Moveez, a Japanese startup aiming to develop fully autonomous robotaxis, announced on February 25 that it has secured ¥200 million (approximately $1.3 million) in a seed funding round.
The company was founded in 2024 and is a startup spun out of Kanazawa University, a national university in Japan. While the company itself has a short operating history, research into autonomous driving conducted at the university spans 27 years.
Aiming for Autonomous Driving Capable of Operating in Adverse Weather Conditions
On February 20, this publication covered an instruction document (basic policy) issued by Prime Minister Takaichi to her cabinet.
In the document’s second section, the following passage appears:
“We will work to form regional industrial clusters, promote the digital transformation of areas outside our major urban centers, build up local industries, and maintain local public transportation, with the aim of safeguarding regional areas’ livelihoods and security.”
This wording suggests that maintaining transportation networks in sparsely populated regions has become a serious challenge for Japan’s public and private sectors, as well as for local residents.
While sustaining local transportation is an issue faced by advanced economies worldwide, Japan’s case is shaped by the extreme concentration of population and economic activity in Tokyo. In regions facing transportation difficulties, fewer people live in or visit these areas, making it hard to secure drivers and even to maintain roads.
One proposed solution to these challenges is so-called Level 4 autonomous driving.
As noted above, moveez emphasizes that it has already accumulated a long period of research, and claims that its demonstration tests have achieved a total driving distance of 40,000 kilometers (approximately 25,000 miles) and carried 2,000 passengers.
Another distinctive feature of the company is its focus on autonomous driving under adverse weather conditions. In situations involving backlighting from the sun, as well as rain or snowfall, sensors such as LiDAR are susceptible to noise interference. At Kanazawa University, from which moveez was spun out, research into autonomous driving under such conditions has reportedly been conducted for more than 25 years. Regions along Japan’s Sea of Japan coast, including Kanazawa, are known for their relatively heavy snowfall during winter.
In November 2025, moveez announced a change in its top management. Founder Naoki Suganuma, who had served as CEO until then, assumed the role of CTO, while Eric Wei was appointed as the new CEO. Wei, who is originally from Taiwan, has previously been involved in expanding existing businesses and launching new ventures at Amazon Japan, Google Japan, and DiDi Mobility Japan.
Under this structure, Wei is expected to oversee overall management, while Suganuma, a researcher at Kanazawa University, will focus on technological development.
Participation by a Japanese Venture Capital Firm
The seed round was backed by Partners Fund, a Japanese venture capital firm.
While specific details regarding the use of funds have not been disclosed, CEO Wei commented that the company will “strengthen the recruitment of engineers and business development personnel who support our innovative system.”
Wei also stated, “Our goal is the social implementation of fully autonomous ‘robotaxis,’ as well as the establishment of ‘Level 4 fully autonomous intelligence (AI drivers)’ that form the core of this vision and possess safety and decision-making capabilities that surpass those of humans.”
