Ecrowd NEXT Investment Company Nudge Inc. Raises ¥1.48 Billion in Funding

Ecrowd Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Naohiko Hataya), which operates a platform for startup investment, is pleased to announce that Nudge Inc. (Head Office: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takashi Okita; hereinafter referred to as "Nudge"), the provider of the next-generation credit card "Nudge," which is included in our "Ecrowd NEXT" individual stock fund for members only, has raised a total of ¥1.48 billion, bringing its cumulative funding to approximately ¥6.5 billion.

*Members: Individuals and corporations registered as investors in Ecrowd NEXT are referred to as "members."

This round consists of asset finance from Morgan Stanley, venture debt from Resona Bank, Ltd., and investments from existing and new shareholders. Ecrowd NEXT also participated in this round through its individual stock fund.

Press Release from Nudge Inc.

About Nudge Inc.

Nudge was founded in 2020 with the mission to "Create the future of financial experience with everyone's actions." Leveraging its strength in the cloud-native credit card service platform "Nudge Platform," Nudge operates the next-generation credit card "Nudge" as one of Japan's few "certified comprehensive credit purchase brokers." Since its founding, Nudge has practiced "Work from anywhere," valuing an organizational culture that respects individual values while working to create the future of financial experience.

Individual Investors Participate in Growing Companies Through Individual Stock Funds

Investment in mid-to-late stage startups looking towards a future IPO has traditionally been the domain of institutional investors. Ecrowd NEXT opens up investment opportunities in carefully selected growth companies to individual investors in the form of individual stock funds.

Members of Ecrowd NEXT who resonate with the new financial experience of incorporating "fan activities" and "social contribution" into payments and wish to support these challenges through investment participated in the fund that includes Nudge.

What is the "Ecrowd NEXT" Member-Exclusive Individual Stock Fund?

Ecrowd NEXT is a member-exclusive fund targeting growth startups aiming for future IPOs, incorporating one promising mid-to-late stage company. It will be developed as a new investment option and a new fundraising option to connect individual financial assets with domestic growth industries.

Feature 1. Carefully Selected Growth Companies Aiming for IPO as Investment Targets

We carefully select high-growth companies aiming for future IPOs. We provide rare investment opportunities by leveraging our expertise cultivated in venture capital and finance, as well as our network of partners including securities firms.

*This does not guarantee the realization of a future IPO.

Feature 2. "Individual Stock Fund" with Clear Investment Targets

One fund invests in only one specific company. Investors can make investment decisions after deeply understanding and empathizing with the target company's business content, vision, and growth strategy. We introduce companies that we genuinely want to support, emphasizing not only financial data but also the passion of management and their "story of challenge."

Feature 3. Discover Domestic Startups Challenging Big Themes to Change the World from Japan!

Our investment targets are domestic startups. We focus on discovering companies challenging themes with a large number of beneficiaries and high individual interest, such as frontier domains competing globally with unique technological capabilities, national policy domains addressing important social issues in Japan, and consumer service domains transforming daily life and lifestyles.

Overview of Nudge Inc.

Company Name: Nudge Inc.

Established: February 12, 2020

Location: Otemachi Building 4F, FINOLAB, 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative: Takashi Okita, Representative Director

Corporate Site: https://nudge.works/

Service Site: https://nudge.cards/

Overview of Ecrowd Inc.

Company Name: Ecrowd Inc.

Financial Instruments Business Operator Kanto Local Finance Bureau (Kinsho) No. 3181

Type 1 Small Amount Electronic Offering Business / Type 2 Financial Instruments Business / Investment Management Business

Associations: Japan Securities Dealers Association, General Incorporated Association Type 2 Financial Instruments Firms Association, General Incorporated Association Investment Management Association

Head Office Location: Otemachi Building 4F, FINOLAB, 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Representative Director: Naohiko Hataya

Corporate Site: https://corp.ecrowd.co.jp/

Ecrowd NEXT Service Site: https://next.ecrowd.co.jp/

Ecrowd Service Site: https://ecrowd.co.jp/