NOW

Co-founders Kazutaka Ieiri and Daisuke Kajitani lead the firm. Ieiri brings a track record as a repeat founder who took paperboy&co. public and co-founded BASE; Kajitani adds institutional discipline from his prior roles at Mizuho Securities and Shinsei Corporate Investment. Day-to-day sourcing and evaluation draw on both their networks.

The firm's pipeline runs through Ieiri's extensive operator community — built across Pepabo, Campfire, BASE, and his angel portfolio — supplemented by Kajitani's financial-institution referrals. This hybrid model surfaces founders before they reach broader institutional processes, often at the pre-seed and seed stages.

Based on the publicly listed portfolio, NOW structures its engagements as direct equity investments into operating companies. There is no evidence of fund-of-fund commitments or LP positions in third-party vehicles.

The portfolio shows no positions in hard-tech deep-science, semiconductor hardware, or traditional heavy industry. The firm's pattern strongly favors capital-light digital platforms and services, though it will selectively back hardware-enabled consumer brands where digital distribution is the core differentiator.

NOW frequently syndicates rounds with other domestic venture firms and corporate venture arms, acting either as lead or follow investor. The firm's contact policy indicates selectivity and a clear internal investment thesis, but published deal records suggest comfort in co-investor structures typical of Japan's early-stage ecosystem.