The founding team includes members from Google, Preferred Networks, Mercari, and other prominent institutions. With the new funding, Sakana AI plans to build a world-class AI lab in Japan and is currently hiring. The company is unique for being one of the first AI startups in Japan backed by top Silicon Valley VCs at the seed stage, and its focus on Asian markets has been highlighted as a key factor by its investors.
Key takeaways:
- Sakana AI, a new AI research company based in Tokyo, has raised $30M in a seed funding round led by Lux Capital and Khosla Ventures.
- The company aims to develop transformative AI based on nature-inspired intelligence, with a focus on evolution and collective intelligence.
- Along with backing from top Silicon Valley VCs, Sakana AI also has strong support from the Japan tech ecosystem, including investments from NTT Group, KDDI CVC, and Sony Group.
- The founding team of Sakana AI includes members from institutions such as Google and other unicorn AI Startups like Preferred Networks and Mercari.