Our Approach

We focus on seed and Series A startups. We are sector agnostic, interested in industry-changing technology and innovation. We spend time to fully understand opportunities and business plans. Once we invest, we commit to maximizing startup success. We have invested in over 80 companies, most of which are in the U.S., and are increasingly looking for the right opportunities in new markets.

If you are interested in working with us, warm introductions are encouraged.

   
Jasen Lew / CEO & Co-Founder at Glowing

Jasen Lew

CEO & Co-Founder at Glowing

Scrum is one of the best investors I’ve had the fortune and pleasure working with. My partner and I met Tak through YCombinator, and the experience from then to now has been fantastic. The entire team is caring and supportive. They are proactive investors, yet not too much as to disrupt business, and consistently offer to guide and help overcome any challenges (even rolling up their sleeves to help with research and introductions). Beyond highly recommending, I would say if a company has the opportunity to work with Scrum, it will be a decision that will continually reap benefits during the life of the business.

Edwin Olson / CEO & Founder of May Mobility

Edwin Olson

CEO & Founder of May Mobility

Scrum Ventures invested in May Mobility in our seed stage round almost three years ago and the team has been great to work with ever since. They’ve been there when we’ve wanted introductions, advice on working with companies and partners in Japan, or just to talk through the things going on at our company. One thing I particularly appreciate about Scrum is their many years of experience and expertise — a new experience for me is a familiar experience for them!

Naoki Kobayashi / VP Asia at Aarki

Naoki Kobayashi

VP Asia at Aarki

The team at Scrum Ventures supports Aarki, not only through investments, but also by introducing us to mobile app developers who are potential Aarki clients in Japan, the US, and globally. With a more extensive global client base, we are able to take full advantage of their network. We are looking forward to growing this excellent relationship with the next stage of our partnership.

Peter Howard / CEO at Realtime Robotics

Peter Howard

CEO at Realtime Robotics

The team at Scrum Ventures has been truly fantastic to work with. Starting with their speedy comprehension in our introductory meeting 7 months ago, through introducing us to stellar co-investors 6 months ago, to opening doors to anchor customers 5 months ago, they have been pleasant, supportive, efficient, and highly effective. They are a hugely productive asset to have on your team!  

Andre Lorenceau / Founder & CEO at LiveLike

Andre Lorenceau

Founder & CEO at LiveLike

Scrum Ventures is definitely one of my favorite investors. Not only did they believe in us from the start and helped us close our round, they were frequently prompt and clear in dealing with us which is the most anyone can ask from the fundraising process. Scrum Ventures stayed engaged, inviting me to present to executives at Japanese corporations and introducing me to key investors in Japan. Scrum Ventures is key when we need help in the region. I definitely will be coming back to knock on their door should I ever start another company. 

In Gudo / Representative Director at P-Mind

In Gudo

Representative Director at P-Mind

We were impressed by how the Scrum team evaluated our business model and assessed the risk-return in detail before making the decision to invest. Even after investment, they continue to support us with advice and insights to help our business. With their deep understanding of entrepreneurship, I highly recommend Scrum Ventures to any startups looking for funding.

Takanobu Kawano / CEO at Vacan, Inc.

Takanobu Kawano

CEO at Vacan, Inc.

After meeting Makoto Haruta, Partner at Scrum Ventures, I immediately felt that working with them would help me create a strong business and team.

Scrum Ventures continues to support me with business planning, KPI creation, series A fundraising, hiring, PR, and more. Hiroki Tanaka, Venture Partner, even joined our offsite discussions and works closely with us for Vacan’s growth. 

Ko Ishiyama / President & CEO at ExaWizards Inc.

Ko Ishiyama

President & CEO at ExaWizards Inc.

I discovered and have been following Scrum Ventures from when I previously worked at an AI research center in Silicon Valley. Now at Exawizards, Scrum Ventures provides us with business support, customer introductions, event and PR help, and introductions to partners through their large network in the United States. By far, Scrum Ventures is our most important partner.

