Temasek startup fund raises $70m from Japan's Marubeni and SMBC

Fund will invest in AI ventures in such countries as India and China

20191205N temasek

Temasek's venture capital arm, Vertex, was an early backer of ride-hailing provider Grab. © Reuters

TAKASHI NAKANO, Nikkei staff writer

SINGAPORE -- Japan's Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and trading house Marubeni are investing a total of $70 million in a new fund linked to state-owned Singaporean investment group Temasek Holdings, aiming to nurture Asian technology startups.

ABeam Consulting and the government-backed Development Bank of Japan are also chipping in to the fund launched by Temasek venture capital arm Vertex Venture Holdings. Japanese investors are putting up $180 million in all -- roughly a quarter of the $730 million in total funding.

Sponsored Content

About Sponsored ContentThis content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.