・In addition to establishing funds under its umbrella, JIC promotesinvestment activities by making LP investments in private funds
・JIC contributes to the supply of risk capital in areas where privateinvestment is scarce while also functioning as a catalyst for privateinvestment
・JIC helps create diverse investment strategies, teams, and humanresources that support a virtuous cycle of risk capital
Tokyo, December 8, 2020 – Japan Investment Corporation (“JIC”) has decided to make a limited partner (LP)investment in the Beyond Next Ventures No.2 Investment Limited Partnership (“BNV2”),which is managed by Beyond Next Ventures Inc. (“BNV”).
JIC aims to stimulate a virtuous cycle ofrisk capital to support next-generation industries in
Japan. To achieve this vision, JICpromotes open innovation as a means for supporting growth and enhancing theinternational competitiveness of businesses. JIC approaches these challenges bystimulating private sector investments in open innovation together with JIC’sown investment, while fostering investment professionals.
To achieve its mission, JIC invests inpolicy-relevant strategic business areas through LP investments in funds under JIC’s umbrellaand in private funds.
１．JIC LP investment strategy
The purpose of JIC LP investments in private funds is as follows:
（１）Stimulate the supply of risk capital to help companies grow and toenhance their competitiveness
JIC intends to provide capital to areas that areessential from the perspective of strengthening industrial competitiveness butlack private investment capital (investment strategies, sectors, stages,regions, etc.) with the aim of stimulating private investment capital in theshort term and medium-long term.
（２）Create diverse investment teams, professionals, and strategies tosupport a virtuous cycle of risk capital
Ⅰ. Investment teams
JIC promotes growth of the investee fundsas a leader in the intermediary of risk capital provided by institutionalinvestors (pension funds, foreign investors, etc.) towards the establishment offuture funds. This will be achieved by expanding experience and track recordsamong its fund investment team (management company) and by further improvingits ability to respond to institutional investors.
Ⅱ. Investment professionals
With the cooperation of industryorganizations such as JVCA (Japan Venture Capital Association), institutionalinvestors, and investee managers, JIC supports the research and introduction ofbest practices of managers and the development of human resources serving asinvestment professionals.
Ⅲ. Investment strategy
JIC will add diversity and depth to themarket by making an LP investment in funds even for those with strategies thatare not common in Japan yet, in response to their fund raising, including atthe time of its establishment.
2．LP investment in BNV2
JIC has made a commitment to invest JPY4 billion as a limited partner inBNV2, which will be the first LP investment.
BNV focuses on commercializing the excellent technological seeds ofuniversities, research institutions, and companies, in fields such as medicaland healthcare. BNV has been investing in the incubation of technology-basedstartups through industry-academia collaboration.
BNV has also been working to strengthen its ties with local universitiesand uncover the technological seeds that lie dormant in local areas. BNV2 willcontinue to invest in startups from local universities.
JIC’s LP investment in BNV2 seeks to supplement the supply of risk capital forregional technology-based startups, and to contribute to fostering an ecosystemthrough industry-academia collaboration by acting as a catalyst forprivate-sector funding. In addition, by providing advice to BNV on fundmanagement from the standpoint of an LP investor, JIC will support BNV in itsefforts to expand the funds it manages on behalf of institutional investors andother parties in the future.
JIC wasestablished to create a virtuous cycle of risk capital to supportnext-generation industries and to use investment to promote corporate growth,industry creation and strengthening of competitiveness through open innovation.After the launch of the new management structure last December, JIC VentureGrowth Investments Co., Ltd. was established in July of this year as a GPcompany focusing on the venture growth area, and JIC Capital, Ltd. wasestablished in September for large-scale growth buyout investments, etc. JICwill continue to promote investment activities aimed at achieving its mission,including further LP investments in private funds.
(Reference) JIC’s Investment Strategy
About Japan Investment Corporation (JIC)
Japan Investment Corporation (“JIC”) was established on September 25, 2018.Amid the accelerated use of IoT, Big Data, AI, and other new informationtechnologies globally, JIC aims to address the growing demand for risk capitalfor long-term, large-scale growth investments with a governance structureconducive to quick and flexible investment decision making.
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About Beyond Next Ventures Inc.
・Headquarters: MFPR Nihonbashi-Honcho Building3F, 3-7-2 Nihonbashi-Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
・Representative: President andRepresentative Director Tsuyoshi Ito
・Established: August 12, 2014
・Business overview: Startup investment andrelated services
・Funds: BeyondNext Ventures No.1 Investment Limited Partnership Beyond Next Ventures No.2 Investment Limited Partnership
・Total funds: approx. JPY20billion
・Investment targets: Incubation investment in technologystartups, mainly in the medical and healthcare fields
About Beyond Next Ventures No.2 Investment LimitedPartnership
・Established: October 1, 2018
・Investment targets: Mainly,university-launched ventures, technology-based ventures, and carve-out venturesin the fields of biotechnology, life sciences, healthcare, AI, IT, and robotics
・Investment stage: Mainlyseed and early-stage companies
Press Contacts
Japan Investment Corporation
Corporate Planning, Communications Group:
Tokyo Toranomon Global Square 9F,
1-3-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001
