Regional VC funds: Okinawa

Lifetime Ventures and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have announced that the Okinawa Development Finance Corporation (“ODFC”) and Development Bank of Japan (“DBJ”) have invested in the OIST-Lifetime Ventures Opportunity Fund (the “Fund”).

The Fund, established in collaboration with OIST and managed by Lifetime Ventures as the General Partner, is primarily dedicated to follow-on investments in portfolio companies of the OLtV Seed Fund, which was established last year. Incubate Fund, one of the largest VC platforms in Japan and a backer of the Seed Fund, is a strategic partner to the follow-on fund (but not an investor as of now).

With the support of ODFC and DBJ as Limited Partners, the Fund aims to further the connections between OIST/Okinawa and the global startup ecosystem so as to activate as a new global innovation hub. Lifetime Ventures will further its support to portfolio companies, through the commercialization of OIST’s outstanding research results and management support utilizing its network.

The Fund mainly invests in the follow-on rounds of the early-stage startups leveraging OIST’s research results and network and focuses on the following areas and aims to create and support deep-tech solutions that have a significant impact on the environment and society:

• Health & AgeTech (the convergence of technology with healthcare, medical care, nursing care, and aging),
• Future of Work (the transformation of the way of working using technology),
• Cross-border Japan (cross-border business using technology and internationalization of Japanese society),
• Sustainable Living (technology to realize a life in harmony with the global environment),
• Blue Economy (new marine industry to develop while protecting the health of the oceans)

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