funding

MJOLNIR SPACEWORKS, a Sapporo-based hybrid rocket engine developer, has raised up to ¥1.7 billion ($11M) in a Series B round. The startup uses a plastic-fueled engine design pioneered at Hokkaido University, with backing from Z Venture Capital and Shoko Chukin Bank.

Atom, a Japanese startup developing humanoid AI robots, announced on May 27 the closing of a $19 million (3 billion yen) seed funding round. The company, founded in January 2026 by former Turing co-founder and CTO Shunsuke Aoki, aims to raise Japan's GDP by 1 percent through the development and mass production of dual-arm, bipedal humanoid robots for use in manufacturing and logistics. The seed round was led by ANRI, Beyond Next Ventures, and JAFCO Group, with participation from other investors including Sumisho Venture Partners. Funds will be used primarily for talent acquisition.

bitBiome, a Tokyo-based startup specializing in microbial genome analysis, has closed the third close of its extended seed funding round, securing approximately ¥3.5 billion ($22 million) in combined equity, debt, and grants. Around 80% of the total is non-dilutive capital. Investors in the equity portion include Taiwan-based Darwin Ventures and U.S.-based In-Q-Tel. The proceeds will fund expansion of the bit-GEM microbial genome database, enhancement of the SENS-AI platform, lab scaling, and global business development.

Pixie Dust Technologies, a Japanese wave control startup spun out of the University of Tsukuba, has raised $21 million in a Series D round led by Incubate Fund. The proceeds will fund R&D, global expansion, and healthcare product growth.

Osaka-based Light Touch Technology (LTT) has raised ¥500 million ($3M) in a Series B extension round to advance its non-invasive, MIR laser-based blood glucose sensor toward clinical trials and regulatory approval.

Japanese fusion startup Helical Fusion has raised $17M in its Series B first close, advancing its Helix Program to bring demonstration device Helix HARUKA online around 2030.

Qubitcore, a Japanese quantum computing startup, has raised $9.6 million in seed funding to advance its ion-trap quantum computer technology — an approach known for low error rates and long qubit coherence times.