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Hakuhodo DY Holdings begins collaboration with US venture capital firm Alumni Ventures

Leveraging a US network to accelerate collaboration with, and innovation from, leading-edge startups

UPDATE:
July 9, 2026

Tokyo--July 9, 2026--Hakuhodo DY Holdings Inc. is pleased to announce that it will participate as an investor in the Alumni Ventures Japan + US Bridge Fund, a fund being formed by US venture capital firm Alumni Ventures, and will begin a collaboration with Alumni Ventures.

Background
Hakuhodo DY Holdings has positioned incubation business as one of the growth areas in its Medium-Term Business Plan and, guided by its Sei-katsu-sha Centric Mindset (people-first mindset), has been building a foundation for incubation and startup support in Japan. At the same time, sustained pathways connecting Japanese companies and society with startup and investor networks in frontier fields around the world are still not fully in place.

The United States plays a central role in the global startup and venture capital ecosystem, serving as the frontline where trends and deal flow converge across frontier fields such as AI, deep tech, space, health tech, and quantum computing. Hakuhodo DY Holdings has entered into this collaboration with Alumni Ventures to serve as a hub connecting these overseas frontier networks with Japanese companies and society.

About Alumni Ventures Japan + US Bridge Fund
The Alumni Ventures Japan + US Bridge Fund is designed to bridge the startup ecosystems of Japan and the United States. By investing in startups in frontier fields, in both the United States and Japan, the Fund is intended to create opportunities for Japanese companies and industry to meet and connect with advanced technologies from around the world.

About the collaboration
Hakuhodo DY Holdings and Alumni Ventures will work together to create ongoing points of contact between Japanese companies and advanced technologies and startups from around the world. By combining the Hakuhodo DY Group's implementation strengths in creative and marketing with Alumni Ventures' startup network, the two will jointly pursue new value creation and the creation of new industries in the Japanese market.

Based on this collaboration, the companies plan to implement the following initiatives in phases.

  • Planning and implementing joint seminars, events, and similar activities that connect Japanese companies with overseas startups in frontier fields
  • Supporting business matching between overseas startups and Japanese companies, and exploring collaboration on bringing overseas startups into the Japanese market
  • Sharing knowledge on venture investment and global networking, and supporting talent exchange and development
  • Conducting joint research and disseminating information on trends in overseas frontier technologies and startups
  • Related public relations activities, among other activities

Through these efforts, Hakuhodo DY Holdings will contribute to the creation of new industries as a hub and co-creator connecting frontier technologies around the world with Japanese companies.

Looking ahead
As the first step under the collaboration, Ryan Nakata of Alumni Ventures Japan will speak at the 6th Global Deep Tech VC Seminar, a seminar series co-hosted by Hakuhodo DY Holdings and Corundum Systems Biology Inc. He will offer a broad overview of startup investment trends in frontier fields, primarily in the US, the evolving global investment landscape, and how Japanese companies can engage with them.

Corundum Systems Biology Inc. focusing on the forefront of global investment in frontier technologies and invites leading international venture capital firms and experts to share insights on how Japanese companies can engage with cutting-edge fields.

6th Global Deep Tech VC Seminar: Why a Top Tier US VC is Turning to Japan Now
- Alumni Ventures' Representative Explains the Firm's Unique Model, Powered by a Network of Elite University Alumni, and its Aims

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