Rakuten Capital

What Rakuten Capital does

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Rakuten Group, Inc., a publicly traded Japanese internet services conglomerate listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 4755). Launched in 2013 under the original name Rakuten Ventures, the firm invests globally in early- to growth-stage startups, with a disclosed portfolio of more than 90 companies including Careem, Carousell, GoTo, Lyft, Pinterest, and Upstart. Rakuten Capital focuses on transformative products and technologies in Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare, and serves founders and entrepreneurs seeking capital combined with operational and strategic support. Its differentiation versus a financial-only VC lies in portfolio company access to the Rakuten Ecosystem—a network of more than 70 interconnected services spanning e-commerce, mobile, travel, digital content, FinTech, and professional sports—along with consumer and industry data accumulated across Rakuten's global operations.

The firm's offering comprises three interconnected lines: Startup Investment Services (capital deployment across seed through Series A and beyond), Operational Support (ecosystem access, global network across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, and marketing capabilities within the Rakuten e-commerce platform), and a Data-Driven Investment Strategy that uses Rakuten's accumulated consumer and industry data to source, evaluate, and support portfolio companies. Rather than earning management fees from external LPs, Rakuten Capital deploys capital on behalf of its parent and captures value through strategic synergies with Rakuten Group's operating businesses, follow-on funding capacity, and realized exits. Recent disclosed deployments include a $5 million seed round in Madrid-based Ladorian (March 2026), a JPY 200 million Series A extension in Tokyo-based InsightX (February 2026, co-led with FFG Venture Business Partners), and a Series A in TapFun (January 2025). Notable exit: portfolio company TENTIAL listed on the Growth Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in February 2025.

Rakuten Capital operates from offices in Tokyo (headquarters at Rakuten Crimson House), Singapore (Rakuten Crimson House East), San Mateo, California (Rakuten Crimson House West), and Luxembourg (Rakuten Europe S.a.r.l.), with deal flow extending into Korea, India, the UK, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina. The team is led by President Seiichiro Sonoda (also FinTech Group Company President since April 1, 2025), Managing Partner Saemin Ahn (International Investment, Singapore), and Senior Partner Shoichiro Suzuki (Japan Investment), supported by partners, principals, senior associates, and investment analysts across the U.S., Singapore, Japan, and Luxembourg. With 11-50 employees and an active investment cadence into 2025-2026, the firm functions as Rakuten Group's external innovation and ecosystem-extending vehicle rather than a standalone revenue-generating asset manager.

Name

Rakuten Capital

Legal name

Rakuten Capital

Website

https://capital.rakuten.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, Inc., investing globally in early- to growth-stage startups across Commerce, FinTech, Mobility, and Healthcare, combining financial capital with access to Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services and accumulated consumer data.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic / Balance-Sheet CVC (On-balance-sheet investing) (FSANAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Innovation & Technology Scouting Units (with investment mandate) (FSANAHAI), Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Corporate venture capital
• Startup investment services
• Growth equity investing
• Portfolio company support

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group that invests in startups globally and provides them with financial capital, operational support, and access to the Rakuten Ecosystem of 70+ services. Investments focus on transformative products and technologies in Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare. The firm has invested in more than 90 companies worldwide since its founding in 2013.

Product overview

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, launched in 2013. Rather than a traditional product company, Rakuten Capital functions as a CVC providing investment services and operational support to portfolio companies. The firm offers three interconnected service offerings: Startup Investment Services (financial capital deployment), Operational Support (access to Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services), and Data-Driven Investment Strategy (leveraging Rakuten's accumulated consumer and industry data). Rakuten Capital focuses on transformative products and technologies in Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare sectors, having invested in more than 90 companies globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Startup Investment Services
• Operational and Strategic Support for Portfolio Companies
• Data-Driven Investment Advisory

Segments1 record

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.

• VETRESKAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRakuten Capital and Rakuten Sports facilitated a partnership between VETRESKA (Singapore-based global pet lifestyle brand) and Formula 1 driver Ollie Bearman. VETRESKA became the Official Luxury Pet Accessories Partner for the 2026 season, with branding appearing at the Miami Grand Prix. The collaboration includes a global brand campaign called 'Fast Life. Reimagined.' and an F1-inspired product line.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• SoftBank Vision Fund: SoftBank's flagship late-stage tech investment vehicle — a directly comparable corporate-backed venture platform investing globally in tech-enabled businesses, often leveraging SoftBank's ecosystem for portfolio synergies.
• NTT DOCOMO Ventures: CVC arm of Japan's largest mobile operator; Rakuten Capital's Kazuaki Ichihashi previously seconded there. Directly comparable Japanese corporate VC investing in technology startups with parent ecosystem leverage.
• KDDI Open Innovation Fund: CVC arm of Japanese telecom conglomerate KDDI; makes growth-stage investments globally and domestically with a focus on next-generation technologies, mirroring Rakuten Capital's transformative-tech thesis.
• SBI Investment: One of Japan's largest and most active venture capital firms, providing CVC-style strategic capital with strong FinTech and internet focus; directly comparable in mandate and Japanese market position to Rakuten Capital.
• Global Brain: Tokyo-headquartered VC investing across Japan, US and Asia with corporate partnership programs — closely comparable to Rakuten Capital in geographic footprint, sector breadth, and corporate-back model.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Capital: CVC arm of MUFG — Japan's largest banking group. Comparable corporate-backed venture investor with strategic priorities in FinTech and digital transformation, overlapping heavily with Rakuten Capital's investment verticals.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group CVC: CVC initiatives under SMFG (including SMBC Venture Capital) investing in FinTech, SaaS and digital services — directly comparable to Rakuten Capital's strategic, ecosystem-oriented Japanese investment mandate.

Broad incumbents

• JAFCO Group: Japan's longest-established venture and growth capital firm; a broader incumbent operating a much larger fund base across multiple vintages and strategies, providing a benchmark for institutional Japanese VC scale.
• Mitsui & Co. Innovation Partners: CVC and corporate venture arm of Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co. — comparable strategic corporate investor operating globally with a focus on cross-border digital and emerging-tech opportunities.

Emerging players

• Plug and Play: Global innovation platform and CVC accelerator partnering with major corporates across multiple verticals; comparable to Rakuten Capital's strategic-investor-plus-ecosystem model, though operating with a heavier accelerator orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rakuten-capital
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61583739524458 (Manami Suzuki)

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments60 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Rakuten Capital