LINE Ventures
LINE Ventures, operating as Z Venture Capital, is the Japan-based corporate venture capital arm of LY Corporation Group, investing in innovative startups across games, AI, deeptech, mobile, and digital services. It maintains 24 portfolio companies, 30+ IPO/M&A exits, and offices in Tokyo, Seoul, and San Francisco.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersShinjuku, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What LINE Ventures does
LINE Ventures operates as Z Venture Capital (ZVC), the corporate venture capital subsidiary of LY Corporation Group. The firm invests in and supports innovative startups driving transformative societal change, with explicit thematic focus areas including games, internet advertising, AI, deeptech, mobile, and digital services. ZVC's value proposition centers on providing "value beyond capital" by granting portfolio companies access to the proprietary resources, expertise, and platform assets of its parent LY Corporation Group — which encompasses LINE, Yahoo Japan, and PayPay ecosystems in Japan.
The firm's core offering is a single venture capital investment platform covering capital deployment, follow-on participation, and strategic support for portfolio companies. As of the most recent disclosure, ZVC maintains a portfolio of 24 active companies and has facilitated 30+ exits through IPO or M&A, including notable outcomes such as Raksul, yappli, 17LIVE, visional, Geniee, FreakOut, Rare Job, KAIZEN, photosynth, retty, and kurashiru. The portfolio spans deeptech, AI, mobile, digital services, and enterprise software categories, with recent investments concentrated in deeptech (ElevationSpace, MJOLNIR SPACEWORKS) and AI (Config Intelligence).
ZVC operates through a three-office model: Tokyo (Japan headquarters, Kioi Tower, Chiyoda-ku), Seoul (2F AP Tower, Gangnam-gu), and San Francisco (2747 19th St). The legal entity is Z Venture Capital Corporation, domiciled in Japan. The firm is privately held and wholly owned by LY Corporation Group, functioning as a strategic corporate venture capital arm rather than a traditional fund manager raising external limited partners. Go-to-market is direct: investment sourcing via inbound referrals, founder outreach, and direct contact through the firm's website. Pricing/investment terms are not publicly disclosed, consistent with standard CVC practice.
LINE Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LINE Ventures
- Legal name
- Z Venture Capital Corporation
- Website
- https://lineventurescorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- LINE Ventures, operating as Z Venture Capital, is the Japan-based corporate venture capital arm of LY Corporation Group, investing in innovative startups across games, AI, deeptech, mobile, and digital services. It maintains 24 portfolio companies, 30+ IPO/M&A exits, and offices in Tokyo, Seoul, and San Francisco.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LINE Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists) (FSANAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Late-Stage Venture Capital (Series C+) (FSANAAAC)
Keywords
Where LINE Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shinjuku
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
LINE Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
LINE Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LINE Ventures (Z Venture Capital) provides venture capital investment and strategic support to innovative startups driving transformative societal change. The firm deploys equity capital into portfolio companies, makes follow-on investments, and supplements capital with strategic operating support, industry expertise, and access to the resources and network of its parent LY Corporation Group.
Product overview
Z Venture Capital operates as a venture capital firm offering a single unified investment platform. The firm's core offering is its venture capital investment services, which include capital deployment, follow-on investments, and strategic support for portfolio companies. The company maintains a diverse portfolio spanning multiple sectors including deeptech, AI, mobile, and digital services, with multiple successful exits through IPO and M&A.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Venture Capital Investment Services Venture capital equity investment and ongoing strategic support for innovative startups driving transformative societal change. Includes capital deployment, follow-on investments, and access to LY Corporation Group's proprietary resources, expertise, and ecosystem. Target customers are early- to growth-stage founders across deeptech, AI, mobile, and digital services sectors.
Companies that use LINE Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
LINE Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
LINE Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
LINE Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- JAFCO Group: One of Japan's largest venture capital and buyout firms, with deep exposure to early- and growth-stage Japanese startups. Highly comparable as a domestic VC investing in similar founder pools and exit pathways (TSE IPO).
- Global Brain: Japan-headquartered VC investing across deeptech, AI, and digital services with strong corporate partnership networks. Direct overlap with ZVC's recent deeptech/AI tilt and CVC-style value-add model.
- ANRI: Tokyo-based early-stage VC focused on Japanese internet, SaaS, and consumer tech startups. Comparable in stage (seed-to-Series A) and sector focus on Japanese digital founders.
- World Innovation Lab (WiL): Japan-US crossover VC investing in enterprise, consumer, and deeptech. Comparable given its cross-border Japan/Silicon Valley footprint, similar to ZVC's Tokyo-San Francisco presence.
- Coral Capital: Japan-focused early-stage VC backing internet, SaaS, and consumer startups. Comparable stage, geography, and sector overlap with ZVC's early-stage digital portfolio.
- BEENEXT: Pan-Asia early-stage VC with strong Japan and Southeast Asia presence. Comparable given its cross-border Asia footprint and focus on internet/mobile founders, mirroring ZVC's Tokyo-Seoul-SF model.
Broad incumbents
- SoftBank Vision Fund: Large-scale global investor with active Japanese deal flow. Overlaps as a capital-rich investor in late-stage tech but operates at significantly larger check sizes than a CVC like ZVC.
- JIC Capital (Japan Investment Corporation): Japan's sovereign-affiliated growth capital investor. Comparable as a major domestic capital provider in Japanese venture and growth markets, though operating at much larger scale.
- Mitsubishi UFJ Capital: CVC affiliate of MUFG with broad Japanese startup coverage across deeptech, biotech, and digital services. Comparable as a Japanese strategic/corporate-affiliated VC with broad sector reach.
Emerging players
- Rakuten Ventures: CVC arm of Rakuten, focused on internet, fintech, and AI startups. Directly comparable as a Japanese strategic CVC with parent-ecosystem value-add similar to LY Corporation for ZVC.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
LINE Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LINE Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
LINE Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LINE Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments39 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LINE Ventures
What does LINE Ventures do?
LINE Ventures (Z Venture Capital) provides venture capital investment and strategic support to innovative startups driving transformative societal change. The firm deploys equity capital into portfolio companies, makes follow-on investments, and supplements capital with strategic operating support, industry expertise, and access to the resources and network of its parent LY Corporation Group.
Is LINE Ventures a public or private company?
LINE Ventures is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was LINE Ventures founded?
LINE Ventures was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is LINE Ventures based?
LINE Ventures is headquartered in Shinjuku, Japan, in the Asia region.
Who are LINE Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are JAFCO Group, Global Brain, ANRI, World Innovation Lab (WiL), Coral Capital and BEENEXT. Broad incumbents are SoftBank Vision Fund, JIC Capital (Japan Investment Corporation) and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. Rakuten Ventures is listed as an emerging player.
Does LINE Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for LINE Ventures.
What industry is LINE Ventures in?
LINE Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAD, Sector-Focused Venture Capital (Vertical Specialists), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 52399 and its SIC code is 6282.