Monozukuri Ventures

High-Level Overview

Monozukuri Ventures is a global venture capital firm focused on early-stage hard tech and deep tech startups, with a strong emphasis on hardware innovation. Its mission is to empower entrepreneurs to rapidly develop, prototype, and bring high-quality physical products to market—even in small volumes—by combining capital with hands-on operational support in manufacturing and supply chain. The firm operates at the intersection of Japan’s world-class industrial base and North America’s deep tech startup ecosystem, bridging advanced engineering with scalable entrepreneurship.

The firm invests primarily at the seed and early stages, backing startups in robotics, AI, clean energy, wearables, space tech, IoT, healthcare, and smart home technologies. Beyond capital, Monozukuri Ventures differentiates itself by offering dedicated support in hardware prototyping, mass production, and business development, effectively acting as a “startup-first” partner for hardware founders. This dual focus on investment and execution has positioned it as a key enabler in the global hard tech ecosystem, particularly for startups navigating the complex journey from lab to factory.

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Origin Story

Monozukuri Ventures traces its roots to Kyoto-based Darma Tech Labs and New York-based FabFoundry, two organizations deeply embedded in hardware innovation and advanced manufacturing. In 2020, these entities merged to form Monozukuri Ventures, formalizing a long-standing collaboration between Japanese engineering excellence and North American deep tech entrepreneurship. The firm began making venture investments in the U.S. as early as 2017, leveraging FabFoundry’s strong ties to East Coast and Great Lakes deep tech ecosystems.

Founded in 2015 (initially under the Darma Tech Labs banner), the firm evolved from a product development and manufacturing support shop into a structured venture capital player with a clear thesis: that the next wave of transformative innovation will come from hardware and deep tech, but only if startups receive more than just money. Key figures like Nobuhiro Seki (Chief Investment Officer and Founding Partner) and Narimasa Makino (CEO) have shaped the firm’s strategy, emphasizing open innovation, global supply chain access, and founder-centric support. Their experience in both startup building and industrial partnerships has allowed Monozukuri Ventures to build a unique hybrid model that blends VC with technical and operational muscle.

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Core Differentiators

Hardware-First Investment Model
- Focuses exclusively on hard tech and deep tech startups, with a strong bias toward physical products and advanced manufacturing.
- Invests at the prototype and early revenue stages, often stepping in when traditional VCs are hesitant due to hardware complexity and capital intensity.

Operational Support Beyond Capital
- Maintains an in-house team that actively supports startups in:
- Hardware prototyping and design for manufacturability
- Mass production planning and factory selection
- Supply chain and logistics optimization
- Helps founders de-risk manufacturing, reduce time-to-market, and avoid common pitfalls in scaling hardware.

Global Industrial Network
- Deep ties to Japanese manufacturing and industrial companies, giving portfolio startups access to high-precision suppliers, OEMs, and strategic partners.
- Strong presence in both Japan and North America, enabling cross-border collaboration and market entry support.

Founder-Centric, Startup-First Approach
- Emphasizes being “startup first” — prioritizing founder needs, speed of decision-making, and flexible deal structures (SAFE, convertible notes, equity).
- Typical first checks range from $100K to $350K, with follow-on capacity up to $1M per company, tailored to hardware development milestones.

Ecosystem Building & Open Innovation
- Launched the Deep Tech Forum to connect deep tech founders with global investors, corporates, and manufacturing partners.
- Actively promotes open innovation education, helping large industrial firms engage more effectively with startups, especially outside Japan.

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Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Monozukuri Ventures is riding a powerful convergence of trends: the resurgence of hardware innovation, the rise of deep tech, and the growing recognition that software alone cannot solve the world’s most pressing challenges in climate, healthcare, mobility, and industry. As AI, robotics, and clean energy mature, the bottleneck is increasingly not ideas, but the ability to build and scale physical systems reliably and efficiently.

The firm is uniquely positioned at this inflection point. By combining venture capital with real-world manufacturing expertise, it lowers the barrier to entry for hardware founders who might otherwise struggle with prototyping costs, factory relationships, or supply chain complexity. This is especially critical in an era where geopolitical shifts, supply chain resilience, and nearshoring are top priorities for both startups and corporates.

Moreover, Monozukuri Ventures plays a bridging role between two of the world’s most advanced industrial ecosystems: Japan’s precision manufacturing and North America’s deep tech startup culture. In doing so, it helps globalize deep tech startups while also modernizing how traditional industrial players innovate—by connecting them directly to cutting-edge entrepreneurs through forums, co-development, and strategic partnerships.

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Quick Take & Future Outlook

Monozukuri Ventures is poised to become a defining player in the next generation of hard tech venture capital—one that doesn’t just fund startups but actively engineers their path to scale. As deep tech moves from niche to mainstream, the demand for investors who understand both the lab and the factory floor will only grow. Monozukuri’s hybrid model—capital plus manufacturing muscle—gives it a structural edge in this space.

Looking ahead, the firm is likely to deepen its focus on climate tech, robotics, and AI-driven hardware, while expanding its role as a connector between startups and global industrial partners. The Deep Tech Forum and similar initiatives suggest a long-term vision of building a global deep tech ecosystem, not just a portfolio. If successful, Monozukuri Ventures won’t just back the next wave of hardware breakthroughs—it will help shape the infrastructure that allows them to thrive at scale.

In a world where “software is eating the world,” Monozukuri Ventures is betting that the future belongs to those who can build the physical systems that software runs on.