What Sourcing Brothers does

Sourcing Brothers Co., Ltd. (ソーシング・ブラザーズ株式会社) is a Tokyo-based, privately held professional services firm operating in Japan's open-innovation ecosystem. Founded in 2019, the firm is organized around two core service lines: Innovation Consulting (オープンイノベーション支援), which supplies dedicated industry-specialized capitalists to support CVC operations for large and mid-sized Japanese enterprises, and Growth M&A (成長戦略型M&A支援), which provides one-stop advisory for startup-side transactions, including secondary deals of venture capital investments and acquisitions involving complex multi-shareholder structures.

The firm monetizes through professional services fees on consulting engagements and transaction fees on completed M&A mandates. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting large enterprises (its primary segment), mid-sized companies, and startups, supported by a curated database of 4,000+ registered startups and a named team of approximately 30 professionals spanning Climate Tech, Mobility, AI, Deep Tech, Energy, Logistics, Construction, and other verticals, with cross-border coverage in Japan, ASEAN, and Africa.

The firm operates a wholly-owned innovation media sub-brand, XAOS JAPAN (カオスジャパン), and positions itself as a one-stop "Innovation Ecosystem" connecting large corporates, startups, and venture capital. Recent strategic actions include an April 2026 partnership with SBI Securities to support stock value enhancement for listed companies and a cooperator/sponsor role at SusHi Tech Tokyo 2026. Notably, the ¥93.9 billion "cumulative investment amount" prominently displayed on the firm's homepage represents deal flow facilitated through the platform, not company revenue.

Name

Sourcing Brothers

Legal name

Sourcing Brothers Co., Ltd.

Website

https://sbro.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sourcing Brothers is a Tokyo-based boutique professional services firm that provides innovation consulting and CVC operation support for Japanese large enterprises and growth M&A advisory for startups, leveraging a 4,000+ startup database and sector-specialized in-house capitalists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting Services

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (52315)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate Innovation & Technology Scouting Units (with investment mandate) (FSANAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A / Corporate Finance Finders (Deal Origination) (FSAEAMAD), Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting services
• Corporate venture capital
• Mergers acquisitions advisory
• Startup growth advisory
• Open innovation consulting

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

Revenue model

1. Innovation Consulting: Provides open innovation support services to large and mid-sized enterprises, including CVC operation support with dedicated capitalists. Revenue is generated through consulting fees for facilitating startup investment programs.
2. Growth M&A Advisory: Specialized M&A support services for startups, including secondary transactions from venture capital investments and complex multi-shareholder startup acquisitions. Revenue generated through M&A advisory and transaction fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Sourcing Brothers provides two core services: (1) Innovation Consulting, which assigns dedicated capitalists to support corporate venture capital (CVC) operations and open innovation programs for large and mid-sized Japanese enterprises, and (2) Growth M&A, which delivers one-stop M&A advisory for startups facing complex transactions such as secondary deals from venture capital investments and acquisitions involving multiple external shareholders. The firm also operates XAOS JAPAN, an innovation media sub-brand featuring stories of challengers and innovators.

Product overview

Sourcing Brothers operates as a dual-service platform providing Innovation Consulting and Growth M&A services as its core offerings. The Innovation Consulting service supports large and medium enterprises in CVC operations through dedicated capitalists who facilitate open innovation with startups. The Growth M&A service provides specialized M&A support for startups, handling secondary transactions and complex multi-shareholder deals. Additionally, the company operates XAOS JAPAN as an innovation media sub-brand that covers challenger stories. Together, these services form an 'Innovation Ecosystem' designed to create circulation of human resources and capital between large enterprises and startups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• XAOS JAPAN (カオスジャパン): Innovation media platform for challengers and innovators.

Products and services

• Innovation Consulting (Open Innovation Support)

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.9 billion yen in cumulative startup investment facilitated through the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SBI Securities Co., Ltd. (株式会社SBI証券)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026Sourcing Brothers and SBI Securities have entered into a business partnership to enhance stock value for listed companies and support startup growth. The partnership aims to provide listed companies with startup engagement opportunities and facilitate growth pathways for startups through the SBI Securities network and platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spiral Capital: Japan-focused CVC and venture capital firm connecting large corporates with startups, competing for the same corporate open-innovation mandates that Sourcing Brothers' Innovation Consulting serves.
• Plug and Play Japan: Global startup accelerator and corporate innovation platform operating in Japan; directly comparable to Sourcing Brothers' open-innovation and corporate-startup matching business model.
• Leave a Nest: Japan-headquartered deep-tech innovation platform linking corporates, startups, and researchers across multiple verticals, with comparable CVC support and startup-matching services.
• New Frontier Partners (ニューポート): Japan-based M&A advisory boutique with a focus on startup and growth-stage transactions, including complex multi-shareholder deals similar to Sourcing Brothers' Growth M&A service.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Tohmatsu Group: Big-4 advisory in Japan offering M&A, consulting, and corporate-startup collaboration services; broad incumbent competing for enterprise open-innovation and M&A mandates.
• KPMG AZSA LLC: Big-4 advisory firm in Japan providing M&A advisory and corporate strategy consulting; competes for the same Growth M&A and Innovation Consulting mandates from large enterprises.
• Bain Capital (Asia CVC practice): Global private equity and advisory firm with established corporate innovation and CVC practice; broader incumbent competing for enterprise open-innovation engagements in Japan.

Emerging players

• Crowd Credit: Japan-based financial services firm connecting capital with emerging companies; overlaps with Sourcing Brothers' capital-circulation mandate between enterprises and startups.

Regional players

• Japan Innovation Network (JIN): Japanese industry association and platform promoting open innovation between large corporations and startups; overlaps with Sourcing Brothers' corporate-startup ecosystem-building activity.
• LINK-J (Life Science Innovation Network Japan): Japanese innovation network focused on life sciences and corporate-startup collaboration; comparable in mission but specialised in a single vertical and regional ecosystem-building.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sourcing Brothers