Soichi Kariyazono is the managing partner of Japan-based investment vehicle Globis Capital Partners (GCP), an organisation he joined in 1996. Kariyazono was a founding partner of the Apax Globis Japan Fund and previously served as fund manager of the firm’s first venture capital fund, the Globis Incubation Fund.
In his current role, Kariyazono is responsible for managing approximately 50bn yen ($414m) in funds entrusted by institutional investors worldwide, and for providing comprehensive support encompassing human resources, funding and management know-how to promising venture businesses in Japan.
GCP, which was spun out of the Globis business education organisation, established its sixth fund with 40bn yen in 2019. The fund’s investment target is “Next Internet & Beyond Internet”. “Next Internet” refers to transformation through the use of IT while the “Beyond Internet” domain, includes new technologies such as artificial intelligence, internet of things and blockchain.
Among GCP’s recent investments are Tebiki, an industrial on-site support system, which raised 100m yen in a series A round in November 2021, and supply chain management specialist Resilire, whose 2021 seed round was worth 150m yen.
In 2022, GCP has taken or increased stakes in Alp Inc, a revenue maximising platform, cybersecurity firm Aeye Security Lab and Boost Technologies, a firm which has developed a carbon accounting platform.
Prior to joining Globis, Kariyazono worked for the management consulting division of the Sanwa Research Institute Corporation. He is currently the honorary chairman of the Japan Venture Capital Association.
Kariyazono received a bachelor’s degree in law from Keio University in Japan as well as an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Business.
