established by Kyoto University to commercialize its research outputs. Directly comparable to THVP as another leading Japanese university VC, with overlapping focus on life sciences and biotech investments and co-investment relationship with THVP.
• Beyond Next Ventures: Japan-based early-stage VC firm focused on deep tech, biotech, and university-originated startups. Closely comparable to THVP in target sectors (healthcare, deep tech, space) and stage focus (seed/early), and a documented co-investment partner.
• Tokyo University Innovation Platform (IPC): University-affiliated VC from the University of Tokyo, operating multiple funds dedicated to commercializing UT research. Most directly comparable to THVP as a peer university VC with cross-university co-investment partnership, though operating from a larger Tokyo-based deal pipeline.

Emerging players

• Global Brain: Tokyo-headquartered VC firm investing in deep tech and university-originated startups across Japan and globally. Comparable as a peer in early-stage deep tech and university-originated deal flow, though with a broader geographic mandate.
• Coral Capital: Japan-focused seed-stage VC firm investing in Japanese startups at pre-seed through Series A. Comparable as a peer in seed-stage Japanese venture investing, though not specialized in university-origin deals and operating with a different LP structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TOHOKUuVenturePartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tohoku-university-venture-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments55 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Tohoku University Venture Partners