Digital Garage Partners with INQ for Startup Finance Support, Aiding Cash Flow During Funding "Blank Periods"

Digital Garage, Inc. (TSE Prime 4819, Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director, President and CEO Group CEO: Kaoru Hayashi, hereinafter: Digital Garage) has partnered with INQ, Inc. (Headquarters: Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo, Representative Director CEO: Teppei Wakabayashi, hereinafter: INQ), a company specializing in financing support for startups, to launch the payment service "DGFT Invoice Card Payment for INQ" aimed at supporting the cash flow of venture and startup companies during their funding periods.

This service will help alleviate the upfront cash outflow for payments that occur before loans or major funding rounds are executed, supporting cash flow during the "blank periods" of fundraising and promoting its adoption by INQ's client companies.

"DGFT Invoice Card Payment for INQ" Service Site: https://lp.dginvoice.jp/inq

<Objectives and Background of Collaboration>

For startups in their early or rapid growth stages, stabilizing cash flow and maintaining flexible financial management are crucial challenges for scaling their businesses. Through its cumulative support for over 1,300 startups and more than 13 billion yen (Note 1) in funding, INQ has received numerous requests to "postpone payments for advertising costs and general expenses during fundraising periods." Meanwhile, Digital Garage contributes to the cash flow and operational efficiency of a wide range of companies, including startups, by providing "DGFT Invoice Card Payment," a B2B payment service that enables credit card payments for invoices from business partners who do not accept card payments.

Through this collaboration, by combining our payment solutions with INQ's expertise in startup support, we aim to provide an environment where entrepreneurs can resolve financial concerns and focus more on their core business operations.

Note 1: As of November 2025.

<About "DGFT Invoice Card Payment for INQ">

This service is a package optimized for INQ's supported companies, based on Digital Garage's corporate payment service "DGFT Invoice Card Payment."

By switching invoice payments designated for bank transfer to card payments (JCB / Visa / Mastercard® / Diners Club / SAISON / NICOS), payment due dates can be deferred by up to approximately 60 days until the card's withdrawal date.

In the following scenarios, by utilizing this service in parallel with INQ's financing support, it will aid cash flow during the "blank periods" of fundraising, such as for temporary cash bridging or handling unexpected payments:

- As "bridging funds" until the execution of fundraising or loans. - To cover payments for large advertising expenses or procurement costs incurred before sales revenue is received. - As a buffer against sudden fluctuations in cash flow, such as for unexpected outsourcing expenses.

<About "DGFT Invoice Card Payment">

This service allows users to pay received invoices with their existing credit cards, even if the payee in a B2B transaction does not accept credit card payments. It provides advance payments to the payee under the user's name. Cards from JCB / Visa / Mastercard® / Diners Club / SAISON / NICOS can be used. By switching the payment method from bank transfer to credit card payment, the effective payment due date can be deferred by up to approximately 60 days, thus resolving cash flow challenges for SMEs, such as temporary funding shortages or procurement costs during busy periods. Since its launch in October 2022, we have continuously strived to improve user convenience by offering features such as an "Automatic Invoice Import Function" using AI-OCR, a "Received Invoice Management Function" compliant with the Electronic Books Preservation Act, and an "API Integration Function" for seamless integration with external systems.

<Positioning of the BIPS Business within Our Group's Strategic Finance Business>

The Digital Garage Group is accelerating the development and operational structure for the mid-term launch of "Digital Garage Bank / DG Bank (tentative name)," a strategic finance business for SMEs in partnership with the Resona Group. This project aims to realize a "Financial Orchestration Platform" that highly integrates payments and finance, supporting payment, fund management, credit functions, and data utilization for SME management in the AI era.

This project plans to offer a next-generation financial service called "Personal Agent" that provides ongoing support to SME managers. Our invoice card payment (BIPS) business is positioned as a core component of the cash flow and B2B payment platform provided by this platform, and as one of the business groups and functions that will proactively reach the SME market.

<Future Developments>

Through continued collaboration with INQ, Digital Garage will promote cashless transactions in the B2B market and support corporate cash flow management with solutions including "DGFT Invoice Card Payment."

<Company Overview>

INQ, Inc.

Representative: Representative Director CEO Teppei Wakabayashi

Location: TAMA MIRAI SQUARE 2F B08, 2-8-28 Akebonocho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo

Established: October 2018

Business Description: With the mission "To foster those who create, and those who achieve," we support the debt finance of venture and startup companies, having provided cumulative financing support of over 13 billion yen (Note 2) to more than 1,300 companies.

We support entrepreneurs by resolving anxieties and complexities in the fundraising process, freeing up time and funds for them to concentrate on their core business activities. We aim to contribute to a society with a startup ecosystem, including entrepreneurs, by supporting business launch and subsequent growth from a financial perspective.

Note 2: As of November 2025.

URL: https://inq.finance/

Digital Garage, Inc.

Representative: Representative Director, President and CEO Group CEO Kaoru Hayashi

Location: Digital Gate Building, 3-5-7 Ebisu-minami, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Shibuya Parco DG Building, 15-1 Udagawa-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Established: August 1995

Business Description: Under the purpose "Design new contexts for a sustainable society and implement them with technology," we operate a payment business that provides a diverse and comprehensive payment platform as one of Japan's largest payment service providers supporting social infrastructure. We also engage in a marketing business that offers one-stop solutions in the digital and real domains, and a startup investment and incubation business that provides access to promising domestic and international startups and technologies.

URL: https://www.garage.co.jp/