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Kyocera Corporation has established a $100 million corporate venture capital (CVC) fund, the Kyocera Venture Fund-I LP (KVF-I), which will invest mainly in start-ups in the U.S. and EMEA to strengthen Kyocera’s system for creating new businesses.
Today’s KVF-I $60 million, joins Kyocera Venture Innovation Fund-I(KVIF-I), $40 million fund which Kyocera announced in March 2024 as a CVC fund investing mainly in Japan and Asia. Together, the two funds expand Kyocera’s global venture capital funding portfolio to approximately U.S. $100 million.
The fund will be opearting for 10 years and will invest between $200K-$2 million for less than 20% seed o Series B equity investments in environment and energy, information and communications, medical and healthcare, mobility, advanced materials, software (including AI), aerospace and defense, semiconductors, and nuclear fusion startups.
Kyocera has a long history of supporting startups through direct investment and collaboration using its unique technologies to enhance research and development and build new enterprises. KVIF-I and KVF-I will focus on the fields of environment and energy, information and communications, medical and healthcare, mobility, advanced materials, software (including AI), aerospace and defense, semiconductors, and nuclear fusion as potential investment areas. Through these CVC activities, Kyocera will further accelerate open innovation in anticipation of market changes by strengthening its search and support for startups.
Kyocera Venture Fund is the early-stage venture capital arm of Kyocera Corporation. We invest in amazing technology startups that have the potential to reshape the key markets that Kyocera Corporation focuses on. In addition to capital, we deliver a clear path to commercialization and provide access to the domain expertise, manufacturing know-how, and strategic partnership of Kyocera’s global brand.
In 1959, with capital of 3 million yen and 28 staff members, Kyoto Ceramic Co., Ltd. (now Kyocera Corp.) was founded in Kyoto, Japan as a company specializing in fine ceramics. The company then moved to Tokyo where it continues to run its fine ceramic, automotive and Optical components business. The firm also runs medical devices, jewelry and applied ceramic related products as well as business electronic components, industrial tools, information equipment, telecommunications equipment and smart energy, energy solutions, displays and printing devices business.