Tohoku University startup NanoFrontier raises approximately 150 million yen in funding
NanoFrontier raises approximately 150 million yen through third-party allotment
NanoFrontier Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture; Representative Director: Seiya Inoue) completed a funding round of approximately 150 million yen through third-party allotment in October 2025.
The investors in this round include three venture capital firms and one corporate investor:
- Genesia Ventures, Inc.
- Animal Spirits LLC
- Mobile Internet Capital, Inc.
- Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd.
Additionally, the company has secured over 100 million yen in grants, including support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency’s R&D Support Program for Growth-Oriented SMEs (Go-Tech Program).
Use of funds
The raised funds will be primarily used for the following purposes:
- Establishing a research and development base within Tohoku University
- Accelerating PoC for organic nano-dye reagents capable of immediate on-site colorimetric detection of specific harmful substances such as certain PFAS
- Developing continuous mass production equipment for nanoparticles
- Setting up an automated research and development pipeline
- Strengthening recruitment (in synthetic chemistry, analysis and quality assurance, data engineering, and operations)
In particular, the company will focus on real-time detection of specific harmful substances such as certain PFAS, advancing the development of technology that instantly visualizes interactions with targets as optical responses using organic dye nanoparticles.
Comments from investors
Genesia Ventures, Inc.
Takashi Sogabe, Investment Manager
“I’ve been in continuous dialogue with NanoFrontier’s CEO, Mr. Inoue, since our student days. His approach of fearlessly diving into unknown territories and striving to grasp the essence while learning has always been a strong inspiration to me.”
Takahiro Suzuki, General Partner
“I’m convinced that NanoFrontier’s technology will be key to solving sustainability challenges such as specific PFAS regulations, water resource conservation, and carbon neutrality.”
Nitto Boseki Co., Ltd.
Koichi Nakamura, Executive Officer, Head of Technology Development Division
“We are confident that NanoFrontier’s nanoparticle technology will achieve further breakthroughs, with applications expected in various fields, including real-time detection of specific PFAS.”
Animal Spirits LLC
Yusuke Asakura, Managing Partner
“NanoFrontier’s nanoparticle technology demonstrates an innovative approach to social transformation for future generations, from water quality testing to anticancer drug development.”
Mobile Internet Capital, Inc.
Arata Motoki, President and CEO
“Mr. Inoue, the CEO, has been working with us as a contractor since 2023, engaging in various tasks. During this time, we have accompanied him in his journey of exploring what kind of business to launch as his main occupation, serving as a sounding board.”
Kyosuke Kimoto, Investment Manager
“The combination of Mr. Inoue, a digital talent, and Dr. Oka, a leading researcher, is transforming the unconventional into the conventional for deep tech startups based on research seeds.”
Comment from the company’s CEO
Seiya Inoue, Representative Director, stated, “With this funding, we are entering a phase to realize products that can be used in the field, connecting Tohoku University’s knowledge with the region’s industrial foundation. While leading the social implementation of reagents for immediate detection of specific harmful substances such as certain PFAS, we will simultaneously advance continuous mass production, quality standard systematization, research and development automation, and talent strengthening, contributing to global innovation from Sendai.”
CEO & CTO Profiles
Co-founder & CEO: Seiya Inoue
Graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Agriculture and completed a master’s degree (organic compound synthesis, machine learning research). Gained experience in AI development, real estate funds, and VC while in school, then joined Microsoft to engage in Azure-based development support and technical sales. Later founded a company developing AI applications. In April 2025, co-founded NanoFrontier to develop and commercialize functional organic materials using nanoparticle technology from Tohoku University.
Co-founder & CTO: Hiroki Oka, Ph.D.
Associate Professor at the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University. Focusing on unique functional organic materials, he works on developing hydrophilic amine polymers, researching electrolytes for next-generation batteries, pioneering organic solid catalysts, and developing electrode active materials for environmentally friendly batteries. He also focuses on hydrogen production and storage technology using biomass. Received numerous awards including the 11th JSPS IKUSHI Prize (2021), the 12th New Chemical Technology Research Encouragement Award (2023), and the 47th Encouragement Award from the Adhesion Society of Japan (2025). In April 2025, co-founded NanoFrontier to develop and commercialize functional organic materials using nanoparticle technology from Tohoku University.
Company Profile
- Company Name: NanoFrontier Co., Ltd.
- Representative: Seiya Inoue, Representative Director
- Address: Room 215, Material Solutions Center (MaSC), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai-shi, Miyagi Prefecture
- Established: April 7, 2025
- Business Activities:
- R&D, manufacturing, and sales of reagents and functional materials using organic nanoparticle technologies
- Contract manufacturing of organic nanoparticles and provision of related technologies
- Technology licensing and consulting in the field of organic nanoparticle technologies
- Website: https://nanofrontier.jp
Last updated: 2025-11-10