# Rakuten Capital

Rakuten Capital is a Corporate Venture Capital based in Tokyo, Japan.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Corporate Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** Tokyo, Japan
- **Region:** Asia
- **Address:** Tokyo, Japan
- **Founded:** 2013
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** capital.rakuten.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/rakuten-capital

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Rakuten Capital is the corporate venture capital arm of Rakuten Group, a global leader in internet services headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Launched in 2013, it invests in and provides operational support to portfolio companies worldwide. It has invested globally in more than 90 companies, including Careem, Carousell, GoTo, Lyft, Pinterest and Upstart. It focuses on transformative products and technologies and provides financial, operational and strategic support drawing on Rakuten’s ecosystem of more than 70 services.

## Sectors

- Enterprise Software
- FinTech
- Digital Health
- Media & Entertainment
- Mobility & Transportation

## People

- Saemin Ahn — Managing Partner, International Investment
- Seiichiro Sonoda — President of Rakuten Capital
- Shoichiro Suzuki — Senior Partner, Japan Investment
- Alec Fujii — Associate, International Investment
- Mark Heeney — Senior Associate, International Investment
- Regina Ho — Senior Associate, International Investment
- Kazuaki Ichihashi — Senior Investment Manager, Japan Investment
- Susumu Ishikura — Head of Investment Management
- Nicole Jang — Senior Partner, International Investment
- Kendrick Loh — Principal, International Investment
- Ryuji Otaki — Operating Partner
- Michael Piechalak — Partner, International Investment
- Hajime Sako — Investment Manager, Japan Investment
- Taiga Sekine — Associate, Japan Investment
- Manami Suzuki — Community Manager, Japan Investment
- Yuji Takeuchi — Operating Manager
- Taichi Tsuchiya — Investment Analyst, Japan Investment
- Tomoyuki Watanabe — Finance Manager

## Questions

### Is Rakuten Capital a financial investor or a strategic investor?

Rakuten Capital operates as a strategic corporate venture capital investor. It invests off the parent company's balance sheet and prioritizes portfolio companies that can integrate with Rakuten Group's ecosystem of e-commerce, payments, and financial services. The value proposition is access to Rakuten's loyalty program and user base rather than purely financial returns.

### Does Rakuten Capital manage outside capital or invest solely from the corporate balance sheet?

Rakuten Capital invests from the balance sheet of Rakuten Group. It does not publicly manage third-party capital raised from institutional investors, pension funds, or endowments. Its investment activity is a direct deployment of the corporate treasury toward strategic venture and growth opportunities.

### What is Rakuten Capital's geographic investment mandate?

The firm invests globally. Documented portfolio activity has spanned North America, Europe, and Japan. It evaluates deals that can scale through integration with Rakuten's primarily Japanese customer base but does not limit itself to domestic companies. The firm's disclosed investments include US-based Coinbase and Canada-based 1Password.

### Does Rakuten Capital invest in venture funds or only direct deals?

Its investment approach includes both direct equity investments in operating companies and commitments to venture capital funds as a limited partner. The direct deal program targets companies across stages from early to late growth, while fund commitments provide a complementary pipeline and diversification.

### How does Rakuten Capital integrate portfolio companies with the parent group?

Integration centers on the Rakuten Points loyalty ecosystem, which ties together the parent company's e-commerce, banking, credit card, securities, and mobile offerings. Portfolio companies can access this member base for distribution and partnership, making the capital relationship a commercial one as much as an investment. The specific integration plan is evaluated at deal underwriting.

## Related profiles

- [Rajkot Nagarik Sahakari Bank](https://altss.com/profile/rajkot-nagarik-sahakari-bank)
- [Rakuten Communications](https://altss.com/profile/rakuten-communications)

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Last updated: 2026-08-11T15:07:57.118Z

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