Pivot raises JPY 1.3bn Series A

Norbert Gehrke
Tokyo FinTech
Published in
3 min readSep 15, 2023

PIVOT has raised JPY 1.3bn Series A funding with JAFCO as the lead investor, and participation from One Capital, DIMENSION, and FFG Venture, as well as Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Resona Capital, and Mizuho Capital. This funding round brings the total amount raised to approximately JPY 2.1bn.

PIVOT’s founders want to achieve three dreams:

  • The first is the “Creator Dream”. Talent and money are currently gathering in the creative content field around the world, but there are not many good economic stories in Japan. The reason is obvious. This is because no challenger emerged to innovate the old system. This is because the markets for television, movies, newspapers, publishing, and entertainment are closed off due to oligopolization by existing players. It has become a small and old village society. In order to open up a hole in this situation and create a new ``Creator Dream’’ in Japan, PIVOT would like to combine content, technology, and business to create new foundations.
  • The second dream is the “Startup Dream”. Over the past 30 years, startups have been the difference between the ups and downs of each country’s economy. Japan now needs challengers in all fields. There are not only “startup entrepreneurs” who create new businesses, but also “intrapreneurs” who innovate large companies, “policy entrepreneurs” who come up with policies that suit the new era, “local entrepreneurs” who bring out the charm of the region, and medical care. “Medical Entrepreneurs” who solve problems, “Education Entrepreneurs” who change education, etc. Especially for young people, there are increasing opportunities to realize the “startup dream’’ of starting a new business and contributing to the world. In order for Japan to become a “startup powerhouse” filled with hungry and noble entrepreneurs in 10 years, PIVOT would like to pursue our own “startup dream” and deliver various startup stories to the world
  • The third is the “Japanese Dream”. Dreams are needed not only in the content and startup world. The Showa era is far away. As the coronavirus shock accelerates changes in Japan, a new and colorful “Japanese Dream” is needed. It’s okay to have a variety of dreams for space, the earth, countries, regions, companies, NPOs, families, friends, individuals, etc. The coolness of Dream is more important than whether it is small or big. PIVOT wants to convey such a cool model as a story through video and print. Through these stories, PIVOT aims to move the economy and people’s hearts and create a better future.

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Norbert Gehrke
Tokyo FinTech

Passionate about strategy & innovation across Asia. At home in Japan. Connector of people & ideas.