About Global Catalyst Partners Japan
Global Catalyst Partners Japan is a venture capital firm founded in 1999. It is primarily based out of Minato City, Japan. As of Dec 2025, Global Catalyst Partners Japan is an active investor, having invested in 51 companies, with 1 new investment in the last 12 months. It primarily invests in Seed round in Japan based startups. Its investments are spread across a wide range of sectors from Enterprise Applications to High Tech and Consumer. Most recently it participated in the $***** Conventional Debt round of Palmu Overall, Global Catalyst Partners Japan portfolio has seen 5 IPOs and 5 acquisitions including key companies like SoundHound, AMEC and Fuller. A lot of funds co-invest with Global Catalyst Partners Japan, with names like Monex Ventures sharing a substantial percentage of its portfolio. Global Catalyst Partners Japan has team of 5 people including 4 partners.Key Metrics
Team Members
Portfolio Count
Portfolio Sectors
Portfolio Locations
Rounds of Entry
Seed, Series A & 3 more
Portfolio Soonicorns
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's List of Top Investments
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has a portfolio of 51 companies. Their most notable investments are in VAMO and Axis Motion.Their portfolio spans across Japan, United States, China and 2 more locations. They have invested in Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer and 16 other sectors, across stages such as Seed, Series A and 3 more. Here is the list of top investments by Global Catalyst Partners Japan:
1. SoundHound
Provider of cloud and AI-based sound recognition solutions for multiple applications. It is a mobile application for consumers to search and discover music via voice control. The engine is based on its proprietary technologies speech-to-meaning and deep meaning understanding, it allow users to ask multiple questions and filter results. Features include natural language understanding, speech recognition, audio and music identification, multi-lingual text-to-speech, and more. It offers applications for iOS and Android users.
Key facts about SoundHound
- Founded Year: 2005
- Location: Santa Clara (United States)
- Annual Revenue: $100M - $500M as on Dec 31, 2025
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $191M
- Employee Count: 778 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Walden Venture Capital, Global Catalyst Partners and 25 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Post IPO, Feb 22, 2024, $*****
- Highlight: Public
2. AMEC
AMEC is a China based developer of semiconductor processing technology and equipment. In addition to semiconductors AMEC products are also used for developing LEDs, power devices and to build memory and logic devices. AMEC is working out of Aisa which is hub of world's semiconductor manufacturing industry giving it access to expansive global supply chain. AMEC won gold award at 2014 China International Industrial Fair. In 2022, the company recorded annual revenues of $0.73B and a net profit of $0.19B.
Key facts about AMEC
- Founded Year: 2004
- Location: Shanghai (China)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $186M
- Employee Count: 453 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Global Catalyst Partners, Goldman Sachs and 21 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Mar 01, 2010, $*****
- Highlight: Public
3. Fuller
Mobile app development and analytics platform. It offers App Ape, a mobile app analytics tool that enables app developers to conduct market research and surveys. It also connects the users to Google analytics to manage indicators analyzing their applications. It is a trend research and analysis app that investigates the usage of the android terminal and offers the viewing rate data, the number of active users of the application, and user attribute information such as the users age, gender, and more.
Key facts about Fuller
- Founded Year: 2011
- Location: Kashiwa (Japan)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $7.33M
- Employee Count: 128 as on Jul 31, 2026
- Investors: Global Catalyst Partners, TBS Innovation Partners and 14 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series C, Mar 06, 2019, $*****
- Highlight: Public
4. Raksul
Raksul is online platform that connects clients with printing companies in Japan. It partners with different printing companies to provide printing directly from the website. Once the customer enters his printing needs, it has an algorithm to find them the best printer and price for their needs. From there, the printing company takes over and delivers the goods to the user.Charges a commission feed on every transaction. Claims to have 100,000 clients as of February 2015.
Key facts about Raksul
- Founded Year: 2009
- Location: Shinagawa (Japan)
- Stage: Public
- Total Funding till date: $71.1M
- Employee Count: 161 as on May 31, 2026
- Investors: Global Catalyst Partners, Fidelity Investments and 18 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series D, Aug 04, 2016, $*****
- Highlight: Public
_1571292751883.png?format=webp&height=120&width=120){kind=logo}
iYell offers a mortgage sales & marketing platform. The platform provides mortgage-only chatbot that automatically responds to questions from users regarding mortgages. Offers a mortgage product sales solution that proposes the best mortgage for end-users. Offers a mortgage calculator that enables lenders to make mortgage proposals to their customers.
