Accelerating Corporate Business Structure Transformation -- Spike Studio Inc. Raises ¥370 Million in Seed Funding

Spike Studio Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shigeru Kuroyanagi; COO: Hidehiro Sano), which develops AI agents, has announced the completion of a ¥370 million funding round. The round combined equity financing, debt financing, and venture debt financing from investors and lenders including B Dash Ventures Inc. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Hiroyuki Watanabe), Aozora Corporate Investment Co., Ltd. (CEO: Akifumi Kubo), and the Japan Finance Corporation.

Background and Purpose of Funding

Since its establishment in December 2023, our company has supported corporate AI utilization by developing AI agents that operate 24/7. Currently, we are used by customers across a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, finance, advertising, retail, and fitness, and we are keenly aware of the rapidly expanding AI utilization needs in each sector.

With the rapid evolution of generative AI and the acceleration of its societal implementation, all companies are facing the challenge of "how to utilize AI and how to permeate it within the organization." Our company goes beyond simply providing technology; we develop AI agents that deeply understand business operations and work closely with the field, realizing a supportive approach that maximizes each customer's intentions and potential.

With this funding, we will strengthen the foundation for more companies and individuals to leverage the power of AI and unlock their respective potential.

Use of Funds

The funds raised will be allocated to the following purposes:

1. Strengthening Engineer Recruitment

We will actively recruit engineers with high expertise in AI agent development and generative AI-related technologies to expand our development capabilities. We will accelerate the creation of an organization that combines technical skills to address complex challenges in diverse industries with the ability to develop products that are close to the customer.

2. Enhancing AI Agent and Product Development

To meet the diverse needs of our customers, we will further advance AI agents and expand their functionality. We will focus on product development to realize AI that can be truly used in corporate operations and AI that supports human intentions, such as multi-agent functions that achieve business structure transformation and integration with external systems.

Comment from Hiroyuki Watanabe, Representative Director of B Dash Ventures Inc.

As AI becomes commonplace, I believe that management strategies that assume AI utilization are required for all companies. In this context, Spike Studio, which can handle everything from strategy formulation to system development and AI agent implementation, has already supported numerous AI implementations for a wide range of companies, from large corporations in manufacturing, finance, and media to small and medium-sized enterprises. I believe these achievements are due to the deep trust gained from clients as a partner with a management perspective, in addition to the sense of security derived from their thorough on-site support. We will continue to support Spike Studio in its further growth.

Comment from Akifumi Kubo, Representative Director CEO of Aozora Corporate Investment Co., Ltd.

In Japan, where the declining birthrate, aging population, and labor shortage are becoming serious issues, the skills and judgment criteria of experienced workers in the real sector are being lost due to a lack of successors, making the loss of proprietary technology an irreversible risk. Spike Studio tackles the core of this problem by formalizing the tacit knowledge of experienced workers and transplanting it into AI, demonstrating technical capabilities and achievements that have already yielded quantitative results in the field. With demographic changes as a tailwind, I am convinced that the company's advantages will become more pronounced over time, and we have decided to make this investment. We will continue to strongly support their leap forward as an entity supporting Japan's real sector.

Comment from Shigeru Kuroyanagi, Representative Director CEO of Spike Studio Inc.

We are developing AI agents not as "tools" but as "labor." There are workplaces across Japan where a single job can only be done by one senior worker nearing retirement, and the business itself stops if that person leaves. This is not a story about technology; it is a story about people. What we are creating are the workers who fill that gap. They work tirelessly, diligently performing the tasks they have learned without complaint. Such workers are needed not only by large corporations but also by small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas facing labor shortages, and by sites looking for successors to their skills.

This funding round is intended to broaden the reach of these efforts. Such workplaces still exist throughout Japan, and we will continue until we can reach all of them.

Future Outlook

We aim for a future where AI is not just for a select few experts but a partner that expands possibilities for everyone. Regardless of our customers' industries or scale, we will continue to be an entity that sincerely addresses their unique challenges and supports the creation of new value through AI. With this funding as an opportunity, we will continue to support more companies and people, creating a future together where progress never stops.

[Spike Studio Inc. Details] Head Office Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Toranomon Tower 5F, 2-2-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo Business Activities: Software Development, Generative AI Consulting, Generative AI Training Established: December 2023 Representative Director CEO: Shigeru Kuroyanagi, Representative Director COO: Hidehiro Sano Capital: ¥257,692,600 (including reserve funds) Number of Employees: 74 https://spikestudio.jp/ TEL: 050-1808-2992

[Contact for this Press Release] Spike Studio Inc. Contact: Public Relations Email: contact@spikestudio.jp Phone: 050-1808-2992