Corundum
Corundum Corp. is a Tokyo-headquartered international innovation group that operates four hubs (venture capital, systems biology, neuroscience, and a non-profit research institute) connecting Japanese corporate capital with Israeli and US life-sciences startups, while sponsoring research in microbiome, neuroscience, and AI.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Corundum does
Corundum Corp. is a Tokyo-headquartered international innovation group founded in 2014 by Yasushi Yamamoto, operating four hubs: Corundum Open Innovation (COI), a venture capital arm investing in Israeli and global science-and-technology startups via funds including COIF I and COIF II; Corundum Systems Biology (CSB), which invests in and sponsors research on human phenotyping, microbiome, and multi-omics; Corundum Neuroscience (CNS, formerly Joy Ventures), which backs neuroscience ventures; and Corundum Convergence Institute (CCI), a Delaware-registered 501(c)(3) non-profit sponsoring research in neuroscience, systems biology, and AI. The company explicitly connects Japanese corporate capital with Israeli and US life-sciences innovation, anchored by Japanese corporate LPs including Nikon Corporation and NGK Insulators in COIF II.
The group's investment portfolio includes Theranica (FDA-cleared Nerivio migraine wearable, $45M Series C), GrayMatters Health (FDA 510(k)-cleared Prism for PTSD digital therapy), Concerto Biosciences ($23M Series A), Freya Biosciences ($38M Series A), and Sequential ($3.5M, March 2026). Eleven direct/indirect portfolio companies from COIF I have completed exits through M&A and IPO, providing a track record supporting successor-fund formation. Corundum also maintains scientific partnerships with MIT, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Weizmann Institute of Science, OIST, and St. Marianna University School of Medicine, and advises through senior scientific leadership including Prof. Eran Segal and Prof. Takao Hensch.
Revenue is generated through three principal streams: venture capital fund management and carry from portfolio exits (COIF I and COIF II), professional consulting services for Japanese corporations seeking Israeli innovation exposure (using non-public information from fund activities), and sponsored research and venture philanthropy through CCI. Pricing is quote-based for institutional investors and corporate clients and is not publicly disclosed. The firm operates from Tokyo (HQ), Boston (adjacent to MIT), Herzliya, and Luxembourg.
Corundum firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Corundum
- Legal name
- Corundum Corp.
- Website
- https://corundum-corp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Corundum Corp. is a Tokyo-headquartered international innovation group that operates four hubs (venture capital, systems biology, neuroscience, and a non-profit research institute) connecting Japanese corporate capital with Israeli and US life-sciences startups, while sponsoring research in microbiome, neuroscience, and AI.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Corundum industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital and Innovation Investment
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Co-Investment Aggregators & Multi-Manager Co-Invest Vehicles (FSAHAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures) (FSANAHAC)
Keywords
Where Corundum is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
Corundum business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Investment Returns: Corundum generates returns through equity investments in Israeli high-tech startups and top VC funds via funds such as COIF-I and COIF-II. The company earns financial returns through exits via M&A and IPO from its portfolio companies.
- Consulting Services for New Business Development: Corundum provides consulting services to fund investors for new business development, utilizing non-public information from fund activities. Services include strategic planning, startup search, partnership negotiation, and direct investment support.
- Sponsored Research and Venture Philanthropy: Through Corundum Convergence Institute (CCI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the company sponsors research in neuroscience, systems biology, and AI. Through Corundum Systems Biology and Corundum Neuroscience, the company provides sponsored research funding.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Corundum product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Corundum is an international innovation group that operates venture capital funds (COIF-I and COIF-II) investing in Israeli high-tech and life-science startups, provides consulting services to Japanese corporations seeking to invest in innovative startups, and sponsors scientific research in neuroscience, systems biology, and AI through its group entities including the 501(c)(3) Corundum Convergence Institute.
Product overview
Corundum Corp. is an international innovation group focused on convergence, bringing together Researchers, Investors, and Innovators to create synergies between Science, Technology, and Business. The group operates through four innovation hubs: Corundum Open Innovation (COI) provides venture capital and consulting services for AI and life sciences; Corundum Systems Biology (CSB) invests in human phenotyping and microbiome research; Corundum Neuroscience (CNS) advances neuroscience research and companies; and Corundum Convergence Institute (CCI) serves as a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation sponsoring research in neuroscience, systems biology, and AI. The company also maintains a portfolio of invested companies including Sequential, GrayMatters Health, Theranica, Concerto Biosciences, and Freya Biosciences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Corundum Open Innovation (COI)
Quantifiable outcome
- 11 direct/indirect portfolio startups completed exits through M&A and IPO from COIF I
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Corundum
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Corundum technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Corundum partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- St. Marianna University School of MedicinemajorCollaboration with St. Marianna University School of Medicine for the Human Phenotype Project, supporting diverse recruitment for one of the world's deepest human health datasets.
