Updated:
Hike Ventures
Hike Ventures is a seed-stage firm investing in real-world AI. Since 2018 it has backed companies where AI amplifies people rather than simply replacing them,...
Hike Ventures
Hike Ventures is a seed-stage firm investing in real-world AI. Since 2018 it has backed companies where AI amplifies people rather than simply replacing them, following the principle Algorithm + Human > Algorithm or Human. It focuses on startups that solve real-world problems with proprietary operational data, not foundation models themselves.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2018
Location
Region
Asia
Country
Japan
City
San Francisco
Corporate office
Tokyo, Japan
Principals
Mikihiro Yasuda
General Partner, San Francisco
Taka Shoji
General Partner, Tokyo
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
What investment stages does Hike Ventures typically target?
Hike Ventures concentrates on the earliest stages of the venture lifecycle—seed and startup rounds. The firm writes first checks, often leading or co-leading initial financings before institutional venture firms enter. From public record, the strategy extends into early Series A follow-ons where the firm holds pro-rata rights, but the primary emphasis remains on pre-traction and seed-stage deployment.
Is Hike Ventures a corporate venture arm, or does it operate as an independent fund?
Hike Ventures is structured as an independent asset manager, not a corporate venture capital entity. This is a key structural distinction in Japan's venture market, where corporate venture arms—affiliated with companies like NTT Docomo, Sony, or Toyota—dominate early-stage allocations. As an independent firm, Hike Ventures avoids the channel conflicts that can arise when portfolio companies are restricted from partnering with a corporate parent's competitors.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on venture capital firms?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: