Kyoto University unveils its second venture fund for investment across Asia with $60m backing.
Kyoto University has announced a new venture fund worth $60m to be invested in firms loosely tied to the university across Asia.
The Kyoto University Venture Fund (KUVF) will be managed by venture firm Miyako Capital, and will support both startups and spin-outs tied to the university through faculty, students, or alumni. It will also be available to any firm wishing to work closely with the institution.
The fund will seek to invest from $500k upwards, and will be largely focused on agricultural, ICT, life sciences, and energy and environment-based firms. It will invest from the seed stage onwards.
It is the second fund from the university, which follows a $45m fund set up in 2007, which currently has 18 companies in its portfolio. One of which, price comparison site Aucfan, held an IPO earlier in the year.
Kenshin Fujiwara, partner at Miyako Capital, said: “Startups don’t necessarily have to be in Kyoto, or even in Japan, but do require some level of relationship with Kyoto University. For example, appointing an alumnus as a local director.”
