Notice of Change in Main Shareholders

Universal Materials Incubator Co., Ltd. (UMI; Representative Director: Shosuke Kiba), a venture capital firm specializing in the material and chemical industries, has announced that it has changed its main shareholder from INCJ, Ltd. to the Development Fund for New Technologies of Chemicals and Materials (NTCM), the Development Bank of Japan Inc. (DBJ), and the Tokyo Small and Medium Business Investment & Consultation Co., Ltd. (SBIC).

UMI focuses on early-stage businesses and outstanding technologies originating from Japanese companies and academia that form the foundations of future industry. It was established in October 2015 under the leadership of INCJ with the intent of creating venture capital to put in place infrastructures and venues that actively promote the development of business and cultivate exceptional businesses and the talent that drives those businesses, thereby strengthening Japanese technological capabilities and cultivating industrial structures that can compete in the global arena.

When it was first established, UMI, along with INCJ, put forward the goal of “not only investing in venture companies but also evolving and developing into a private sector business company as a platform for the creation of new business in the material and chemical industries by securing many supporters in the future.” To achieve this goal, in 2016, the UMI I Investment Limited Partnership was formed with ten investor companies, and in 2019, the UMI II Investment Limited Partnership was formed with 19 investor companies (hereinafter referred to collectively as “UMI Funds”). Since then, we have supported the growth of many venture companies and SMEs in the material and chemical fields, and have supported the creation of new business for large corporations as well.

Six years after its establishment, as it undertook multiple investments and exits through UMI Funds, UMI deepened its collaborations with various companies and academic institutions in Japan and around the world. It brought in new staff mainly from the material and chemical industries, including companies that had invested in UMI Funds, fostering talent that has played a role in creating new business. During this time, we established the NTCM, comprising parties that have invested in UMI Funds, and the NTCM has created a foothold for a private sector business company by participating in UMI’s investments. As a result, it is gradually becoming a platform for matching investments by academia, venture companies, and large corporations throughout the world, and in Japan in particular, so the goal initially put forward by UMI and INCJ is close to being achieved. In order to further expand on these activities, UMI has entered a capital and business alliance with the DBJ, which has a track record of supporting the growth of many large corporations in the material, chemical, and other industries, and the SBIC, which has long years of experience in supporting stable growth for SMEs, and has further decided to exit from INCJ’s support, increasing the capital investment ratio of the NTCM. INCJ has made LP investments in the UMI I Fund, and will continue to do so under the new plan.

UMI will continue its efforts to develop the material and chemical industries in Japan, by supporting the global success of many new businesses and venture companies emerging from these industries.

Development Fund for New Technologies of Chemicals and Materials(NTCM)
Headquarters:1-12-22 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Representative Director:Seiichi Tsukioka

Development Bank of Japan (DBJ)
Head office:Otemachi Financial City South Tower, 9-6, Otemachi 1-chome, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8178, Japan
President:Hajime Watanabe
https://www.dbj.jp/en/

Tokyo Small and Medium Business Investment & Consultation (SBIC)
Headquarters:3-29-22 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan
CEO:Harufumi Mochizuki
https://www.sbic.co.jp/

Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ)
Headquarters：1-3-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku,Tokyo 105-0001, Japan
Chairman and CEO：Toshiyuki Shiga
President and COO：Mikihide Katsumata
https://www.incj.co.jp/english/

Universal Materials Incubator Co., Ltd. (UMI)
Location：1-12-22 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Representative Director: Shosuke Kiba
UMI invests in outstanding new technologies and businesses in the fields of materials and chemicals that form the foundations for future industry, originating from both Japanese companies and academia, based on the vision of “Strengthening Japan’s engineering capabilities and cultivating an industry structure that can compete globally, by fostering outstanding material/chemical companies.”
https://www.umi.co.jp/en/