
NTT DOCOMO Ventures
Description
NTT DOCOMO Ventures serves as the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of NTT DOCOMO, a prominent Japanese telecommunications company. Established with the strategic objective of fostering innovation and identifying synergistic partnerships, the firm primarily invests in cutting-edge technologies that align with its parent company's future business directions. Its core investment areas encompass information technology, telecommunications, content platforms, and emerging fields such as AI, IoT, 5G, XR, FinTech, and healthcare. With a global investment mandate, NTT DOCOMO Ventures maintains a presence in key innovation hubs, including offices in Tokyo, Palo Alto, and Tel Aviv, reflecting its commitment to sourcing groundbreaking technologies worldwide.
The firm's investment strategy typically targets early to growth-stage companies, participating in rounds ranging from seed to Series B and C. Beyond providing capital, NTT DOCOMO Ventures offers its portfolio companies invaluable access to the extensive resources, vast market reach, and profound technological expertise of the broader NTT DOCOMO group. This strategic value-add is designed to help startups accelerate their development, scale their operations, and explore potential collaborations with a global telecommunications leader. Their investment thesis is deeply rooted in identifying technologies and business models that can enhance NTT DOCOMO's services, expand its ecosystem, or drive disruptive innovation within its core markets.
NTT DOCOMO Ventures has cultivated a diverse and extensive portfolio, having made over 150 investments in companies across various sectors and geographies since its inception. Their typical initial check size for a first investment generally ranges from $500,000 to $5,000,000, though this can be adjusted based on the specific stage of the company and the strategic importance of the opportunity. The firm's consistent activity and strategic focus underscore its role as a proactive and influential investor in the global technology landscape, continuously seeking to drive innovation both internally within NTT DOCOMO and externally through its dynamic portfolio of emerging companies.
Investor Profile
NTT DOCOMO Ventures has backed more than 73 startups, with 5 new investments in the last 12 months alone. The firm has led 12 rounds, about 16% of its total and boasts 35 exits across its portfolio.
Investment Focus Highlights
- Concentrates on Series B, Series A, Series Unknown rounds (top funding stages).
- Majority of deals are located in United States, Japan, Israel.
- Strong thematic focus on Software, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI).
- Led 2 rounds in the past year.
- Typical check size: $500K – $5M.
Stage Focus
- Series B (34%)
- Series A (23%)
- Series Unknown (16%)
- Series C (12%)
- Series D (4%)
- Seed (4%)
- Series E (3%)
- Private Equity (1%)
- Series F (1%)
Country Focus
- United States (48%)
- Japan (32%)
- Israel (5%)
- France (5%)
- United Kingdom (4%)
- Singapore (3%)
- Ireland (1%)
- Sweden (1%)
Industry Focus
- Software
- Information Technology
- Artificial Intelligence (Ai)
- Analytics
- Machine Learning
- Big Data
- Saas
- Advertising
- Cloud Computing
- Internet Of Things
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