What Prime Partners does

Prime Partners is a Tokyo-based venture capital and innovation consulting firm founded in August 2014 (originally as Field Management Capital, rebranded in August 2017) that operates as an intermediary between global startups and large Japanese enterprises. The firm's three core service lines are: (1) Corporate Venture Capital fund management, covering Dentsu Ventures Fund I, Dentsu Ventures Fund II, BRICKS FUND TOKYO, Co-Founder Fund, and Next Tokai Innovation Fund with approximately 300 billion yen in total committed capital; (2) Innovation consulting for designing organizations for new business development; and (3) Startup acceleration, supporting open innovation between startups and large corporations. Across these funds, Prime Partners has invested in more than 60 portfolio companies spanning AI, SaaS, fintech, biotech, Web3, robotics, media, and commerce in Japan, the United States, Korea, India, and Germany.

The underlying technology stack is non-proprietary: Prime Partners is a financial services firm whose operational value derives from its ecosystem of corporate limited partners (Dentsu, Mitsubishi Estate, Tokai Tokyo Securities, Japan Post Bank, Tokyo Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance) and its deal flow network rather than from any internally developed software platform. The firm's flagship engagements center on the "Dentsu Ventures" co-brand with Dentsu Group and the "BRICKS FUND TOKYO by Mitsubishi Estate" social impact fund, both of which pair capital with corporate distribution access for portfolio companies.

Prime Partners earns revenue primarily through management fees on the CVC funds it co-manages with corporate partners; the firm neither sells products to end customers nor discloses specific fee terms. It distributes services exclusively through direct senior-partner engagement with corporate decision-makers (enterprise field sales motion), referring incoming startups to the appropriate vehicle within its fund constellation. Leadership is shared among Co-founders Daiji Horibe (Managing Partner) and Daisuke Takemori (Senior Partner), with Katsuyuki Hasegawa and Kotaro Sasamoto as Partners, supported by an investment team of approximately ten professionals.

Name

Prime Partners

Legal name

株式会社プライムパートNERS

Website

https://prime-prtnrs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Prime Partners is a Tokyo-based venture capital firm that operates as a hub between global startups and large Japanese enterprises, managing multiple corporate venture capital funds (Dentsu Ventures, BRICKS FUND TOKYO, Co-Founder Fund, Next Tokai Innovation Fund) totaling approximately 300 billion yen AUM across 60+ portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Management

NAICS

All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399), Other Financial Vehicles (525990), Other Financial Vehicles (52599)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Investment Arms (FSANAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Joint Venture CVC / Consortium Funds (Multi-corporate) (FSANAHAE), Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) (FSANAAAF), Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)

Keywords

• Corporate venture capital
• Venture capital funds
• Startup investment
• Innovation consulting
• Open innovation support

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CVC Fund Management Fees: Prime Partners earns management fees from operating the CVC funds it co-manages (Dentsu Ventures Fund I & II, BRICKS FUND TOKYO, Co-Founder Fund, Next Tokai Innovation Fund). Fee structure is not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Prime Partners manages multiple Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) funds in partnership with major Japanese corporations (Dentsu Group, Mitsubishi Estate, Tokyo Marine, Tokai Tokyo Securities, Japan Post Bank), investing capital in global startups from seed to later stages while providing hands-on business development support. The firm also offers innovation consulting for designing new business development organizations and startup acceleration services for large enterprises pursuing open innovation.

Product overview

Prime Partners is a venture capital firm that operates as the hub between global startups and large enterprises. The firm offers four main fund products: Dentsu Ventures Global Fund I (100 billion yen, managed with Dentsu), Dentsu Ventures Fund II (100 billion yen, managed with Dentsu Group), BRICKS FUND TOKYO (100 billion yen target over 5 years, co-managed with Mitsubishi Estate), and Co-Founder Fund (20-40 billion yen target, startup studio-embedded seed fund). Alongside fund management, Prime Partners provides innovation consulting for new business development and startup acceleration services to support corporate-open innovation initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dentsu Ventures Global Fund I: Corporate venture capital fund co-operated with Dentsu Inc., investing globally in startups
• Dentsu Ventures Fund II
• BRICKS FUND TOKYO
• Co-Founder Fund
• Next Tokai Innovation Fund

Products and services

• Dentsu Ventures Global Fund I
• Dentsu Ventures Fund II
• BRICKS FUND TOKYO
• Co-Founder Fund
• Next Tokai Innovation Fund

Quantifiable outcome

• Invested in over 40 venture companies since 2015 through Dentsu Ventures Fund I alone

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Incubate Fund: Independent Japanese VC firm investing across seed to later stages with a global investment thesis. Operates a similar mix of fund products (multiple vintages, early-stage focus) and competes for Japanese deal flow and LP relationships.
• Coral Capital: Japanese VC firm investing in early-stage startups with both Japanese and US exposure, often partnering with Japanese corporates for market entry. Similar bridge-between-Japan-and-global-startups model.
• ANRI: Japanese seed-to-early-stage VC with strong founder pedigree (former Dentsu/Sansan operators) and deep Japanese startup ecosystem presence. Competes for similar early-stage Japanese deals and corporate open-innovation mandates.
• World Innovation Lab (WiL): Japan-US hybrid venture firm that bridges startups with Japanese corporates (Honda, Panasonic, Omron, Toyota Tsusho). Operates with a corporate-LP-backed fund structure and innovation consulting model that closely mirrors Prime Partners' hub positioning.
• Global Brain Corporation: Major Japanese CVC and VC firm operating multiple corporate venture funds with large Japanese corporates (similar to Prime Partners' Dentsu/Mitsubishi Estate mandates). Closest direct comparable in terms of fund-of-funds structure, sector breadth, and Japanese corporate LP relationships.

Broad incumbents

• SMBC Venture Capital: Corporate VC arm of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Group, managing multiple Japan-focused venture funds. Competes for financial-services-related CVC mandates and corporate LP relationships similar to those held by Prime Partners.
• JAFCO Group: Japan's largest publicly listed venture capital firm with broad sector coverage and corporate LP relationships. Much larger and more diversified than Prime Partners, but competes for the same Japanese corporate innovation mandates and startup deal flow.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Capital: Corporate VC arm of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, one of Japan's largest banking groups. Competes for financial-services-adjacent CVC mandates and corporate LP relationships with Japanese financial institutions.
• Salesforce Ventures: Global CVC arm of Salesforce that invests in enterprise software, AI, and cloud startups. Comparable in its role as a corporate strategic investment vehicle providing both capital and distribution support to portfolio companies.

Emerging players

• Dentsu Innovation Partners: Internal CVC arm of Dentsu Group that co-manages Dentsu Ventures Fund II alongside Prime Partners. Adjacent relationship rather than direct competitor, but represents an internalization risk for Prime Partners if Dentsu expands in-house CVC operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prime_prtnrs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Prime Partners