Sozo Ventures, which was founded by Forbes Midas List member Koichiro “Koh” Nakamura, has set out to raise $500 million for its Fund IV, according to an SEC filing.
Nakamura declined to comment to Venture Capital Journal on his firm’s fundraising efforts. He ranked 45 on the 2024 Midas List, which recognizes venture investors who have backed the best-performing companies globally, up from 55 the previous year.
Sozo’s portfolio has included iconic companies such as Zoom, Twitter, Square, Coinbase and Palantir, which have gone on to list publicly.
With offices in Redwood City, California and Tokyo, Sozo closed on $592.42 million from 23 investors for Fund III in January 2022, according to a regulatory filing. The fund began fundraising in April 2021 and had a target of $800 million, the filing shows. It isn’t clear if Fund III held a final close.
Fund III’s investors included Japan Investment Corporation, which committed $50 million, Daido Life Insurance and NEC Corporation, which invested undisclosed amounts, according to fundraising data from affiliate title Buyouts.
Founded in 2012, Sozo has closed on four funds to date, not including Fund III, Buyouts reported. It raised $58 million for Sozo Feeder Fund in 2014, $110 million for Sozo Ventures-TrueBridge Fund I in 2015, $134 million for Sozo Ventures-TrueBridge Fund II in 2016 and $60 million for Sozo Ventures II-S in 2018, according to Buyouts.
Performance data for Sozo’s previous funds is unavailable.
All of the firm’s prior funds have invested primarily in North American companies in the healthcare, financial services and technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
“Sozo Ventures was formed in 2012 to invest in and support technology enabled ventures with their global expansion,” the firm states on its website. “We invest in category leaders transforming global industries with advanced data technologies, ecommerce, enterprise cloud, fintech, IoT and healthcare IT, and other advanced solutions.”
The firm notes that it looks for companies at the “readiness stage.” This can encompass different businesses at various stages of fundraising, but requires a strong management team and culture; stable long-term investors; credible and recognizable customers and traction; and appropriate organizational structures for pursuing international customers.
In addition to Nakamura, who is the firm’s senior managing director, Sozo’s team includes executive managing director Phil Wickham, managing directors Spencer Foust and Rob Freelen, four principals and seven venture partners, among others. Before founding Sozo, Nakamura was an executive with Mitsubishi Corporation and was on the founding team for Yahoo! Japan, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Sozo Ventures, which was founded by Forbes Midas List member Koichiro “Koh” Nakamura, has set out to raise $500 million for its Fund IV, according to an SEC filing.
Nakamura declined to comment to Venture Capital Journal on his firm’s fundraising efforts. He ranked 45 on the 2024 Midas List, which recognizes venture investors who have backed the best-performing companies globally, up from 55 the previous year.
Sozo’s portfolio has included iconic companies such as Zoom, Twitter, Square, Coinbase and Palantir, which have gone on to list publicly.
With offices in Redwood City, California and Tokyo, Sozo closed on $592.42 million from 23 investors for Fund III in January 2022, according to a regulatory filing. The fund began fundraising in April 2021 and had a target of $800 million, the filing shows. It isn’t clear if Fund III held a final close.
Fund III’s investors included Japan Investment Corporation, which committed $50 million, Daido Life Insurance and NEC Corporation, which invested undisclosed amounts, according to fundraising data from affiliate title Buyouts.
Founded in 2012, Sozo has closed on four funds to date, not including Fund III, Buyouts reported. It raised $58 million for Sozo Feeder Fund in 2014, $110 million for Sozo Ventures-TrueBridge Fund I in 2015, $134 million for Sozo Ventures-TrueBridge Fund II in 2016 and $60 million for Sozo Ventures II-S in 2018, according to Buyouts.
Performance data for Sozo’s previous funds is unavailable.
All of the firm’s prior funds have invested primarily in North American companies in the healthcare, financial services and technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
“Sozo Ventures was formed in 2012 to invest in and support technology enabled ventures with their global expansion,” the firm states on its website. “We invest in category leaders transforming global industries with advanced data technologies, ecommerce, enterprise cloud, fintech, IoT and healthcare IT, and other advanced solutions.”
The firm notes that it looks for companies at the “readiness stage.” This can encompass different businesses at various stages of fundraising, but requires a strong management team and culture; stable long-term investors; credible and recognizable customers and traction; and appropriate organizational structures for pursuing international customers.
In addition to Nakamura, who is the firm’s senior managing director, Sozo’s team includes executive managing director Phil Wickham, managing directors Spencer Foust and Rob Freelen, four principals and seven venture partners, among others. Before founding Sozo, Nakamura was an executive with Mitsubishi Corporation and was on the founding team for Yahoo! Japan, according to his LinkedIn profile.
