GreenFortune, a windows and doors manufacturer, has raised $4.5 million (about Rs 39 crore) in a funding round led by Germany-based fund Foundamental, with participation from Titan Capital Winners Fund and existing investor Incubate Fund Asia.

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Introduction

Glamzy, a beauty omnichannel platform, has launched operations in South India, focusing on tier 2 and 3 cities. The platform combines online shopping with offline stores to address the lack of access to quality beauty products in non-metro areas, the company said in a media release on Tuesday.

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Interviews

Nao Murakami, Founder & General Partner at Incubate Fund Asia – Interview Series

Nao Murakami is a Co-Founder and serves as General Partner at Incubate Fund Asia. He brings a wealth of experience in the IT/Internet startup sector. He honed his expertise at the Tokyo and New York offices of Nomura Securities Group’s Investment Banking Division, successfully guiding numerous tech startups to IPOs. In 2014, he ventured to India, where he gained hands-on experience by launching his own startup. Recognizing India’s potential, he founded Incubate Fund Asia (previously Incubate Fund India) in 2016 and assumed the role of General Partner, further contributing to the growth and success of startups in the region. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Incubate Fund Asia is one of Japan’s largest venture capital firms specializing in seed-stage investing, backed by a comparatively long track record in this segment of the market. Since its establishment in 2010, the firm has accumulated over 125 billion yen in assets under management and has invested in more than 700 startups. Its extensive history of early-stage investments is often cited as evidence of the trust-based relationships it has cultivated with entrepreneurs and the wider venture capital community.

What inspired you to found Incubate Fund Asia, and what was your vision when you started?

When I first arrived in India in 2014, I interacted with several Indian entrepreneurs and investors who fascinated me deeply. Read More…

By Antoine Tardif

Introduction

Incubate Fund Asia, a sector-agnostic and Japan-origin venture capital firm, has announced the close of its third fund with a corpus of $30 million (about Rs 252 crore), a top executive told TOI.

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Introduction

Incubate Fund Asia, a Japanese venture capital firm focused on early-stage companies in India and Southeast Asia, has marked the final close of its third fund below its initial aim but is now planning to raise two new vehicles with higher targets, a top executive told VCCircle. 

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Introduction

Incubate Fund, a Tokyo-based venture capital firm, has closed its third India-focused funt at $30 million, below its initial target of $50 million, a top executive at the firm said.

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Introduction

India’s investment landscape was transformed for good when the SEBI (Foreign Venture Capital Investor) Regulations 2000 opened the floodgates for global VC giants. The optimism was palpable from Day I, and a host of US-based funds, such as Tiger Global, Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, IDG Ventures and Norwest Venture Partners, made forays. They empowered India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem and catalysed innovation and growth across sectors.

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Introduction

The fintech sector in India has been facing a decline in funding since last year, majorly owing to tighter regulations by the government. Scaling up is now coming at a cost for many firms in this segment. However, industry leaders and experts believe that it’s important for the regulator to do its job and the tightening of regulations is for the greater good. These regulations should be looked at as an enabling tool over obstacles.

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Introduction

Proactive Venture Capital Strategies – Nao Murakami- Incubate Fund Asia

In this episode of India Game Changer, ⁠Nao Murakami⁠, Founder and General Partner at ⁠Incubate Fund Asia⁠, shared valuable insights into the world of early-stage venture capital investing.

Some of the topics that Murakami-san covered in detail:

• Why Incubate Fund Asia’s approach to venture capital is deeply rooted in the principle of early-stage investing.
• His belief that founders deeply committed to solving specific problems are more likely to persevere through challenges and create successful businesses.
• The benefits of proactive deal sourcing and even engaging with founders prior to them raising capital.
• How Incubate Fund’s global perspective enables them to identify trends and opportunities that may not be immediately apparent within a single market.

Read the best-effort transcript below (This technology is still not as good as they say it is…):

Introduction

Gurugram-based online kidswear startup Includ has raised $1.5 Mn (around INR 12.5 Cr) as a part of its seed funding round led by Incubate Fund Asia. 

The round also saw participation from Escape Velocity, Abhishek Goyal (cofounder, Tracxn) and IIM Indore Alumni Angel Fund. 

Includ will use the fresh funds to improve its supply chain, build in-house technology and create brand awareness. Besides, the proceeds will also be deployed for marketing and brand strategies.

Founded in 2023 by Ashwin Rastogi, Includ is a kidswear brand for children aged 0 to 14 years old which claims to offer comfortable and stylish clothing options. 

The startup plans to double down its bet on technology to vertically integrate with its suppliers, build a robust and efficient supply chain and focus on developing its front-end platform and mobile application.