Startup
Funds
ファンズ株式会社
#64 (tie) in the Japan Top 100 Startups
| Founded / HQ | 2016 · Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Cumulative raised | ¥8.8B “エクイティベースで約88億円” Company-stated cumulative · as of 26 May 2026 · Funds |
| Last round | 27 May 2026 · Series E · ¥4.8B 約48億円 |
| Latest public valuation | Not publicly disclosed (we do not estimate) |
| Key investors | Global Brain, Shoko Chukin Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Mizuho Bank |
| Unicorn | No |
| Website | funds.jp |
From Japanese sources
Findings from Japanese-language filings, government records, trade press, interviews and job posts, with our English analysis. Items tagged Japanese-only had no English coverage when we checked quickly. Most insightful first.
| 2026-05-26 | IPO signalJapanese-onlyFunds closes ¥4.8B Series E with a pre-IPO secondary; ~30% of operating revenue overseas; guides >¥10B revenue next year ファンズ、シリーズEラウンドを総額約48億円でファイナルクローズ〜海外営業収益比率約30%・年間取扱総額600億円 The release says outright that the secondary was meant to optimise the cap table ahead of an IPO, a classic 12–24-month pre-listing step. Group revenue has more than doubled for three straight years, about 30% of operating revenue comes from overseas, and next year's plan exceeds ¥10B. That is unusual scale for a retail-lending marketplace. Source: Funds (company release, Japanese only) |
|---|
Overview
Funds runs an online platform where individuals lend to listed and unlisted companies through small-ticket funds. It was founded in 2016 by Yuichiro Fujita. Its Series E, finally closed in May 2026 at about ¥4.8B, took cumulative equity funding to about ¥8.8B.
Built from: Series E release
Company timeline
Founded
| Date | 2016-11-01· Funds |
|---|---|
| Founders | Yuichiro Fujita |
Funding
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead / key investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-08-05 | Series B | ¥700M 約7億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2021-04-27 | Series C | ¥2B 総額約20億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2023-03-14 | Series D | ≈¥3.6B 約36億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2025-11-06 | Series E | ¥1.8B; cumulative ¥8.5B 18億円、85億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2026-05-26 | Series E (final close) | ≈¥4.8B; equity cumulative ≈¥8.8B エクイティベースで約88億円 | Company release |
Key hires & board
| 2026-06-01 | HireTwo executive officers appointed· PR TIMES |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-10 | HireEx-Mizuho Trust executive Masatoshi Shimizu joins subsidiary board ahead of trust licence· PR TIMES |
Milestones
| 2026-06-04 | AcquisitionFunds acquires Taiwan BNPL firm AMFC· PR TIMES |
|---|---|
| 2026-07-22 | ProductForeign-currency overseas corporate loan funds planned· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-11 | RegulatoryCumulative raised passes ¥150B; members pass 160,000· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-28 | TractionCumulative profit distributions pass ¥2.5B· PR TIMES |
News
| 2026-10-06 | New Year osechi giveaway from 6 Oct Funds、「お正月おせちプレゼントキャンペーン」を10月6日より開始· PR TIMES |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | Survey of individual investors on interest rates Funds、個人投資家に聞いた「金利に関する意識調査」を公表· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-30 | Family money-learning event with JOY on Investment Day タレントのJOYさんと一緒に、家族でお金について学べる体験型イベント“五反田おかね食堂”を投資の日(10/4)に開催！· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-28 | Cumulative profit distributions pass ¥2.5B Funds、サービス開始以来の利益分配金が累計25億円を突破· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-11 | Emergency seminar on where to keep money with interest rates Funds、"金利がある世界"のお金の置き場所を考える「金利運用セミナー」を9月24日に緊急開催！· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-11 | Cumulative raised passes ¥150B; members pass 160,000 Funds、累計募集額1,500億円・会員登録者数16万人を突破· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-01 | New JAL Mileage Fund #3 Funds、JALと共創する新ファンド「JALマイレージファンド#3」を公開· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-31 | COO/CLO Takao lectures at Sungkyunkwan Fintech MBA Funds取締役 海外事業管掌COO/CLO高尾知達が韓国・成均館大学Fintech MBAの学生に講演を行いました· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-24 | Adviser Ohashi supervises bond and rates course ファンズ、特別参与・大橋俊安が、グループ会社ファイナンシャルアカデミーの「債券・金利運用スクール」コンテンツを監修· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-23 | First foreign-currency fund: Walton USD Fund #1 Funds、プラットフォーム初の外貨建てファンド「Walton 米ドル建てファンド#1（担保付）」募集開始· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-22 | Foreign-currency overseas corporate loan funds planned Funds、「外貨建て海外企業ローンファンド」提供開始へ· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-17 | Seminar on money and life for workers 働く人々の未来（幸せ）につながる「お金と暮らしをテーマにしたセミナー」を開催！· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-10 | Ex-Mizuho Trust executive Masatoshi Shimizu joins subsidiary board ahead of trust licence ファンズ、信託免許の取得を見据えて子会社の常勤取締役に元みずほ信託銀行 執行理事の清水正俊が就任· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-26 | Funds group speaks at five IVS2026 Kyoto sessions ファンズグループ、IVS2026 Kyotoに計5セッション登壇· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-26 | Funds updates group mission and vision ファンズ、グループのミッション・ビジョンを刷新· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-09 | Silver sponsor of Functional Programming Matsuri 2026 ファンズが、「関数型まつり2026」にシルバースポンサーとして協賛· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-04 | Funds acquires Taiwan BNPL firm AMFC ファンズ、台湾の販売金融・BNPL企業AMFCを連結子会社化· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-01 | Two executive officers appointed ファンズ、執行役員2名の就任を発表· PR TIMES |
| 2026-05-26 | Series E (final close): ≈¥4.8B; equity cumulative ≈¥8.8B· Company release |
| 2023-03-14 | Series D: ≈¥3.6B· PR TIMES |
Funding rounds in 2026
Grey amounts aren't counted in totals. † includes debt or other non-equity.
| Date | Company | Stage | Amount | Investors | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2026 | | Series E | ¥4.8B† | Global BrainShoko Chukin BankSumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation +1 | Fintech |