B Capital announced it has been selected as a registered venture capital firm under the Agency for Medical Research and Development’s Strengthening Program for Pharmaceutical Startup Ecosystem, positioning the firm to expand its investment and commercialization efforts across Japan’s pharmaceutical and biotech startup landscape.
The designation enables B Capital to invest in drug discovery startups in Japan while also serving as a commercialization partner, supporting companies from early research through clinical development. The program provides subsidies to pharmaceutical startups and maintains a registry of venture firms with proven experience backing drug discovery and development companies.
Japan is widely regarded as a major hub for pharmaceutical innovation, supported by deep scientific talent and a growing base of startups focused on advancing new therapies. B Capital said the recognition reflects its conviction that future breakthrough therapies will increasingly emerge from Japan and the broader Asia Pacific region.
The firm has invested in more than 50 healthcare-focused startups globally across health tech, digital health, biotech, and medtech. With this certification, B Capital plans to deepen its engagement with Japan’s startup ecosystem, partnering with founders at early stages and helping scale innovations to global markets.
B Capital manages more than $11 billion in assets and focuses on investments spanning technology, healthcare, and energy. The firm operates across multiple global locations and works closely with entrepreneurs to support growth, market expansion, and commercialization.
KEY QUOTES:
“Our selection as a registered VC under AMED’s program is a meaningful milestone that will position our team to accelerate our healthcare investment strategy in Japan. Japan is home to world-class science and a new generation of pharmaceutical startups. We are honored to support those founders as they work to translate science into impactful therapies for patients in Japan and around the world.”
Raj Ganguly, Co-Founder And Co-CEO, B Capital
“We are pleased to be selected as a registered VC through this program. As we witness unprecedented innovation across the global healthcare landscape, we believe that continued private and public investment in new therapeutic technologies will be critical. With our extensive track record supporting world class pharmaceutical and AI-enabled drug discovery companies and this designation under AMED’s program, B Capital looks forward to having a positive impact on both development and commercialization across Japan’s drug discovery ecosystem.”
Robert Mittendorff, MD, General Partner And Global Head Of Healthcare, B Capital
“We’ve seen firsthand from our work across Asia that the pharmaceutical ecosystem in Japan stands out for its scientific rigor and increasingly ambitious community of founders building globally relevant companies. Working closely with teams on the ground, we see particular momentum at the intersection of biotech, medtech and data-enabled healthcare, where strong research is increasingly paired with translational and clinical focus. This designation allows us to apply B Capital’s healthcare experience across Asia to work closely with founders when promising science is ready to scale, helping advance development and commercialization with a long-term, global lens.”
Kelly Qiao, PhD, Senior Principal, B Capital
