Global Brain has invested in Funds, Inc., the operator of a direct financing platform, through SMBC-GB Growth Fund jointly managed with SMBC Edge Co., Ltd.^\* as the lead investor. Funds is dedicated to providing capital to listed and unlisted companies, startups, and individuals, both in Japan and globally. It achieves this by leveraging the vast pool of cash and deposits held in Japan, as well as the low-interest funding environment enabled by the country's mature financial landscape. Particularly in recent years, Funds has been actively pursuing extensive partnerships with major domestic financial institutions, business expansion in four countries including Japan, and M&A strategies to provide diversified financial services, thereby building a solid foundation to capture significant market opportunities. Global Brain has decided to invest in Funds, strongly believing in its potential to generate a new economic cycle in the financial markets of Japan and Asia and to become a global infrastructure for direct financing. Through this investment, Global Brain will leverage its resources to the fullest to support Funds' business expansion. ^\* The company name was changed from SMBC Venture Capital Management Co., Ltd. to SMBC Edge Co., Ltd. in September 2025. Note: Global Brain announced its investment in Funds through its GB-VII Growth Fund Investment Limited Partnership in August 2019 and April 2021 as well as GB-VI & GB-VII Follow-on Growth Fund Investment Limited Partnership in March 2023.
https://globalbrains.com/en/posts/invested-in-crowdport
https://globalbrains.com/en/posts/invested-in-funds
https://globalbrains.com/en/posts/follow-on-investment-in-funds

About Funds

Location: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yuichiro Fujita
Founded: November 2016
URL: https://corp.funds.jp/
(Available only in Japanese)

About SMBC-GB Growth Fund

Name: SMBC-GB Growth I Investment Limited Partnership
General Partners: SMBC Edge Co., Ltd. and Global Brain Corporation
Limited Partner: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
Fund Size: JPY 30 billion

About Global Brain

Location: Tokyo, Japan
Representative: Yasuhiko Yurimoto
Founded: January 1998
URL: https://globalbrains.com

Global Brain has invested in Funds, Inc., the operator of a direct financing platform, as the lead investor