Japanese AI startup Sakana raises $214 million, with participation from Nomura Holdings and others

ChainCatcher News: Japanese AI startup Sakana AI has raised approximately 30 billion yen (about 214 million USD) in Series A funding, with a company valuation reaching 1.5 billion USD. Founded just a year ago by former Google researchers in July 2023, Sakana AI's funding round included investors such as Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho Financial Group, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and Nomura Holdings, as well as well-known companies like NEC, Itochu Corporation, KDDI, and Fujitsu.

Sakana AI has secured processing time on Japan's supercomputers and is collaborating with multiple organizations to strengthen Japan's AI ecosystem. This aligns with NVIDIA's recent initiative aimed at supporting Japan's sovereign AI projects.