D4V (Design for Ventures) is a Tokyo-based early-stage venture capital firm that invests in disruptive, consumer and enterprise technology startups.
Partnering with the global design company IDEO, D4V provides both hands-on assistance and coaching to help startups create value via human-centered customer experiences and interactions.
Application Open
Join D4V
We are actively looking for design professionals to join our team.
Our Blog
Portfolio Highlights

Thermalytica: Building a Global Brand for the Next Energy Era
September 14, 2026

AndGAMER: From Gaming Gear to a Lifestyle Brand for Gamers Worldwide
September 22, 2025
Great design creates great businesses
Design is at the heart of success strategies for the most valuable technology companies in the world, including the design of offerings, business models, and overall customer experience. With a deep understanding of design thinking, D4V helps startups with the practical application of design in pursuit of their goals for product-market fit, revenue growth, and customer satisfaction.
Our name expresses our commitment to designing for ventures. We see design as a powerful enabler and differentiator at all stages of a venture’s life cycle.
— We collaborate with start-up teams on design sprints to accelerate their progress.
— We strengthen a start-up’s design research and leverage the value of user interviews.
— We help companies hire their first designer and expand their capabilities.
— We coach founding teams on creating a design-driven culture.
We invest in
Early Stage Companies
From seed to Series A, we invest in early stage Japanese consumer and enterprise startups across multiple industries.
We are
Human-Centered
We focus on the user experience and work together with startups to identify the end users’ needs.
We deliver
Positive
Impact
We support startups that are passionate about bettering the lives of individuals and advancing the interests of society.
We have a
Global
Perspective
Our global network informs our point of view on market trends and technologies, even for startups launching initially in Japan.
2022 Survey Results
Design in Japanese Start-ups
Explore what 153 Japanese start-up managers told us about how they work on design
Explore the Results
October 2016
March 2018
November 2022
D4V (Design for Ventures) is officially established. D4V.com launches.
D4V closes fundraising for Fund I at JP¥5.3B
D4V closes fundraising for Fund II at JP¥5.4B
October 2016
D4V (Design for Ventures) is officially established. D4V.com launches.
March 2018
D4V closes fundraising for Fund I at JP¥5.3B (~US$50M).
July 2020
To date, D4V has invested in over 40 companies.