SAKANA AI Hits Record Valuation

TOKYO, Nov 18 (News On Japan) - SAKANA AI, a Tokyo-based company engaged in AI research and real-world implementation, announced on November 17th that its latest fundraising round has boosted its valuation to 400 billion yen, the highest among Japan’s unlisted startups.

Ito Ren, the company’s COO, said the development of homegrown AI holds the potential to maximize national interests.

The company secured roughly 20 billion yen in new funding, led by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Investors also include Santander, Spain’s largest bank, and In-Q-Tel, a fund operating under the umbrella of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The new capital pushes SAKANA AI’s estimated corporate valuation to 400 billion yen.

SAKANA AI plans to accelerate the development of large-scale language models with advanced understanding of the Japanese language and culture, while also expanding into the defense sector as part of its next stage of growth.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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