[Group's Cumulative Funding Exceeds 7.8 Billion Yen] SHONAI Inc. Raises 200 Million Yen from DBJ Capital and CJSF
SHONAI Inc. has successfully raised a total of 200 million yen through a third-party allocation of shares to DBJ Capital and CJSF. This brings the group's cumulative funding to over 7.8 billion yen, accelerating its vision of regional revitalization and aiming for a group IPO by FY2030.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 30, 2026 at 20:30
- 🔍 Collected: April 30, 2026 at 12:01
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 30, 2026 at 12:20 (18 min after Collected)
SHONAI Inc. (Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; Representative Director: Daisuke Yamanaka; hereinafter, "the Company") has successfully raised a total of 200 million yen through a third-party allocation of shares. The allocation recipients are "DBJ Capital Investment Limited Partnership," operated by DBJ Capital Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Susumu Kurabayashi; hereinafter, "DBJ Capital"), and "Chiiki to Hito to Mirai CJS No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership" (hereinafter, "CJSF"), operated by Chiiki to Hito to Mirai Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; Representative Director: Jinsei Ito).
This funding follows a capital raise in January of this year (*), representing additional investment from partners who resonate with the Company's vision of "Be the hope of the regions" and its growth strategy. Including this funding, the group's cumulative funding amount totals approximately 7.8 billion yen.
Through this funding, the Company aims for a group listing on the stock market by FY2030, in pursuit of its vision of "Be the hope of the regions."
(*) Click here for the press release on the January funding:
https://shonai.inc/news/0130shonai-growth-financing
Significance of this Funding: Resonance from Different Perspectives – Government-affiliated VC and Region-specialized VC
DBJ Capital, backed by the network of government-affiliated financial institutions, supports startups that drive Japan's industrial competitiveness. They have evaluated the Company's initiatives not only from the perspective of regional economic revitalization but also from the viewpoint of "the potential to change Japan's overall industrial structure."
CJSF is a fund specialized in solving regional issues and supporting startups that challenge globally from the regions. They deeply resonated with the Company's efforts as a local stakeholder rooted in the regional現場 (genba - on-site). The support from both macro industrial policy perspective and micro regional stakeholder perspective will be a significant driving force for the Company, which advocates "Region-born, World-standard."
Future Outlook: Group Listing and Creation of a Chain of 10-Billion-Yen Companies
Going forward, the Company will promote business growth primarily through NEWGREEN Inc. (agriculture), ONE LOCAL Inc. (tourism and real estate), and XLOCAL Inc. (corporate transformation). Concurrently, it will accelerate growth in each area through capital alliances and M&A centered around the Company, aiming for a group listing by FY2030.
Listing itself is not a goal but a milestone.
The challenge that began with 100,000 yen in capital has attracted 7.8 billion yen in capital and will reach the capital market in 2030. The management know-how, capital network, and social capital cultivated through this journey will be refined through practice and opened up to regional business owners nationwide. As a result, "10-billion-yen companies" will be born in various regions, transforming Japan from the regions. This is the vision the Company aims for under the motto "Be the hope of the regions."
Comments
■ Daisuke Yamanaka, Representative Director, SHONAI Inc.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those involved who contributed to this round. In fact, our encounter with DBJ Capital Co., Ltd. was for investment consideration in NEWGREEN, and our encounter with Chiiki to Hito to Mirai Co., Ltd. was for investment consideration in XL. However, the fact that both parties agreed with our corporate philosophy of "growth as a region-born conglomerate" and ultimately decided to invest in SHONAI has given us great confidence. Moving forward, we will strengthen our collaboration with both parties and accelerate economic creation from the regions through all aspects: agriculture, tourism/real estate, and regional businesses.
■ Masaya Morishita, Director and Head of Investment Department, DBJ Capital Co., Ltd.
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) Group has set "technological innovation and reorganization of industries" and "regional revitalization leveraging potential" as its materialities. SHONAI, based in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, is engaged in problem-solving businesses in regional cities nationwide, focusing on three areas: agriculture, tourism, and corporate transformation (human resources and management support), in addition to pioneering initiatives in the agricultural sector. Through this investment, we aim to support the Company's business expansion and contribute to the realization of its vision to transform Japan from the regions, by fostering the business growth of operators supported by the Company in various regions.
