Daisuke Minamide is the head of the US office of CyberAgent Capital, the corporate venture capital subsidiary of Japan-based internet company CyberAgent. His primary responsibilities are to head up the unit’s investments in internet of things, mobile internet and blockchain technology businesses.
Prior to join the firm, Minamide spent more than six years at NTT Docomo, the mobile technology offshoot of Japan’s NTT Group. His roles at the company included investment and business development, and during this period Minamide also led the first venture financing deal for productivity platform Evernote.
Founded in 2006 as CyberAgent Ventures, the unit has offices in eight countries and has backed more than 350 companies to date. CyberAgent Capital primarily invests in early-stage technology companies and it has achieved more than 50 exits through listings on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
In May 2021, CyberAgent Capital closed the CA Startups Internet Fund 3rd at ¥6bn ($55.5m). Earlier funds have included the $50m CyberAgent Ventures Asia Internet Fund II and the $20m CyberAgent Ventures Asia Internet Fund I.
Among the unit’s recent investments are a role in the $2.6m seed round for Selly, a B2C ecommerce platform based in Vietnam, and participation in a seed round of undisclosed size for New York-based Fanaply, a business which creates digital collectibles.
Minamide holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Chuo University in Hachioji, Japan as well as an MBA from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University in Indiana, US.
