Nudge Inc. raises an additional ¥1.48 billion, bringing total funding to approximately ¥6.5 billion

Nudge Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Takashi Okita) is pleased to announce that it has successfully raised ¥1.48 billion through asset finance from Morgan Stanley, venture debt from Resona Bank, Ltd., and investment from existing and new shareholders.

In this round, founder and Representative Director Takashi Okita also made an additional equity investment.

Background and Purpose of Funding

In Japan's startup ecosystem, the importance of debt finance and asset finance is rapidly increasing as means to achieve both improved capital efficiency and suppression of existing shareholder dilution.

For Fintech startups, particularly those responsible for payment infrastructure, securing flexible and robust financing methods is crucial for sustainable business growth, especially with the rapid expansion of transaction volumes.

Nudge's next-generation credit card, "Nudge," has seen a surge in membership due to its unique model that incorporates fan activities ("oshi-katsu") and social contributions into payments, primarily among younger demographics. Payment transaction volume is also on an upward trend.

To further accelerate this growth speed and build a strong financial momentum for future large-scale equity financing, Nudge has expanded its financing scheme in collaboration with leading financial institutions both domestically and internationally.

Features and Scheme of This Funding

Nudge has achieved the following three advanced approaches in this funding round:

- Optimization of capital efficiency and establishment of a dynamic funding system through securing diverse financing methods.

By securing and expanding diverse financing methods such as asset-backed finance and debt finance, Nudge has strengthened its dynamic working capital supply system while minimizing equity dilution.

Total cumulative funding has reached approximately ¥6.5 billion.

- Financial support from strong domestic and international financial institutions.

Strong domestic and international players, Morgan Stanley and Resona Bank, have participated. This demonstrates high market confidence in Nudge's credit model and the soundness and growth potential of its business.

- Additional investment from the founder and strengthening of governance.

Representative Director Takashi Okita himself executed an additional capital contribution in this round. This shows his absolute confidence in the business growth as management leader and his strong commitment to mid-to-long-term corporate value enhancement.

Funding Overview

- Amount raised in this round: ¥1.48 billion (including debt finance, asset finance, etc.)

- Cumulative funding amount: Approximately ¥6.5 billion

- Primary use of funds: Working capital associated with the expansion of payment transaction volume for the credit card "Nudge," as well as system development and marketing investment for service feature expansion.

Representative Comments

Mr. Daijiro Ota, Branch Manager, Tokyo Chuo Branch, Resona Bank, Ltd.

We are extremely pleased to participate in this funding round for Nudge, which is creating new financial experiences through its next-generation credit card "Nudge."

Resona Bank is currently prioritizing the advancement of payment businesses and the expansion of new investments for startup companies as key management strategies.

In particular, we are focusing on promoting "venture debt," which supplies growth capital while suppressing equity dilution, and we view our participation in this case as a highly symbolic example of our support for startup companies.

We pledge our strong support for Nudge's further leap forward and will continue to promote active partnerships and co-creation with promising startup companies at speed, contributing to the development of next-generation industries and the creation of a new financial ecosystem.

Takashi Okita, Representative Director, Nudge Inc.

I am extremely pleased to have been able to raise a total of ¥1.48 billion with the support of strong domestic and international players, including Morgan Stanley and Resona Bank, as well as existing and new shareholders.

Nudge's next-generation credit card, "Nudge," built on a flexible system infrastructure, enables small-lot issuance of diverse card types, adding new value to "oshi-katsu" and "social contribution," and its transaction volume continues to expand rapidly.

Through this funding, by securing diverse financing methods such as debt finance and asset finance, we have built a strong financial foundation to support rapid growth while suppressing equity dilution. As the founder, I have also made an additional investment to demonstrate my strong commitment to Nudge's business growth.

Moving forward, we will accelerate our business development as a unified team towards the realization of our mission: "Creating future financial experiences through each individual's actions."

About Nudge Inc.

Nudge Inc. was founded in 2020 with the mission to "Create future financial experiences through each individual'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 the few "certified comprehensive credit purchase brokers" in Japan. Since its founding, Nudge has practiced "Work from anywhere" and is engaged in creating future financial experiences while valuing an organizational culture that respects individual values.

Date of Establishment: February 12, 2020

Representative: Takashi Okita, Representative Director

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

Capital: Approximately ¥5 billion (including capital reserve, etc.)

Related Links

Corporate Site: https://nudge.works/

Recruitment Information: https://nudge.works/talents

Official note: https://note.com/nudgecard