■ Chiiki to Hito to Mirai CJS No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership
Representative Partner Jinsei Ito / Investment Manager Takunori Hayashi
We are very pleased to be able to invest in the SHONAI Group. The innovative initiatives continuously created from the Shonai region, a geographically disadvantaged area, are truly the "hope of the regions." We strongly resonated with their overwhelming sense of ownership, their development and deployment of highly reproducible business models rooted in the region yet capable of national expansion, and their ability to see things through, leading to our investment decision. We believe that the light of hope created by the Company will generate a chain reaction across Japan, creating new value.
This funding follows a capital raise in January of this year (*), representing additional investment from partners who resonate with the Company's vision of "Be the hope of the regions" and its growth strategy. Including this funding, the group's cumulative funding amount totals approximately 7.8 billion yen.
Through this funding, the Company aims for a group listing on the stock market by FY2030, in pursuit of its vision of "Be the hope of the regions."
(*) Click here for the press release on the January funding:
https://shonai.inc/news/0130shonai-growth-financing
Significance of this Funding: Resonance from Different Perspectives – Government-affiliated VC and Region-specialized VC
DBJ Capital, backed by the network of government-affiliated financial institutions, supports startups that drive Japan's industrial competitiveness. They have evaluated the Company's initiatives not only from the perspective of regional economic revitalization but also from the viewpoint of "the potential to change Japan's overall industrial structure."
CJSF is a fund specialized in solving regional issues and supporting startups that challenge globally from the regions. They deeply resonated with the Company's efforts as a local stakeholder rooted in the regional現場 (genba - on-site). The support from both macro industrial policy perspective and micro regional stakeholder perspective will be a significant driving force for the Company, which advocates "Region-born, World-standard."
Future Outlook: Group Listing and Creation of a Chain of 10-Billion-Yen Companies
Going forward, the Company will promote business growth primarily through NEWGREEN Inc. (agriculture), ONE LOCAL Inc. (tourism and real estate), and XLOCAL Inc. (corporate transformation). Concurrently, it will accelerate growth in each area through capital alliances and M&A centered around the Company, aiming for a group listing by FY2030.
Listing itself is not a goal but a milestone.
The challenge that began with 100,000 yen in capital has attracted 7.8 billion yen in capital and will reach the capital market in 2030. The management know-how, capital network, and social capital cultivated through this journey will be refined through practice and opened up to regional business owners nationwide. As a result, "10-billion-yen companies" will be born in various regions, transforming Japan from the regions. This is the vision the Company aims for under the motto "Be the hope of the regions."
Comments
■ Daisuke Yamanaka, Representative Director, SHONAI Inc.
First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those involved who contributed to this round. In fact, our encounter with DBJ Capital Co., Ltd. was for investment consideration in NEWGREEN, and our encounter with Chiiki to Hito to Mirai Co., Ltd. was for investment consideration in XL. However, the fact that both parties agreed with our corporate philosophy of "growth as a region-born conglomerate" and ultimately decided to invest in SHONAI has given us great confidence. Moving forward, we will strengthen our collaboration with both parties and accelerate economic creation from the regions through all aspects: agriculture, tourism/real estate, and regional businesses.
■ Masaya Morishita, Director and Head of Investment Department, DBJ Capital Co., Ltd.
The Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) Group has set "technological innovation and reorganization of industries" and "regional revitalization leveraging potential" as its materialities. SHONAI, based in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, is engaged in problem-solving businesses in regional cities nationwide, focusing on three areas: agriculture, tourism, and corporate transformation (human resources and management support), in addition to pioneering initiatives in the agricultural sector. Through this investment, we aim to support the Company's business expansion and contribute to the realization of its vision to transform Japan from the regions, by fostering the business growth of operators supported by the Company in various regions.
■ Chiiki to Hito to Mirai CJS No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership
Representative Partner Jinsei Ito / Investment Manager Takunori Hayashi
We are very pleased to be able to invest in the SHONAI Group. The innovative initiatives continuously created from the Shonai region, a geographically disadvantaged area, are truly the "hope of the regions." We strongly resonated with their overwhelming sense of ownership, their development and deployment of highly reproducible business models rooted in the region yet capable of national expansion, and their ability to see things through, leading to our investment decision. We believe that the light of hope created by the Company will generate a chain reaction across Japan, creating new value.