All Consumer Enterprise US Japan

Featured

  • Natural Fiber Welding
  • mmhmm
  • Osso VR
  • May Mobility
  • GrubMarket
  • ThirdLOVE
  • Lob
  • Vacan
  • Scentbird
  • Noom

IPO

  • Photosynth
  • ExaWizards

    • M&A

  • IOTAS
  • Prodigy
  • Skip
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  • Rad
  • Origin
  • Second Measure
  • Chariot
  • Pantry
  • Focus Motion
  • Panna
  • Vidpresso
  • Boostable
  • Love With Food
  • Placemeter
  • Binpress
  • Aarki
  • Represent
  • Kidaptive
  • Chobolabs

    • Portfolio

  • amptalk
  • Arcturus
  • CompScience
  • Array Labs
  • Fynn
  • Fursure
  • Hedgehog MedTech
  • Zero Acre Farms
  • Bobidi
  • Boomy
  • Algal Bio
  • Unlace
  • TYPICA
  • Dr. Treat
  • atena
  • Titan Space
  • Marvin
  • SUPWAT
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  • FAST ACCOUNTING
  • Bipsee
  • Sequential Skin
  • Cake
  • MindPortal
  • LegionFarm
  • FOODCODE
  • Smart Hospital
  • EMPOWERLY
  • LUUP
  • TeraWatt
  • Zippin
  • SmartScan
  • Misapplied Sciences
  • CarIQ
  • P-Mind
  • Moved
  • Ambient.ai
  • DeepMotion
  • Coast App
  • Glowing
  • Owny
  • LemonBox
  • Miles
  • Realtime Robotics
  • BRCK
  • Dashbot
  • Fellow AI
  • RevolutionCredit
  • LiveLike
  • Any.do
  • Apto
  • Maestro
  • LeadGenius
  • Spire
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IPO'd Voices

Photosynth

EXAWIZARDS

Founders' Voices

Learn how we help portfolio founders find key partners, enter the Japanese market, recruit talent, gain PR, and raise capital.

Josh Butler

Josh Butler
Founder at CompScience

Video     Related Post

The Scrum Ventures team has been super strategic for us from the start. They get our business and have made countless solid connections to large clients and relevant founders. We've legitimately seen a boost in our pipeline from the interest that their corporate partners are showing in our business. If you are looking at the Japanese market, strongly consider partnering with them!

Luke Haverhals

Luke Haverhals
Founder & CEO at Natural Fiber Welding

Video     Related Post

Michael Yan found our company and led Scrum Ventures’ investment into Natural Fiber Welding (NFW). Since then, the Scrum team has been an outstanding and trusted partner as NFW has traversed from being a ‘startup’ to being a ‘growth’ company. Scrum has rolled up their sleeves to walk alongside me, and the team and has been a trusted ear to listen and a voice that shares wise counsel and advisement.

Jeff Nobbs

Jeff Nobbs
CEO & Co-Founder at Zero Acre Farms

Video     Related Post

We at Zero Acre Farms are incredibly happy to be part of the Scrum family. We love the Scrum team's passion for the food tech space, and their Japanese relationships give us a strong foothold as we look to expand internationally in the future and diversify our investor base. During their due diligence, we were impressed with their speed, efficiency, a depth. Since the investment, we have appreciated Scrum's interest in helping us achieve our goals and their introductions to firms that will accelerate our growth.

Naoki Kobayashi

Naoki Kobayashi
VP Asia at Aarki

Video     Related Post

The team at Scrum Ventures supports Aarki not only through investments but also by introducing us to mobile app developers who can be potential Aarki clients in Japan, the US, and globally. With a more extensive global client base, we are able to take full advantage of Scrum's network. We are looking forward to growing this excellent relationship with the next stage of our partnership.

