Rakuten Ventures
Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, Inc., investing globally in early-to-growth stage startups across Commerce, Financial Services, Mobility, Healthcare, and AI, leveraging Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSetagaya, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Rakuten Ventures does
Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, Inc., a publicly traded Japanese internet services conglomerate. Founded in 2013 (originally as Rakuten Ventures and rebranded to Rakuten Capital in 2025), the firm invests in early-to-growth stage startups globally across six thesis verticals: Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare. With a team of 11-50 employees distributed across offices in Tokyo (headquarters), Singapore, San Mateo, and Luxembourg, the firm has deployed capital into more than 90 portfolio companies across Japan, North America, Europe, South America, and Asia, including high-profile positions in Careem, Carousell, GoTo, Lyft, Pinterest, and Upstart. The entity is wholly owned and funded by Rakuten Group, with current leadership comprising President Seiichiro Sonoda (also Rakuten Group Senior Managing Executive Officer and FinTech Group Company President since April 1, 2025) and Founding Managing Partner Saemin Ahn, who heads international investment from Singapore.
The firm does not produce a unified software product. Its offering is investment capital combined with operational and strategic support, with portfolio companies gaining access to Rakuten Group's ecosystem of more than 70 services spanning e-commerce (Rakuten Ichiba), mobile (Rakuten Mobile), travel, digital content, FinTech (Rakuten Card, Rakuten Bank, Rakuten Securities, e-money, cashless payments), and professional sports. This ecosystem access is positioned as the primary value proposition versus standalone VCs, enabling founders to leverage distribution, customer data, and partnership channels across Rakuten's global footprint.
The business model is that of a strategic CVC: capital is sourced from Rakuten Group and deployed via direct equity investments negotiated on a deal-by-deal basis. Returns are generated through capital appreciation of portfolio companies and exit proceeds, evidenced by TENTIAL's February 2025 IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, Daito's 2025 acquisition by Cainz, and the historical 2017 acquisition of wepay by J.P. Morgan. Investment terms and fee economics are not publicly disclosed. The firm's investment cadence has remained active through 2025-2026, with recent bets including InsightX (generative AI for e-commerce), enstem (workplace SaaS), POCKETALK (translation), and TapFun (cloud gaming).
Rakuten Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rakuten Ventures
- Legal name
- Rakuten Capital
- Website
- https://capital.rakuten.com/jp/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- 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, Financial Services, Mobility, Healthcare, and AI, leveraging Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rakuten Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Strategic / Balance-Sheet CVC (On-balance-sheet investing) (FSANAHAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)
Keywords
Where Rakuten Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Setagaya
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
Rakuten Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Returns and Management Fees: As a corporate venture capital fund, Rakuten Capital generates returns through capital appreciation of portfolio companies, exit proceeds from acquisitions and IPOs, and potentially management fees from fund operations. The firm invests in early to growth-stage startups with the expectation of financial returns and strategic value creation for Rakuten's ecosystem.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Rakuten Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, providing direct equity investments in early to growth-stage IT startups globally. The firm invests capital, provides operational and strategic support to portfolio companies, and offers access to Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services spanning e-commerce, FinTech, mobile, travel, and digital content.
Product overview
Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Launched in 2013 (originally as Rakuten Ventures), the firm invests globally in transformative startups and provides operational support to portfolio companies. The firm does not offer a unified software product but rather investment services and access to the Rakuten ecosystem of 70+ services including e-commerce, FinTech, mobile services, travel, digital content, and professional sports. The investment focus spans Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare sectors across Japan, North America, Europe, Asia, and other regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Rakuten Capital Venture Capital Investment Program Corporate venture capital investment program providing direct equity investments in early to growth-stage IT startups globally, combined with financial, operational, and strategic support through access to Rakuten Group's ecosystem of 70+ services. Targets startups in Commerce, Communications, Marketing, Financial Services, Mobility, and Healthcare sectors.
Quantifiable outcome
- Portfolio company TENTIAL listed on Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Rakuten Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Rakuten Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Rakuten Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rakuten Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Rakuten Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rakuten Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles19 records
Rakuten Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rakuten Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments9 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rakuten Ventures
What does Rakuten Ventures do?
Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, providing direct equity investments in early to growth-stage IT startups globally. The firm invests capital, provides operational and strategic support to portfolio companies, and offers access to Rakuten's ecosystem of 70+ services spanning e-commerce, FinTech, mobile, travel, and digital content.
Is Rakuten Ventures a public or private company?
Rakuten Ventures is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Rakuten Ventures founded?
Rakuten Ventures was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rakuten Ventures based?
Rakuten Ventures is headquartered in Setagaya, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Rakuten Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Returns and Management Fees.
Does Rakuten Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rakuten Ventures.
What industry is Rakuten Ventures in?
Rakuten Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAHAA, Strategic / Balance-Sheet CVC (On-balance-sheet investing), with a secondary code of FSANAHAF, Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.