- Weizmann Institute of SciencecoreProf. Eran Segal from Weizmann Institute serves on Corundum Systems Biology's Advisory Board. His lab focuses on Microbiome, Nutrition, Genetics, and personalized medicine research.
- Harvard UniversitymajorCollaboration between Corundum Systems Biology and Corundum Neuroscience to advance research and investment activities in gut-brain axis, including collaboration with Harvard-affiliated researchers.
- OIST (Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)majorCorundum organizes Converge events at OIST, bringing together innovators. The 2025 event featured highlights from the convergence conference.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthmajorCorundum Systems Biology became the main sponsor of the Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center's 'Microbial Communities Beyond the Bacteriome' Symposium in May 2023.
- MIT Media LabmajorJoy Ventures (now Corundum Neuroscience) co-sponsored the 'Augmenting Brains 2022' symposium with MIT, focusing on augmenting brain functions. Collaboration with MIT Professor Pattie Maes and Professor Rosalind Picard.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Corundum competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pitango Venture Capital: Pitango is an established Israel-focused venture capital investor spanning technology and life sciences. Its fund-based startup investment model is closely comparable to Corundum Open Innovation, although Pitango does not focus specifically on the Japan-Israel corporate bridge.
- JVP Media Labs: JVP is a long-standing Israeli venture capital firm that builds and invests in technology companies. It is a close category peer in Israeli startup sourcing and fund deployment, but has a more concentrated sector mandate than Corundum.
- Global Brain Corporation: Global Brain is a Japan-based venture capital and open-innovation investor connecting startups with corporations. Its combination of global startup investing and corporate innovation services closely overlaps Corundum's COI proposition.
- SOSV: SOSV is a global multi-stage venture firm operating thematic programs and accelerator-driven investments in deep technology and life sciences. Its multi-program platform and hands-on venture model are comparable to Corundum's specialized innovation hubs.
- OurCrowd: OurCrowd operates a global venture investment platform focused heavily on Israeli technology companies and funds. It is comparable through its startup and fund investment activity, although its online investment distribution model differs from Corundum's enterprise-led model.
- 500 Global: 500 Global is a global venture platform that invests through funds, accelerators, and direct company transactions. It is comparable to Corundum in deploying capital across technology startup ecosystems, though at substantially greater scale and breadth.
- Real Tech Fund: Real Tech Fund is a Japan-based deep-technology venture capital firm supporting science- and engineering-intensive startups. It is closely comparable to Corundum's focus on deep science, although it has a more exclusively Japanese investment mandate.
Broad incumbents
- Flagship Pioneering: Flagship Pioneering creates and funds companies in biotechnology and other scientific fields through an integrated venture-building model. It is comparable to Corundum's venture-building and sponsored-research orientation, but operates at a much larger scale and focuses primarily on company formation.
- M Ventures: M Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Merck KGaA and invests globally in life-science and technology businesses. Its strategic venture model and life-sciences orientation overlap with Corundum's corporate-investor and neuroscience activities, but it is backed by a single global industrial company.
- JAFCO Group: JAFCO is a Japanese venture capital and investment company with a broad technology and growth-company portfolio. It is a relevant incumbent comparator for Corundum's Japanese fund-management operations, but is considerably larger and more diversified.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Corundum social profiles
Digital presenceCorundum financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Corundum leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Corundum subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Corundum funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Corundum M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Corundum
What does Corundum do?
Corundum is an international innovation group that operates venture capital funds (COIF-I and COIF-II) investing in Israeli high-tech and life-science startups, provides consulting services to Japanese corporations seeking to invest in innovative startups, and sponsors scientific research in neuroscience, systems biology, and AI through its group entities including the 501(c)(3) Corundum Convergence Institute.
Is Corundum a public or private company?
Corundum is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Corundum founded?
Corundum was founded in 2014.
Where is Corundum based?
Corundum is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Corundum make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Venture Capital Investment Returns are the primary driver. The others are consulting Services for New Business Development and sponsored Research and Venture Philanthropy.
Who are Corundum's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pitango Venture Capital, JVP Media Labs, Global Brain Corporation, SOSV, OurCrowd, 500 Global and Real Tech Fund. Broad incumbents are Flagship Pioneering, M Ventures and JAFCO Group.
Does Corundum have an API?
No public API is recorded for Corundum.
What industry is Corundum in?
Corundum's product category is Venture Capital and Innovation Investment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAHAKAJ, Co-Investment Aggregators & Multi-Manager Co-Invest Vehicles, with a secondary code of FSANAHAC, Corporate Venture Studios & Incubators (Build/launch ventures). Its SIC code is 6282.