Edwin Olson

Edwin Olson
CEO, Founder at May Mobility

Video     Related Post

Scrum Ventures invested in May Mobility in our seed stage round almost three years ago and the team has been great to work with ever since. They've been there when we've wanted introductions, advice on working with companies and partners in Japan, or just to talk through the things going on at our company. One thing I particularly appreciate about Scrum is their many years of experience and expertise -- a new experience for me is a familiar experience for them!

Jasen Lew

Jasen Lew
CEO at Glowing

Video     Related Post

Scrum is one of the best investors I've had the fortune and pleasure working with. My partner and I met Tak through YCombinator, and the experience from then to now has been fantastic. The entire team is caring and supportive. They are proactive investors, yet not too much as to disrupt business, and consistently offer to guide and help overcome any challenges (even rolling up their sleeves to help with research and introductions). Beyond highly recommending, I would say if a company has the opportunity to work with Scrum, it will be a decision that will continually reap benefits during the life of the business.

Ko Ishiyama

Ko Ishiyama
President & CEO at ExaWizards Inc.

Video     Related Post

I discovered and have been following Scrum Ventures from when I previously worked at an AI research center in Silicon Valley. Now at Exawizards, Scrum Ventures provides us with business support, customer introductions, event and PR help, and introductions to partners through their large network in the United States. By far, Scrum Ventures is our most important partner.

Takanobu Kawano

Takanobu Kawano
CEO at Vacan, Inc.

Video     Related Post

After meeting Makoto Haruta, Partner at Scrum Ventures, I immediately felt that working with them would help me create a strong business and team. A key reason I decided to accept their investment was how they took the time to really understand Vacan. Beginning with Tak Miyata, General Partner, I could tell the Scrum Ventures team valued Vacan as much as I did and I could trust them. Scrum Ventures continues to support me with business planning, KPI creation, series A fundraising, hiring, PR, and more. Hiroki Tanaka, Venture Partner, even joined our offsite discussions and works closely with us for Vacan’s growth.

In Gudo

In Gudo
Representative Director at P-Mind

Video     Related Post

We were impressed by how the Scrum team evaluated our business model and assessed the risk-return in detail before making the decision to invest. Even after investment, they continue to support us with advice and insights to help our business. With their deep understanding of entrepreneurship, I highly recommend Scrum Ventures to any startups looking for funding.

Andre Lorenceau

Andre Lorenceau
Founder & CEO at LiveLike

Video     Related Post

Scrum Ventures is definitely one of my favorite investors. Not only did they believe in us from the start and helped us close our round, they were frequently prompt and clear in dealing with us which is the most anyone can ask from the fundraising process. Scrum Ventures stayed engaged, inviting me to present to executives at Japanese corporations and introducing me to key investors in Japan. Scrum Ventures is key when we need help in the region. I definitely will be coming back to knock on their door should I ever start another company.

Tony Mugavero

Tony Mugavero
CEO at Rad

Video     Related Post

Scrum Ventures has been an incredible partner to work with, and helpful in not only thinking through product and business strategy but also working together on growing our presence internationally in Japan and beyond. They are engaged in the process of building great businesses, which we really enjoy, and the connections and insight they bring to the table add substantial value beyond just capital. We could not be luckier to have them as investors and partners.

Peter Howard

Peter Howard
CEO at Realtime Robotics

Video     Related Post

The team at Scrum Ventures has been truly fantastic to work with. Starting with their speedy comprehension in our introductory meeting 7 months ago, through introducing us to stellar co-investors 6 months ago, to opening doors to anchor customers 5 months ago, they have been pleasant, supportive, efficient, and highly effective. They are a hugely productive asset to have on your team!

Scrum Ventures is a seed-stage venture firm investing across a range of industries in the U.S. and Japan. Based in San Francisco with extensive experience and networks in both Silicon Valley and Japan, Scrum Ventures accelerates portfolio companies with global opportunities and helps corporations innovate. Scrum Studio is a platform that connects global corporations with startups.
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