MZ Web3 Fund

What MZ Web3 Fund does

MZ Web3 Fund is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that deploys a $100M (10 billion JPY) fund into seed and early-stage companies operating in Web3, metaverse, NFT, gaming, and platform/developer tools. The fund's stated mandate is to serve as a gateway for Web3 projects seeking entry into the Japanese market, offering capital alongside promotional, regulatory, and partnership-introduction support. Investments are made via equity, token, and NFT instruments, with ticket sizes ranging from $100K to $5M and flexibility to participate as either a minority or lead investor; the fund publicly commits to investment decisions and funding execution within one week of screening approval. Deal flow is sourced globally through a Google Forms application process.

The fund's core differentiator is a distribution advantage built on the personal brand of Yusaku Maezawa (founder of ZOZO, valued at $9B; Forbes Japan's 50 Richest 2022; 11M+ Twitter followers) and a three-tier ecosystem of sub-brands: Arigato Bank (a donation app with 8M+ downloads providing non-crypto-native reach), MZ Club (Japan's largest Web3 guild with ~30K crypto-native members), and MZ DAO (Japan's largest Web3 educational platform with ~300K members). Together, these channels grant portfolio companies access to over 10 million MZ followers for promotion and customer acquisition in Japan.

The fund is operated by a small team of approximately seven people led by Representative General Partner Yuki — a serial entrepreneur whose prior fashion-tech startup was acquired by ZOZO in 2017 — and General Partner Yosuke, founder of PayPay (Japan's dominant e-payment service) and chairman of the StableCoin Working Group at the Japan Crypt Business Association. The disclosed portfolio of ~30 companies spans NFT/Metaverse/Gaming (MetaOasis, OpenBlox, Thirdverse, ZTX, Oasys-adjacent, etc.) and Platform & Developer Tools (Oasys, Gaudiy, Nefta, Transak, Lolli, etc.), with no public revenue or financial disclosures.

Name

MZ Web3 Fund

Legal name

MZ Web3 Fund

Website

https://web3.mzfund.co.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MZ Web3 Fund is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm deploying a $100M fund into seed-to-early-stage Web3, metaverse, NFT, and gaming companies seeking Japan market entry, leveraging Yusaku Maezawa's brand and a 10M+ follower ecosystem for portfolio distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web3 Venture Capital

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB)

Keywords

• Venture capital funding
• Web3 investments
• Seed stage capital
• Metaverse investing
• Blockchain equity

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: The fund generates returns through equity investments, token investments, and NFT investments in portfolio companies across Web3, NFT, Metaverse, Gaming, and Platform & Developer Tools sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

MZ Web3 Fund is a Japan-based venture capital fund that provides equity, token, and NFT investments to Web3, metaverse, VR/AR/xR, and blockchain gaming companies at seed to early stages, with ticket sizes from hundreds of millions of JPY to several billion JPY (USD $100K to $5M equivalent). The fund operates a $100M (100 oku yen) capital pool and offers hands-on Japan market entry support including promotion to over 10 million MZ Followers, regulatory guidance, and business partner introductions. Investment decisions and funding can be executed within one week of screening approval.

Product overview

MZ Web3 Fund is a venture capital fund that functions as a gateway connecting Web3 projects with over 10 million MZ Followers. The fund offers equity, token, and NFT investment services targeting seed to early-stage Web3 companies with ticket sizes ranging from $100,000 to $5 million, backed by a $100 million fund. The ecosystem includes three supporting sub-brands: Arigato Bank (a donation app with 8M+ downloads serving non-crypto native users), MZ Club (a Web3 guild with 30K members serving crypto-native users), and MZ DAO (a Web3 educational platform with 300K members). The fund provides hands-on support including promotion/marketing for Japan market entry, regulatory framework advice, and business partner introductions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arigato Bank: Donation app with over 8 million downloads, part of MZ's non-crypto native user base ecosystem
• MZ Club
• MZ DAO

Products and services

• MZ Web3 Fund Venture Capital Investment Seed to early-stage venture capital investment for Web3, metaverse, NFT, gaming, and platform/developer tooling companies and projects, with ticket sizes from $100K to $5M (hundreds of millions to billions of JPY). Investments can be structured as equity, token, or NFT, and the fund can act as minority or lead investor, with funding executed within one week of screening approval.

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 10M+ MZ Followers for portfolio company promotion
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Pantera Capital: One of the longest-running dedicated crypto/blockchain venture funds with multiple vintages across early and growth stages. Directly comparable as a marquee crypto-focused VC with broad Web3 sector coverage and global mandate.
• Dragonfly Capital: Crypto-focused VC with strong Asia presence and global portfolio across DeFi, NFTs, and Web3 infrastructure. Directly comparable model investing across token and equity in early-stage crypto companies.
• Paradigm: Crypto-native investment firm focused exclusively on Web3 and crypto projects with research-driven diligence and concentrated bets. Comparable as a specialized early-to-growth crypto VC deploying meaningful ticket sizes into token and equity rounds.
• Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Crypto): Andreessen Horowitz operates one of the world's largest dedicated crypto/Web3 venture funds (a16z crypto), investing across the full Web3 stack from seed to growth. Directly comparable as a marquee brand-led crypto VC with global LP base and founder-focused value-add thesis.
• Multicoin Capital: Thesis-driven crypto VC investing in token and equity rounds across Web3 infrastructure, DeFi, and applications. Comparable as a crypto-native VC with similar ticket-size flexibility and stage breadth.
• Hashkey Capital: Hong Kong-based crypto VC and part of the Hashkey Group, focused on Web3 and digital assets across Asia. Comparable as a regionally focused crypto VC with similar deal-size profile, though concentrated in Greater China rather than Japan.
• Spartan Group: Asia-headquartered crypto advisory and investment firm with Web3/native-token investing across the region. Comparable as an Asia-focused crypto VC with deep regional network and token-investment capability.

Broad incumbents

• Binance Labs: Investment vehicle of Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange, backing early-to-growth Web3 projects globally. Comparable as a high-volume crypto investor, but aligned with the Binance exchange ecosystem.
• Coinbase Ventures: Investment arm of Coinbase (largest US crypto exchange) deploying across the Web3 ecosystem. Comparable as a large-scale crypto investor, but operates within a broader exchange-driven platform rather than as a dedicated independent VC.

Emerging players

• Animoca Brands: Hong Kong-based Web3 gaming and metaverse operator that also invests in and incubates portfolio companies across Web3. Comparable as a Web3-focused investor with gaming/metaverse thesis, though primarily operating rather than a pure financial VC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MZ_Cryptos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments17 records

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

Frequently asked questions about MZ Web3 Fund