Akatsuki Entertainment Technology (AET) Fund, the venture arm of Japan’s entertainment, gaming and live experience company Akatsuki, announced today new investments.
With operations in Los Angeles, Japan and India, AET Fund is investing in in leading gaming, entertainment, esports, health and wellness, media and hospitality startups and plans to add emerging technologies like synthetic media in the near future.
Part of its $50M fund, which has already invested in more than twenty startups in the United States and India, new investments include:
– Blutag, a cloud-based technology platform that helps retailers deliver voice shopping experiences through voice-activated smart speakers.
– Karuna Labs, a provider of VR software dedicated to treating chronic pain through cortical reorganization.
– Popshop, which allows brands and small businesses to create interactive and engaging shopping experience through live videos.
– Steereo, a music promotion and marketing service that uses rideshares as a vehicle to play new music to their passengers.
– TRASH, which uses AI to make and watch short videos on the phone.
Other startups in the portfolio includes:
– Bunch, an app that allows people to play their favorite games with friends over video chat.
– FaZe Clan, a popular esports organization.
– Girlboss, a company dedicated to empowering women in their careers through conferences, podcasts and membership community.
– HipDot, a platform that enables influencers to develop and launch their own beauty brand.
Launched in October 2017 and led by and led by Tomoya Ogawa, Managing Director, and principal Mark Linao, the fund is focused on providing startups with seed funding, as well as collaborative insights, access to its network, human capital, corporate development, partnership opportunities, business discipline, developer resources and strategic insights for raising additional funds.
Founded in 2010 in Japan, Akatsuki has since developed and distributed a variety of mobile and social games. The company is now publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
FinSMEs
17/04/2019