Sozo Ventures
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $5M – $40M
- Stage
- Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- $1.5B+
- Sectors
- Enterprise, Consumer, AI +1
- Founded
- 2012
- HQ
- Redwood City, CA
About Sozo Ventures
Sozo Ventures is a cross-border venture capital firm founded in 2012 by Phil Wickham and Koichiro Nakamura. Its US office is at 10 California Street in Redwood City, California, and its Japan office is in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo. The firm manages more than $1.5B and invests in what it calls readiness-stage companies: US technology businesses with a strong management team and culture, stable long-term investors, credible and recognizable customers, and enough organizational structure to serve large international buyers. Rather than competing on early-stage price, Sozo's proposition is distribution. It uses a corporate, executive and venture network built over more than a decade to open enterprise sales channels in Japan, guide entity formation, hire country managers, run customer events, make introductions and translate strategy for a market that is difficult for foreign software companies to enter without a local partner. The firm describes this as full-stack support for Japan, covering everything from country managers and hiring to interpretation. Sozo typically joins at Series A and later, including pre-IPO rounds, and says it supports companies from seed through to public listing. Notable investments include Twitter, Cloudflare, Palantir and Course Hero. Its sector interest is broad within technology, spanning enterprise software, SaaS, artificial intelligence and consumer internet, with the common thread being a company's readiness for Japanese and wider Asia-Pacific expansion. Wickham and Nakamura are named as the firm's co-founders in its own materials and in SEC filings for every Sozo fund since 2012.
Investment Thesis
“Bridges US technology companies with Japanese enterprises for go-to-market partnerships and expansion.”
Leadership Team
Sozo was co-founded by Phil Wickham and Koichiro “Koh” Nakamura, who are named as executive officers on every fund from 2012 onward. Nakamura has been the firm's most visible investor, appearing on the Forbes Midas List at number 63 in 2022, number 55 in 2023 and number 45 in 2024, a ranking rarely reached by a cross-border specialist. Rob Freelen joined as a managing director in September 2022, and Spencer Foust is named alongside the founders as an executive officer of Fund IV. The team runs two offices, one at 10 California Street in Redwood City and one in the Shin-Marunouchi building in Tokyo's Marunouchi district, which is the operational expression of the firm's model: US investing staff paired with a Japan-side team that opens enterprise and regulatory doors for portfolio management teams.
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Fund History
Sozo's first vehicle, Sozo Ventures - TrueBridge Fund I, L.P., was formed in 2012 and began selling that November; by March 2015 it had sold $110 million of a $300 million offering to ten investors, alongside a Sozo Feeder Fund that took in $58 million. Fund II, formed in 2015, sold $134 million of a $200 million offering to fifteen investors by February 2017, and Sozo Ventures II-S, L.P. added a $100 million offering in June 2018. Fund III, organized in 2021 in Redwood City, sold $592.4 million against an $800 million offering across twenty-three investors, roughly a fourfold step up. Fund IV followed in 2024 with a $500 million offering and had sold $109.1 million to sixteen investors by August 2025. The small, concentrated investor counts are consistent with a fund raised largely from Japanese institutions rather than a broad LP base.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Sozo Ventures invest at?
Sozo Ventures primarily invests at the Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are scaling their go-to-market after proving product-market fit.
Where is Sozo Ventures located?
Sozo Ventures is headquartered in Redwood City, CA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Sozo Ventures focus on?
Sozo Ventures focuses on investments in Enterprise, Consumer, AI, SaaS. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Sozo Ventures's typical check size?
Sozo Ventures's typical investment check size ranges from 5000000 to 40000000. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Sozo Ventures have under management?
Sozo Ventures manages approximately $1.5B+ in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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