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Tokyo's Initiative to Support Startup Growth

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has embarked on a strategic initiative titled the "Global Innovation Strategy 2.0 STARTUP & SCALEUP," conceptualized in November 2025. This bold move emphasizes the dual pillars of "Global" and "Scale-Up," positioning itself to support companies aspiring for impressive growth on a global stage. To realize this vision, Tokyo is creating the "SusHi Tech Global Funds," a funding platform designed to attract domestic and international private investments aimed at enhancing the scaling capabilities of startups.

Overview of the SusHi Tech Global Funds Platform

The SusHi Tech Global Funds platform comprises a mix of public-private partnerships, where both established funds financed by the government and various private funds recognized for their diverse strengths can actively participate. These funds, leveraging their strengths, will collaborate to create synergies that can facilitate startup scaling while sharing knowledge and opportunities within a supportive ecosystem. By establishing connections between various funds and promoting the sharing of insights and networks with both domestic and international investors, the platform seeks to assist startups in their growth journey effectively.

Through these efforts, the initiative aims to secure funding for promising startups, facilitate global expansion, and provide comprehensive support for scaling operations. The platform encourages significant involvement from private investors who resonate with the values of SusHi Tech Global. These investors will be selected through a rigorous evaluation process to ensure they contribute effectively to funding, global initiatives, and scaling support for startups.

Goals Behind the Formation of SusHi Tech Global Funds

1. Enhancing Funding Supply for Growth Stage Startups

One of the primary objectives is to invigorate the provision of funds to promising startups in their growth stage. By attracting interest from domestic and international Venture Capital (VC) firms to participate in the platform, the initiative promotes the sharing of information and know-how among funds. This cooperation sparks opportunities like joint investments, creating a more robust pipeline of funding for startups looking towards significant scaling.

2. Strengthening Global Growth Support Networks

The platform is also designed to leverage the networks and insights of domestic and international VCs to propel promising startups towards overseas expansions and potential collaborations. This strategy seeks to bolster access to global markets, helping startups tap into new opportunities and audiences effectively.

3. Enriching Diverse Scale-Up Support Functions

In addition to supporting startups through the strengths of participating funds, the platform aims to create intersections with various stakeholders involved in M&A and secondary transactions. This diversification will further encourage varied growth and exit strategies for participating startups, ensuring that they have access to a broad spectrum of resources and opportunities.

Recruitment Overview for Certified Funds

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is now calling for applications from fund operators that focus on investing in domestic startups. Here are the details:

• - Eligibility: Fund operators that invest in domestic startups.
• - Application Period: From November 9, 2023, to December 25, 2023.
• - Certification Timeline: Expected certifications will occur in mid-February 2024.
• - Certification Duration: From the date of certification until March 31, 2025.

Application Process

Prospective fund operators must fill out an application form available on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's website and attach necessary documentation before the submission deadline. A selection committee is scheduled to assess applications in January and February 2024, choosing certified funds based on established criteria.

For full details regarding the recruitment, including qualifications, required documents, and application method, interested parties are encouraged to visit the official Tokyo government website.

Expectations from Certified Funds

Certified funds are expected to actively participate in investing in promising startups while utilizing their strengths, networks, and expertise to support scale-up efforts and foster collaboration among other participating funds. Evaluation criteria will include:
1. The ability to execute investments in Japan-based startups effectively.
2. The capacity to provide meaningful scaling support for startups.
3. Contribution potential to the overall fund platform.

This initiative is a prominent aspect of the "2050 Tokyo Strategy," particularly focusing on nurturing startups that can shine on the global stage, aligning itself with the ambition to empower future leaders in innovation and business.