Ajinomoto Group Ventures
Profile and portfolio
Ajinomoto Group Ventures is the corporate venture arm of Ajinomoto, a food and agriculture company. It was founded in 2020 and is based in Palo Alto, United States. It invests at the Series A stage. Sectors it names: healthcare and digital health, food and agriculture, semiconductors and hardware, climate and energy.
Every figure links to its source
Snapshot
Data behind this graphic
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Stage range | Series A to Series A |
| Sectors | Healthcare and digital health, Food and agriculture, Semiconductors and hardware, Climate and energy |
| Geography | North America, Europe, Asia |
| Offices | Palo Alto, United States, Cambridge, United States, Tokyo, Japan |
Sources: S8 Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures invests in the Series A of optical integration company Mixx Tech (2025-12-04); S1 Ajinomoto Group Ventures: home; S4 Ajinomoto Group Ventures: portfolio.
Data behind this graphic
| Item | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 7 | 28% |
| Food & Wellness | 6 | 24% |
| ICT | 5 | 20% |
| Healthcare | 4 | 16% |
| Fund-on-Fund Investment | 3 | 12% |
A company can carry more than one tag
Sources: S4 Ajinomoto Group Ventures: portfolio.
Where it invests and who leads it
Geography
- Headquarters
- Palo Alto, United States
- Offices
- Palo Alto, United States
- Cambridge, United States
- Tokyo, Japan
Investment regionsS8S1S4
LeadersS2
- Shunji TakehanaSenior Vice President and General ManagerLinkedInFirm page
- Yasuhiro TakenakaHead of Ajinomoto Group Ventures Japan and Associate General ManagerLinkedInFirm page
- Winnie LeungInvestment DirectorLinkedInFirm page
- Hiroyuki SaitoManagerLinkedInFirm page
- Yuki TaharaAssociate DirectorLinkedInFirm page
Key facts
| Fact | Value | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent company | Ajinomoto (TSE: 2802) | Single source | S3 |
| Parent industry | Food and agriculture | Single source | S3 |
| Founded | 2020 | Single source | S3 |
| Headquarters | Palo Alto, United States | Single source | S1 |
| Status | Active | Single source | S1 |
| Capital source | Parent company only | Single source | S3 |
| People on the team page | 10 | Single source | S2 |
| Stages | Series A (inferred from announced rounds) | Estimate | S8 |
Recent rounds
| Date | Company | Round | Amount | Led by the firm | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-06 | Next New World | Not stated | Not stated | S5 | |
| 2026-04-29 | Fermeate | Not stated | Not stated | S6 | |
| 2026-04-27 | Restore Vision | Not stated | Not stated | S7 | |
| 2025-12-04 | Mixx Technologies | Series A | Not stated | S8 | |
| 2025-01-14 | Enhanced Medical Nutrition | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | S9 |
| 2024-09-19 | Safire | Not stated | Not stated | S10 |
For founders
| Item | What the firm says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Stages | Series A. Inferred from announced rounds; the firm does not state a range. | S8 |
Portfolio
The firm's portfolio page lists 25 companies: 24 active, 1 exited.S4
| Tag | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Active | 24 | 96% |
| Exited | 1 | 4% |
| Tag | Companies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Green | 7 | 28% |
| Food & Wellness | 6 | 24% |
| ICT | 5 | 20% |
| Healthcare | 4 | 16% |
| Fund-on-Fund Investment | 3 | 12% |
Every company on the Ajinomoto Group Ventures list
25 companies, as listed on the firm's own website: 24 active, 1 exited.S4 Read the firm's list.
Active 24
- AgFunder
- Ascend Advanced Therapies
- Athian
- Cellular Intelligence
- Elephantech
- Enhanced Medical Nutrition
- every
- Fermeate
- Inglewood
- Mixx Technologies
- MycoTechnology
- Next New World
- Nippon Venture Capital
- Oishi Kenko
- On the Slope
- Restore Vision
- Safire
- SARAH
- SproutX
- SuperMeat
- TechMagic
- Translink Capital
- v2food
- Xscape Photonics
Exited 1
- Nubis Communications
About Ajinomoto
Official pages
Read the firm's own pages for current information.
Sources
- S1Ajinomoto Group Ventures: homeFirm
- S2Ajinomoto Group Ventures: teamFirm
- S3Ajinomoto Co.: establishes a corporate venture capital arm (16 December 2020)Firm
- S4Ajinomoto Group Ventures: portfolioFirm
- S5Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures invests in silk protein ingredient company Next New World (2026-07-06)Firm
- S6Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures invests in optogenetic fermentation company Fermeate (2026-04-29)Firm
- S7Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures invests in optogenetic gene therapy company Restore Vision (2026-04-27)Firm
- S8Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures invests in the Series A of optical integration company Mixx Tech (2025-12-04)Firm
- S9Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures co-leads investment in Enhanced Medical Nutrition (2025-01-14)Firm
- S10Ajinomoto Group Ventures news: Ajinomoto Group Ventures backs battery safety technology startup Safire (2024-09-19)Firm
Disclaimer and corrections
Not affiliated. This page is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Ajinomoto Group Ventures or any company named on it. Names and trademarks belong to their owners. Informational only. This is a public-source reference. It is not investment, legal or tax advice and not an offer or solicitation. Sources. Each figure names its source. Figures may have changed. Please read the firm's official pages, linked above. Corrections and takedown. To report an error or ask for a change or removal, use the correction form or email Richard@CorporateVentureCapital.com.
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