Asuene Inc. (headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Kohei Nishiwada), a portfolio company of GMO VenturePartners, has announced that it has raised a total of ¥13.5 billion in its Series D round.
The round was led by Decarbonization Partners (DP), a joint venture between BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, and Temasek, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund. This marks the first investment in a Japanese startup for both DP and BlackRock.
The ¥13.5 billion round comprises ¥6.8 billion in primary funding through a third-party allotment of shares, ¥3.7 billion in secondary transactions involving existing shareholders and employees, and debt financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. With this round, Asuene’s cumulative funding (equity and debt combined) reaches ¥25 billion. Notably, the round included a secondary transaction — a first for an unlisted Japanese startup — in which overseas and domestic investors purchased shares acquired by employees through the exercise of stock options.
Asuene is a climate-tech company that provides end-to-end support built around its integrated AI sustainability platform “ASUENE,” spanning the measurement, reduction, and reporting of CO2 emissions, as well as ESG assessment, supply chain management, third-party assurance and verification, carbon credits, and energy management. Adopted by roughly 40% of Prime-listed companies, Asuene has established itself as a category leader in Japan and across Asia.
The newly raised capital will be used to accelerate business expansion through M&A, strengthen AI and product development, and drive global expansion, including into the United States and Europe.
GMO VenturePartners has been an investor in Asuene since its Series B round, and has continued to walk alongside the company across multiple rounds — including through the participation of GMO VenturePartners Founding Partner Ryu Muramatsu as an advisor. We are truly delighted to see a Japanese climate-tech company recognized by world-leading institutional investors such as BlackRock and Temasek at this important milestone. Asuene’s journey is only just beginning, and we look forward to continuing to support its global growth for many years to come.
▼ Press release from Asuene Inc. (Japanese)
https://corp.asuene.com/news/1259/