India startup sector's hunger for Japanese funding grows

SoftBank, other venture capital companies loom large in land of 100 unicorns

20220524N Swiggy

Indian food delivery startup Swiggy has attained unicorn status with backing from SoftBank Group. (Photo by Akira Hayakawa)

KEN KOYANAGI, Nikkei senior staff writer

TOKYO -- The Japanese venture capital industry is seen as underdeveloped, especially when compared to U.S., Chinese and Singaporean VCs. But perhaps due to SoftBank Group's conspicuous activity, Indian entrepreneurs may be looking to Japanese investors and corporations as prospective backers and business partners, a recent survey found.

Of more than 100 Indian startups that responded to the survey, a quarter said they would be more interested in raising capital from Japanese investors than those from other countries. Japan was the second-most popular country as a funding source after the U.S., which 48% of the respondents said they would prefer as the source for funding. The third-most respondents, 15%, cited Singapore investors as their preference.

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