#Japan #Shinagawa #ROMS #Nano-Stream #Monoful Venture

ROMS Secures Additional 1.3 Billion Yen to Enhance Operations

ROMS, a leading Japanese company based in Shinagawa, Tokyo, has successfully raised approximately 1.3 billion yen in funding to bolster its financial foundation and accelerate business expansion. This funding round sees participation from current investors including DNX Ventures, along with a new key partner, Monoful Venture Partners. This investment comes as a strategic move to support next-generation social infrastructure in sectors such as logistics real estate, data centers, and renewable energy.

This funding round marks the first since the previous one in September 2022, which mainly focused on automating convenience stores and small supermarket operations through innovative solutions like their Robotics Convenience Store (RCS) and Nano-Fulfillment Center (NFC). The current funding reflects a pivot in ROMS's strategy over the past two to three years, moving towards solutions tailored for e-commerce, logistics, and manufacturing sectors, including their advanced Nano-Sorter and Nano-Stream technologies.

The collective financial support, combining contributions from earlier rounds and new investments from several financial institutions, illustrates the growing recognition of ROMS’s unique value propositions in the logistics industry. These include offering small, Japanese-made products that enable quick delivery and flexible responses to market demands. Such recognition underlies a significant appreciation for ROMS's consistent business growth and its adaptable solutions fitted for modern challenges in the logistics industry.

The entrance of Monoful Venture Partners is expected to enhance ROMS’s credibility and presence in the market while providing substantial support for expanded operations. Monoful, managed by a subsidiary of Ares Management Corporation, specializes in private market investment solutions across multiple asset classes, including credit, real estate, private equity, and infrastructure.

With the newly acquired funds, ROMS plans to enhance its public relations and marketing efforts, invest in new hires, and develop next-generation models. Each of the participating venture capitals expressed their excitement about continuing and increasing their investments in ROMS.

Insights from Investment Partners

Yoh Kurabayashi, Managing Partner at DNX Ventures, emphasized the ongoing labor shortage and efficiency challenges in the logistics sector. They express confidence in ROMS’s scalable system that integrates automated warehouses and robotics, aiming for enhanced competitiveness in Japan's logistics and manufacturing arenas.

Saka Motokatsu, COO and Managing Partner at UTEC, highlighted the impressive history of investment in robotics startups and acknowledged ROMS's substantial growth since its inception. Their solutions have successfully tackled automation challenges that many considered unmanageable, paving the way for rapid adoption among logistics and e-commerce businesses.

Yasutaka Matsumoto, Principal at Spiral Innovation Partners, praised ROMS for maintaining a customer-centric approach, diligently refining their solutions based on market needs which have fostered trust among new investors, thereby reinforcing their operational backbone.

Yuuta Hashimoto of BRICKS FUND TOKYO appreciated the bold pivot ROMS made from retail solutions to encompass e-commerce and logistics industries, showcasing impressive execution leading to noteworthy growth in a competitive landscape.

Yousuke Fujioka, CEO of Monoful, applauded the value of ROMS's automation solutions that meet increasing demands in logistics and manufacturing sectors, emphasizing the importance of space-saving and flexible short-term solutions that can significantly benefit small-scale operations.

About ROMS

Established in June 2019, ROMS develops and sells comprehensive automation solutions for logistics and manufacturing industries, covering both hardware and software control systems. Their flagship product, the Nano-Stream, encapsulates advantages of compact design, quick setup, and high scalability, enabling operations to commence with minimal space. This innovative approach allows logistics sites to efficiently automate their processes in a flexible manner.

ROMS has also been active in showcasing its successful implementations, including the recent deployment of Nano-Stream for customers like Bud Pack & Shipping Support. Such case studies highlight the tangible impact of their solutions.

In September, ROMS plans to exhibit the Nano-Stream at Japan's largest logistics exhibition, Logis-Tech Tokyo 2025, further bolstering its brand recognition. As ROMS embarks on this growth phase, they actively seek skilled professionals to drive their ambitious expansion plans forward. Detailed recruitment information can be found on their official website.