Light Up Ventures

Takeshi Fukunaga, a co-founder and former Sony engineer, leads the firm's investment activities. The firm operates a lean decision-making structure typical of early-stage seed funds, with senior partners driving deal evaluation and portfolio management. Full IC composition has not been publicly detailed.

Yes, the firm maintains a deliberate bilateral focus between Japan and the United States. Approximately 60% of its capital is deployed in Japanese startups, with 30% directed to US-based companies, and the remainder covering other Asia-Pacific markets. This dual-market strategy is central to its identity as a bridge between Japanese LPs and global entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Light Up Ventures writes initial checks from pre-seed through Series A, typically sized between $500,000 and $3 million. It reserves capital for follow-on investments in subsequent rounds. The firm occasionally uses SPV structures for larger opportunities outside its standard check range.

The firm concentrates on deep technology and enterprise-facing verticals: applied AI and machine learning, industrial automation and robotics, enterprise SaaS, digital health, and fintech. Fukunaga's engineering background at Sony informs a thesis that prioritizes technical defensibility and hard-to-replicate engineering moats.

Unlike Japanese CVCs, which typically invest for strategic synergy with a parent corporation, Light Up Ventures is structured as a financially motivated independent partnership. It applies a Silicon Valley-style seed investment discipline while giving portfolio companies access to Japanese corporate partnerships — offering founders a capital source that combines return-focused investing with genuine cross-border commercial introductions.