The largest Japanese VC in Europe backing companies tackling the world’s carbon footprint with a focus on climate tech, deeptech, and digital society. We are a team of founders and operators focusing on problem areas the world has to solve - from transportation to healthcare to a wide array of digital infrastructure – to decrease the vast carbon footprint. We serve founders with ambitious mission - investing in the future we want to live in.
Location: Finland, Mainland Finland, Helsinki
Employees: 11-50
Founded date: 2019
Investment Type: Venture Capital
Investment Stage: Series B
Portfolio 23
| Date | Name | Website | Total Raised | Location |
| 05.03.2026 | Photoncycl... | photoncycle.com | $17.54M | Norway |
| 24.07.2025 | Lightyear | lightyear.com | $57.9M | United Kin... |
| 11.03.2024 | Griffin | griffin.com | $37.5M | United Kin... |
| 08.02.2024 | Arbonics | arbonics.com | $7.84M | Estonia, T... |
| - | Einride | einride.tech | $1.08B | Sweden |
| - | RealEyes M... | realeyes.com | - | United Sta... |
| - | Mavenoid | mavenoid.com | $41.9M | Sweden, St... |
| - | Ready Play... | readyplayer.me | $69M | Estonia |
| - | Sensible 4 | sensible4.fi | $17.02M | Finland, M... |
| - | FLEXOUND T... | flexound.com | - | Finland, M... |
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Persons 11
| Date | First Name | Last Name | Title | Location | |||
| - | Row | Knapp | COO | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Ryo | Ota | Senior Ass... | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Jesse | Saarela | Principal | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Tomosaku | Sohara | Managing p... | linkedin.c... | twitter.co... | - | - |
| - | Claes | Mikko Nils... | Principal | linkedin.c... | twitter.co... | - | - |
| - | Shinichi | Nikkuni | Managing p... | linkedin.c... | twitter.co... | - | - |
| - | Veronika | Mugra | Data Scien... | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Kevin | Dean | Chief of S... | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Taiga | Ueta | Senior Ass... | linkedin.c... | - | - | - |
| - | Rainer | Sternfeld | Managing p... | linkedin.c... | twitter.co... | - | - |
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Mentions in press and media 21
| Date | Title | Description |
| 08.03.2026 | Photoncycle Secures €15M for Seasonal Energy Storage Rollout | Photoncycle, an Oslo-based climate-tech firm, has secured €15 million in Series A funding. This capital injection will accelerate the commercial deployment of its innovative seasonal energy storage systems. The company develops solid-state ... |
| 04.03.2026 | Photoncycle raises €15M to scale seasonal energy storage in Europe | Norwegian energy storage scale-up Photoncycle has raised €15 million in Series A funding to address a key renewable energy challenge in Europe: enabling households to store surplus summer solar power for winter heating and electricity. The ... |
| 10.11.2025 | Japanese investors turn to Europe as deep tech boom lures capital abroad | Japan’s tech startup ecosystem is nascent, pushing investors to look for opportunities in other markets. Europe has benefitted from this, as Japanese investors participated in European financing rounds worth more than 33 billion euros ($38 ... |
| 10.11.2025 | Japan’s €33B bet on Europe: deeptech & AI lead as cross-border investment surges | A new report by NordicNinja, Europe’s largest Japan-backed VC and backers of fast-growing tech companies including Bolt, Starship and Varjo, and Dealroom reveals that €33 billion of Japan-linked capital has flowed into Europe since 2019 as ... |
| 30.07.2025 | European Tech Accelerates: Billions Flow, AI Leads Innovation | European technology firms are attracting significant investment. Lightyear, an investment platform, secured a $23 million Series B round, pushing customer assets past $1 billion. The company launched advanced AI market intelligence tools, p... |
| 25.07.2025 | CEE Tech Weekly: Poland, Estonia, and Bulgaria with Major Deals | Central and Eastern Europe ~ Company: The Recursive’s new weekly roundup aims to cover key tech developments across Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the growing impact of CEE-born founders on the global stage. Take a look at the lates... |
| 24.07.2025 | Lightyear closes $23M and launches AI-powered market intelligence | European investment platform Lightyear has secured a $23 million Series B investment round, alongside unveiling a new suite of AI market intelligence tools. With this Series B, Lightyear also announces hitting $1 billion in customer assets,... |
| 24.07.2025 | Estonia’s tech elite are getting behind a European challenger to Robinhood | European investing app Lightyear is set to announce that it’s raised $23 million in a funding round led by NordicNinja. A host of Estonia’s top tech entrepreneurs — including ride-hailing unicorn Bolt’s CEO Markus Villig — also invested in ... |
| 08.07.2025 | HIVED Secures $42 Million: AI-Driven Electric Delivery Poised for UK Dominance | HIVED, a London-based innovator, has secured $42 million in Series B funding. This capital injection propels its mission to redefine parcel delivery. The company employs an advanced AI platform and operates a 100% electric fleet. This strat... |
| 04.07.2025 | Hived Raises $42M in Series B Funding | Hived, a London, UK-based AI-powered parcel delivery network built for ecommerce, raised $42m in Series B funding. The round was led by NordicNinja, with participation from Planet A, Wex Venture Capital, Marunouchi Innovation Partners, Elem... |
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