Key facts about iYell Corporation
- Founded Year: 2016
- Location: Shibuya (Japan)
- Stage: Series F
- Total Funding till date: $25.5M
- Investors: SBI Investment, Venture Laboratory Investment and 12 Others
- Latest Funding Round: Series F, Jul 03, 2026, $*****
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Year-on-Year Investment Trends
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has invested in 51 companies over the last 11 years, with an average of 2 new investments annually in the last 10 years. In 2025, it made 2 investments. Its most recent first time investment was in Palmu and most recent follow-on round was in Palmu.Year | No. of Investments | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1st Round | Follow-on | Total | |
2026 (YTD) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2025 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2024 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2023 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
2022 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
2021 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
2020 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
2019 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
2017 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Investments by Stage
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has made 15 investments in Seed stage with an average round size of $3.44M, 4 investments in Series A stage with an average round size of $6.98M, 2 investments in Series C stage with an average round size of $23.9M, 1 investment in Series B stage with an average round size of $7.06M and 1 investment in Series D stage with an average round size of $75M.Stage of entry | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Seed | 15 |
Series A | 4 |
Series C | 2 |
Series B | 1 |
Series D | 1 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Investments by Sector
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has a diverse portfolio, with companies operating in the Business Services, Enterprise Applications, High Tech, Consumer and FinTech. Notably, it has invested in 24 Tech companies, 21 Enterprise (B2B) companies, 16 Software companies and at least 11 companies focusing on Consumer (B2C).Sector | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Business Services | 8 |
Enterprise Applications | 5 |
High Tech | 4 |
Consumer | 3 |
FinTech | 2 |
Others | 11 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Investments by Geography
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has made most investments in Japan (20), followed by United States where it has made 3 investments.Country | No. of Investments |
|---|---|
Japan | 20 |
United States | 3 |
Note: We have considered here, only first round of investments
Global Catalyst Partners Japan's recent investments
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has not made any investment in 2026 so far.Here are the most recent investments by Global Catalyst Partners Japan:
Filter this listDate | Company | Location | Round Details | Round Amount | Co-Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dec 23, 2025 | Japan | Conventional Debt | 3680 | [+6] | |
Dec 23, 2025 | Japan | Series B | 8050 | [+6] | |
Sep 12, 2024 | Japan | Series C | 3575 | [+1] | |
Dec 13, 2023 | Japan | Series A | 6771 | [+2] | |
Mar 10, 2023 | Japan | Seed | 6750 | - |
IPOs and Publicly Listed companies in Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Portfolio
5 of Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio companies have become public. Fuller got listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO), in Jul 2025 at marketcap of $13M and toridori got listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) at marketcap of $33.9M.Here are Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio companies that went public:
Company | IPO Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jul 24, 2025 | - | - | 6588 | |
Dec 19, 2022 | - | - | 7415 | |
Apr 28, 2022 | Jan 31, 2017 | Series D | 6638 | |
Jul 26, 2019 | - | - | 6316 | |
May 31, 2018 | Feb 17, 2015 | Series C | 4388 |
Acquired companies in Global Catalyst Partners Japan's Portfolio
5 companies from Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio have been acquired. The most recent acquisition was Countable in Jun 2024 by EV3 Global for $*****.Here are Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio companies that got acquired most recently:
Company | Acquisition Date | First Invested on | First Round of Investment | Round Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 07, 2024 | Oct 20, 2021 | Series A | 8490 | |
Oct 13, 2016 | - | - | 7059 | |
Oct 13, 2010 | - | - | 7114 | |
Sep 23, 2010 | - | - | 1471 | |
Aug 23, 2004 | - | - | 2976 |
Team profile of Global Catalyst Partners Japan
Global Catalyst Partners Japan has a team of 5 members including 4 Partners and 1 Principal located in United States and Japan. Global Catalyst Partners Japan's team does not sit on the board of any company as of now.Here is a list of all team members in Global Catalyst Partners Japan:
Name | Designation | Location | Board Memberships | Contact Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Partner | Redwood City | - | ||
Partner | Los Altos | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Partner | - | - | - | |
Principal | Fujisawa | - |
Co-investors of Global Catalyst Partners Japan
Over the past 11 years, 109 investors have co-invested in Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio companies. This includes funds and angels.
- Invested before Global Catalyst Partners Japan: Global Catalyst Partners, GMO Venture Partners and 37 others have invested in rounds before Global Catalyst Partners Japan. There are 2 companies where Global Catalyst Partners has invested before Global Catalyst Partners Japan and 2 companies where GMO Venture Partners has invested before Global Catalyst Partners Japan.
- Top Co-investors of Global Catalyst Partners Japan: 35 investors entered a company along with Global Catalyst Partners Japan. These include investors like Monex Ventures (2 companies).
- Invested after Global Catalyst Partners Japan: A total of 35 investors have invested in Global Catalyst Partners Japan's portfolio after their investments. Top Investors include SMBC Venture Capital (2 companies), Tencent (1 company) and Mercedes-Benz (1 company).
Recent News related to Global Catalyst Partners Japan
•
•
IDEA RECORD raises a total of 500 million yenIdea Record•Jul 31, 2023•Idea Record, Global Catalyst Partners Japan, Nissay Capital
•
•
Corporates help GCPJ score second fundGlobal Corporate Venturing•Sep 11, 2019•Sompo Holdings, Mitsubishi UFJ, Kansai Electric Power, Suzuyo & Co and 4 others
•
SoundHound, once just a music-recognition app, is now a billion dollar companyRecode•Jan 24, 2018•SoundHound, Nvidia, Nomura, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance and 8 others
•
SoundHound Takes Aim at Alexa, Siri as Voice Search’s Top DogThe Wall Street Journal•Jan 31, 2017•SoundHound, Nvidia, Nomura, Sompo Japan Nipponkoa Insurance and 8 others
•
Raksul is changing printing in Japan and just scored $33.7MGeektime•Feb 17, 2015•Raksul, Link and motivation group, Opt, Global Brain and 7 others
•
Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystemTech in Asia•Raksul, Link and motivation group, Opt, Global Brain and 7 others
•
Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystemTech in Asia•Fuller, Voyage Ventures, Global Catalyst Partners Japan, Sega and 3 others
