Total amount raised
$244 Million
Latest funding date
9/1/2024
Location
Sakana AI has successfully raised funds through three distinct funding rounds, with the latest being a Series B round. The company has attracted a total of 37 investors, including notable names like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and New Enterprise Associates.
Keep reading to explore the intricacies of Sakana AI's fundraising journey and the investors backing this innovative platform.
What Is Sakana AI?
Sakana AI is a research-oriented artificial intelligence company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company focuses on developing biologically inspired and nature-driven AI architectures.
Operating within the AI and IT sectors, Sakana AI has a workforce of 11-50 employees. The company is dedicated to creating AI solutions tailored to Japan's needs and aims to democratize AI within the country.
How Much Funding Has Sakana AI Raised?
- Seed Round
- Amount Raised: $30 million
- Date: January 2024
- Lead Investors: Lux Capital
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To research and develop new foundation models based on nature-inspired intelligence.
- Series A Round
- Amount Raised: $100 million
- Date: September 2024
- Lead Investors: New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To invest in talent and infrastructure development for advancing sustainable and energy-efficient AI technologies.
- Series B Round
- Amount Raised: $200 million
- Date: November 2025
- Lead Investors: Not publicly disclosed
- Valuation at Round: Not publicly disclosed
- Motivation Behind the Round: To further expand research capabilities and market reach.
Total Amount Raised: $330 million. Current Valuation: Not publicly disclosed.
Key Investors
- New Enterprise Associates (NEA)
- Details: NEA is a global venture capital firm that invests in technology and healthcare sectors. It is one of the largest and most active venture capital firms in the world.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, healthcare
- Notable Investments: Coursera, Robinhood, Uber
- Khosla Ventures
- Details: Founded by Vinod Khosla, Khosla Ventures focuses on impactful technology investments. The firm is known for its early-stage investments in transformative technologies.
- Investment Focus Areas: Technology, healthcare, sustainability
- Notable Investments: Square, DoorDash, Impossible Foods
- Lux Capital
- Details: Lux Capital is a venture capital firm that invests in emerging science and technology ventures. The firm is known for backing companies that are pushing the boundaries of innovation.
- Investment Focus Areas: Emerging science, technology
- Notable Investments: Auris Health, Zoox, Planet Labs
- Nvidia
- Details: Nvidia is a technology company renowned for its graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI computing. The company also invests in AI startups and collaborates on various AI research initiatives.
- Investment Focus Areas: AI computing, graphics processing
- Notable Investments: Investments in AI startups and technology companies
- Miyako Capital
- Details: Miyako Capital is a venture capital firm based in Japan. The firm focuses on investing in innovative startups within the country.
- Investment Focus Areas: Various sectors, primarily in Japan
- Notable Investments: Various Japanese startups
What's Next for Sakana AI?
With a robust partnership with Nvidia and significant funding, Sakana AI is poised to revolutionize Japan's AI landscape. The collaboration with Nvidia will accelerate the development of sustainable and energy-efficient AI technologies, leveraging Nvidia's advanced computing platforms. This partnership, combined with Japan's supportive regulatory environment, opens up vast opportunities for Sakana AI to expand its research capabilities and market reach.
Future fundraising looks promising as the company continues to attract interest from major venture capital firms and strategic investors. The success of their Series A round, which raised over $100 million, sets a strong precedent for subsequent funding rounds. However, Sakana AI will need to navigate challenges such as competition from global AI hubs and the complexities of developing nature-inspired AI systems. Balancing innovation with sustainability will be crucial as they move forward.
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