Yitu Capital

Yitu Capital

Yitu Capital launched in 2020, formed by Partners Dongao Yan and Xiaoling Yu alongside COO Sameshima Taku. Yan, formerly with HQ Capital and Squadron Capital, and Yu, who held roles at HT Asset Management and Rolls-Royce, created a platform that blends direct investing with fund commitments and tailored advisory mandates. The Hong Kong-headquartered manager maintains an operating presence in Tokyo's Shibuya ward and works in partnership with HT Asset Management, a Greater China multi-family office. The firm divides its activity into three lines. Direct investments concentrate on Deep Tech, Advanced Manufacturing, SaaS, and Consumer — its website lists a next-gen OLED emitting material R&D company, a late clinical-stage biopharma, an online funeral-services SaaS operator, a fintech provider, and a trading-card marketplace among current positions. For fund commitments, Yitu selects Japanese VC and PE vehicles spanning early-stage venture to mid-market buyouts, including a seed-stage firm described as Japan's most active, an emerging cross-border venture manager, and a buyout platform deploying in mid-market deals, PIPEs, and renewables. Investment advisory work runs in both directions: creating sector-specific mandates for external investors targeting Japan, and supporting Japanese family offices in diversifying into Greater China. A co-branded venture with Skyland Ventures alumni offers Digital Asset Treasury advisory for listed companies. Yitu operates through a tight configuration of named professionals rather than a large headcount. The senior team includes ex-HQ Capital, Squadron Capital, and Lehman Brothers operators, plus an Advisor, Rick Cai, who sits as a member of the Japan Venture Capital Association. The firm's Tokyo office doubles as the base for its post-investment consulting partnership with Beyondge, Inc., which delivers strategic marketing, business development, and human capital management to portfolio startups. The HT Asset Management alliance gives Yitu a pipeline into Greater Chinese family-office capital seeking Japanese private-market exposure. Structurally, Yitu is an independent asset manager, not a single-family office — but its partnership with HT Asset Management and its advisory work for Japanese families create a de facto multi-family-office dynamic that shapes its deal sourcing. Most Japan-facing platforms run onshore-first; Yitu is anchored in Hong Kong and built to channel non-Japanese limited partners into a market where local trust, language, and know-your-counterparty friction remain high barriers.