About WUV
About WASEDA University Ventures, Inc. (WUV)
WASEDA University Ventures (WUV) was established in April 2022 with the main objective of creating businesses and industries that contribute to the evolution and well-being of human society and sustainability by implementing academic knowledge and research results into society through the creation and development of start-ups that utilise learning and "the practical application of scholarship" which is one of Waseda University's founding principles.
WUV is not a captive fund but is independently managed by professional venture capitalists and funded by outside institutional investors. WUV can invest in opportunities coming out of any universities and research labs in the world, which will seek synergies with Waseda University and Japan.
WUV Mission
"Be a capitalist who creates start-ups that harness academia and "the practical application of scholarship" to build businesses and industries that contribute to the evolution and well-being of human society, as well as our sustainability."
WUV Strategy
Universities are a source of innovation, and researchers themselves have the power to open up new 'knowledge'. While it is very important to create businesses and industries from science and technology seeds, we believe that it is most preferable if researchers themselves can concentrate on their research, rather than focusing on business and management WUV's partners have a love of academia themselves, a deep understanding of science and technology and, through dialogue with researchers, can seeds to envision projects with global impact that contribute to the evolution, well-being and sustainability of human society. WUV will then provide support for the start-up from the formulation of the business plan to the formation of the management team, even before the company is established, and will focus on founding investment to create a new start-up as a co-founder and provide initial funding for its activities. Thereafter, WUV aims to bring in other VC funding and will lead the start-up to success and play a leading role in realising an innovation ecosystem at Waseda University.
WUV Focus
Specialises in founding investment in the deep-tech area
Co-founding from research seeds of Waseda University, other universities and overseas research institutes
Targets physical sciences, information sciences, life sciences, humanities and social sciences, sports sciences, etc.
WUV will specialise in start-up investment in the deep tech area, working with researchers, entrepreneurs and managers to create new start-ups with the aim of building businesses with global impact from outstanding research results at Waseda University and other universities and research institutions in Japan and overseas. Seeds will be targeted not only at Waseda University but also at other universities and overseas research institutions and will cover the fields of physical sciences, information sciences and life sciences, as well as the humanities, social sciences and sports sciences.
WASEDA University Ventures, Inc.
Registered address:
Waseda University Entrepreneurship Centre, Building 19-3,
1-22-3 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
Office:
Waseda University Nishi Waseda Building 2F Room 201,
1-21-1 Nishiwaseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN
Date of establishment:
5 April 2022
Capital:
JPY 10 million
Shareholders:
WUV Partners LLP (80%)
Waseda University (20%)
Board of Directors:
Yasuyuki Abe, Chairman
Ted Yamamoto, Representative Director
Hiroaki Ohta, Representative Director
Audit & Supervisory Board Member:
Aiko Sekine
WUV 1 L.P.
Name: WUV 1 Limited Partnership
Established: August 8th, 2022
Fund Size： JPY 8.4 billion
Fund Term: 10 years (with a possible extension of 3 years)
GP Entity: WUV 1 GP LLP
General Partners: Ted Yamamoto
Hiroaki Ohta
Partner: Daisuke Niwa
Satoko Ohno
About Waseda University
Founded in 1882, Waseda University is Japan's top private research university, with 50,000 students in 13 undergraduate and 21 postgraduate schools. Waseda University was founded on three principles: academic independence, practical application of scholarship and fostering global citizenship. For the past 140 years, Waseda University has produced nine prime ministers of Japan and many founders of great companies, including Sony (founded by Masaru Ibuka), UNIQLO (by Tadashi Yanai) and Samsung Group (founded by Lee Byung-chul), to name a few.
