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Money Forward Venture Partners
Money Forward Venture Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. It invests in healthcare research and medical device development.
Money Forward Venture Partners
Money Forward Venture Partners is a venture capital firm founded in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan. It invests in healthcare research and medical device development. The firm has made 69 investments, including a Series A investment in Wine Bank on March 24, 2026.
General information
Firm type
Venture Capital
Year founded
2020
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Asia
Country
Japan
City
Tokyo
Corporate office
東京都港区芝浦3-1-21 msb Tamachi 田町ステーションタワーS 21F, Tokyo, Japan
Principals
Naoya Kanesaka
共同創業者 代表パートナー (Co-Founder & Representative Partner), 代表取締役 (President)
Satoshi Furuhashi
共同創業者 (Co-Founder), 取締役 (Director)
Yosuke Tsuji
投資委員会メンバー (Investment Committee Member), 取締役 (Director)
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who makes investment decisions at Money Forward Venture Partners?
Investment decisions run through an investment committee that includes co-founders Naoya Kanesaka and Satoshi Furuhashi alongside Money Forward founder Yosuke Tsuji. Partners Kohji Okada and Hiroyuki Jinno execute day-to-day deal work with a team of directors and associates, while a dedicated legal and compliance group handles regulatory oversight.
How does Money Forward Venture Partners source opportunities?
The firm taps the Money Forward Group network — including relationships with regional financial institutions built through API-based service integrations — and its own community of operators. Its website frames the fund as an entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur platform, and the team runs study groups and networking events aimed at surfacing deal flow from within Japan's startup ecosystem.
Is Money Forward Venture Partners a corporate venture capital arm or an independent fund?
It is a wholly owned corporate venture capital subsidiary of Money Forward, Inc., a publicly traded fintech. Structurally, the fund is managed by Money Forward Venture Partners, Inc., but it operates with dedicated investment professionals and an investment committee that includes the parent's founder, blurring the line between CVC and operator-led seed fund.
Does Money Forward Venture Partners invest globally or stay domestic?
The firm's stated geographic focus is Japan, with some overseas exposure. Its portfolio includes Singapore-based Arkadiah Technology and Hong Kong's Return Helper, confirming selective international activity alongside a predominantly domestic early-stage book.
What does Money Forward Venture Partners mean by 'entrepreneurial support' beyond the check?
The firm explicitly offers help with hiring, service design, and organizational building — the operational challenges it calls 'HARD THINGS.' It also provides technical support through MoneyForward Lab, the group's data-utilization unit, and can facilitate collaboration with the parent's financial-institution partners.
How is Money Forward Venture Partners related to Money Forward, Inc.?
Money Forward Venture Partners, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the listed fintech Money Forward, Inc. The parent company's founder, Yosuke Tsuji, sits on the venture arm's investment committee. The fund is marketed under the HIRAC FUND brand and leverages the parent's balance sheet, brand, and technology resources.
What investment stages does the HIRAC FUND target?
The fund targets unlisted, early-stage technology companies, with confirmed positions covering seed-stage deals such as WineBank, relay, and BellFace. The firm does not publish a stage-by-stage allocation or a minimum or maximum check size.
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