Lifetime Ventures

Lifetime Ventures is a seed-stage venture capital firm dedicated to backing world-class entrepreneurs in deeptech. The firm's core mission is to foster innovations that contribute to both human and planetary health, aiming for long-term impact across generations. They focus on bridging the significant gap between academic research and industry, transforming groundbreaking scientific discoveries and researchers into real-world applications and successful ventures. Their approach involves embedding within research institutes, providing hands-on support to startups from their inception, and guiding them from lab to market.

The firm's journey began in 2017 as a seed-stage fund in Japan. A pivotal moment in its evolution was the partnership with the Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology (OIST), Asia's top-ranked research institute, to launch the OIST-Lifetime Ventures Fund in 2022. This collaboration underscores their commitment to investing in pre-seed and seed-stage deeptech startups that emerge directly from scientific research, leveraging OIST's research capabilities and global network. Lifetime Ventures typically provides initial checks ranging from JPY 30-80 million (approximately USD 200k-550k), with a focus on catalyzing research commercialization and early market validation.

Lifetime Ventures maintains a diverse portfolio of over 50 companies, spanning various innovative categories such as Quantum Computing, Neuroscience, Biotech, Sustainable Living, X-border Japan, Future of Work, AI & Robotics, Health & AGE Tech, and Blue Economy. Notable investments include UUUO, a B2B platform for the fisheries industry; Rehab for Japan, an age-tech company; Quadlytics, which uses AI for healthcare data analytics; and Sylcast, focused on sustainable tree management. The firm actively seeks solutions in key focus areas like preventative healthcare, medical devices, delivery platforms, climate change mitigation, adaptation, and carbon dioxide removal.

The team at Lifetime Ventures brings a wealth of experience from leading global institutions and diverse backgrounds in venture capital, international finance, and innovation-driven industries. Ryosuke Kimura, the Founder and General Partner, has extensive experience from Incubate Fund and management consulting. Koshu Kunli, General Partner and Chief Impact Officer, previously invested in fintech startups globally with the IFC (World Bank Group). Venture Partners like Masatoshi Honda, with a background from McKinsey and in plant grafting technology, and Tatsuro Koyama, a California-based investor with experience at Morgan Stanley, UBS, and GITAI, further strengthen the firm's expertise and global reach.