Metaplanet Ventures K.K. is a Tokyo-based venture capital fund established in March 2026 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Metaplanet Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 3350), Japan's largest publicly listed corporate Bitcoin holder with over 35,000 BTC on its balance sheet. The fund was created to deploy capital into Japan's emerging Bitcoin financial ecosystem ahead of what the firm expects to be a formal reclassification of Bitcoin as a regulated financial asset in Japan by 2028.
Metaplanet Ventures invests exclusively in Bitcoin-native financial infrastructure in Japan: lending, payments, Lightning Network, stablecoins, custody, derivatives, compliance, tokenization, and investment products. The fund also operates an incubator for early-stage Bitcoin and crypto startups and a grants program for open-source developers, educators, and researchers building on Bitcoin.
Metaplanet Ventures launched in March 2026 with an initial deployment budget of approximately ¥4 billion (roughly $25–27 million) to be deployed over 2 to 3 years, funded from Metaplanet's Bitcoin income business cash flows. The fund's first investment is up to ¥400 million in JPYC Inc., Japan's first licensed yen stablecoin issuer, with closing expected in April 2026. The fund's structure is Japan-first with selective international sourcing.
Leadership
Simon Gerovich serves as CEO of Metaplanet Inc. and oversees the venture subsidiary. A Harvard Applied Mathematics graduate, Gerovich started his career as an equity derivatives trader at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo, co-founded Red Planet Hotels (a regional value hotel chain in Asia), and has been an active investor in the digital asset ecosystem since 2014. Yoshimi Abe serves as COO of Metaplanet Inc.
Investment Strategy
Metaplanet Ventures targets seed to growth stage companies building Bitcoin financial infrastructure in Japan. The fund uses three tracks: direct equity investments (seed to growth), an incubator for early-stage startups, and a grants program for open-source and educational projects. The parent company's position as Japan's largest corporate Bitcoin holder provides portfolio companies with unique access to institutional relationships, regulatory knowledge, and balance sheet credibility.
Notable Investments
The fund was newly established in March 2026. First announced investment:
Other
Metaplanet also operates Metaplanet Asset Management in Miami, a Bitcoin capital markets platform for institutional investors, creating a bridge between Japan's domestic Bitcoin ecosystem and global institutional capital.
The fund's timing is strategic: Japan is expected to formally reclassify Bitcoin as a regulated financial asset by January 2028, and Metaplanet aims to position the ecosystem ahead of that shift.
Japan
