Establishment of Black Water Finance Co., Ltd. to Support Startup Challenges Through Integrated Finance

ISSUE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Takahiro Mizuno, hereinafter ISSUE), with the mission of "Providing resolution to navigate uncertain times," established Black Water Finance Co., Ltd. in January 2026.

Background of Establishment

In Japanese startups, finance is one of the most critical issues that determines business growth.

However, many executives are forced to spend a significant amount of time and effort on fundraising and M&A, leading to the problem of delaying business development, which they should be focusing on.

ISSUE has supported numerous challengers through strategic consulting for new businesses. In the field, we repeatedly witnessed "executives who have the potential for their business but are unable to move forward due to financial hurdles."

To solve this problem, we have established Black Water Finance Co., Ltd. as a specialized organization focusing on the finance domain. Our role in finance, as ISSUE envisions it, is not to excessively promise success, but to "create a state where one can re-challenge even after failure."

Business Description

Black Water Finance offers the following services to startup executives:

■ Fundraising Support Supports the entire fundraising process, from designing approaches to VCs to pitch support for investors and debt financing. Minimizes the time executives spend on fundraising while maximizing speed and results.

■ M&A Advisory Supports strategic M&A at the turning point of new businesses. Provides advisory services directly linked to management decisions, such as acquisitions, divestitures, and capital alliances.

■ Main Support Areas Provided

Black Water Finance seamlessly integrates the following areas to support clients' growth phases as a whole:

Capital Policy & Fundraising Support

Supports the design of capital policies optimized for the business phase and fundraising for new businesses and startups.

M&A & Roll-up Strategy

Constructs strategic schemes that look towards business integration and renewed growth, rather than just buy/sell advisory.

Enhancing Business Valuation & Investment Decisions

Provides "resolution to navigate uncertainty" by combining strategy and finance to support decision-making in uncertain environments.

Long-Term Partnership Support

Provides long-term support with the aim of "owning, nurturing, and passing on" companies and businesses.

We support implementation as a financial partner that prevents challenges from stopping, looking at the entire cycle of "conception → execution → re-challenge," rather than providing one-off advisory.

■ Company Profile of Black Water Finance Co., Ltd.

Company Name: Black Water Finance Co., Ltd.

Representative Director: Takahiro Mizuno

Address: 6F, Akasaka Green Cross, 2-4-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo (within WeWork)

Established: January 2026

Business Activities:

(1) Fundraising Support

(2) M&A Advisory

(3) Financial Advisory

■ About ISSUE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES Inc.

With the mission of "Creating a nation full of challengers," we provide integrated strategic design and execution support for new businesses, fundraising, and M&A, leveraging our strength in "research for execution."

We also operate a screened matching platform that connects freelance consultants with companies, enabling us to propose the optimal personnel according to client needs.

■ Company Profile

Company Name: ISSUE RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGIES Inc.

Representative Director: Takahiro Mizuno

Address: 6F, Akasaka Green Cross, 2-4-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: April 2021

HP: https://issue-inc.com/

Business Activities:

(1) Various Management Services

(2) Provision of Various Research and Reports

(3) Operation of a screened project introduction platform for freelance and side-hustle consultants