Masaya Kubota is a founding Partner at WiL (World Innovation Lab). See portfolio, sector focus and contact routes.
Masaya Kubota is a founding Partner at WiL (World Innovation Lab), a US-Japan venture capital firm established in 2014 to support startup investments and open innovation for large companies across Tokyo and Silicon Valley. His investment thesis targets growth-stage tech companies, with a focus on sectors including AI, IoT, sharing economy, blockchain, real estate, logistics, and finance, while prioritizing cross-border expansion into Japan. Kubota typically leads investments with check sizes ranging from ¥100 million to ¥1 billion per company and maintains an active post-investment support role utilizing the firm’s growth, HR, and PR functions. Notable portfolio companies he has backed include Mercari, STORES, RevComm, CADDi, and UPSIDER, with a confirmed Series A investment in Autify in October 2021. He distinguishes his approach by advocating that entrepreneurs should pursue challenges they believe in deeply, reflecting a philosophy of committed problem-solving. Kubota also shares his insights publicly as a “Propicker” at NewsPicks and through columns such as “Next Startup” in Quartz Japan and “The Venture Capitalist’s Eye” in Nikkei Business.
Every field above is read from the StartupFundraising investor directory — disclosed location, recorded investments and stated focus — and re-checked as filings arrive. Founders pair it with investors in Tokyo when building a target list.
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