The new $96m fund means the Japanese mobile phone operator now committed more than $350m to startup investments.
NTT Docomo, Japan’s largest mobile phone operator, launched a fourth startup investment fund with some $96m in capital, reconfirming its commitment to backing early-stage technology companies.
The 10-year fund will invest in startups both in Japan and abroad, with a view to developing partnerships with those companies that would create new business opportunities for the group.
NTT Docomo has invested in startups since 2013, when it created its first $64m investment fund, followed up by a $96m fund two in 2017 and a $96m third fund in 2022. NTT Docomo Ventures, which manages these funds, has built a portfolio of some 100 companies over the past 12 years, and has seen exits for around 50% of these investments.
Led by Jun Yasumoto (pictured, above) since 2023, the company has invested in startups such as Israeli e-commerce fraud prevention company Riskified, which went on to list on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 at a $3.3bn valuation, and Swedish industrial IT company Crosser, which was acquired earlier this month by a UK rival. Most recently, NTT Docomo Ventures has invested in startups focused on cybersecurity, healthcare and AI, including taking a stake in US voice AI startup ElevenLabs.
Recent NTT Docomo Ventures investments in startups
See the full list of corporate-backed startup funding round in the CVC Funding Round Database.
Maija Palmer
Maija Palmer is editor of Global Venturing and puts together the weekly email newsletter (sign up here for free).
