De-Sign Capital Fund 1 already made an investment in Any, an AI-based enterprise insight management platform producer.
Japanese workplace design group De-Sign has partnered with investment firm Gazelle Capital and formed a corporate venture capital arm of undisclosed size called De-Sign Capital.
De-Sign Capital Fund 1 will back early to later-stage startups developing workplace digitalisation technology, office space-related services and other strategic offerings. Apart from funding, De-Sign may also help build offices for portfolio companies and provide sales support through its existing network.
It made its first investment in Any, the provider of AI-equipped corporate knowledge-sharing platform Qast.
Having begun life in 2000 as the workplace division of management consulting firm Link and Motivation, the company became independent after a management buyout in 2004. Following a few iterations, it was re-named De-Sign in September this year.
“We have invested in and promoted collaboration with several startup companies through our relationships with entrepreneurs,” said Hiroya Sato (pictured), president and chief executive of De-Sign.
“Now, with the support of Gazelle Capital, we are launching full-scale activities as a CVC fund. We hope to expand into the fields in which we can contribute by adding funding to places, people and mechanisms to achieve our mission of ‘driving work’.”
