SkyDrive lands crossover backing from Resona Asset Management for flying car push
What's the deal? Japanese flying car developer SkyDriveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has raised late-stage venture funding from Resona Asset Management through a third-party allotment of shares. The company designs, manufactures, and sells compact electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft.
Why now? The round follows Japan's cabinet approval of its national growth strategy in July 2026, which named aerospace and next-generation industries as priority sectors. SkyDrive framed the investment as validation from a major institutional backer amid state-led momentum for the flying car industry.
What's notable? This marks Resona Asset Management's first crossover investment — a technique in which public-market institutional investors back pre-IPO growth companies. The firm leads Japan's domestic equity active management, according to SkyDrive.
"We resonate with SkyDrive's mission and vision," said Hiroki Iura, chief fund manager at Resona Asset Management. He added that Japan lacks long-term capital, calling "the disconnect in the financial ecosystem around IPO" a significant problem. (translated from Japanese)
What's the endgame? SkyDrive is targeting a commercial service launch in 2028. It plans to use the strengthened base to secure type certification, build mass-production capacity, and lift enterprise value.
The company has notched early milestones: Japan's first public manned flight test in 2020 and a demonstration flight at the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. Manufacturing has started at a SuzukiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → group plant in Iwata, Shizuoka.
The signal: A public-market manager crossing into pre-IPO aviation reflects how Japan is trying to close its late-stage funding gap. For SkyDrive, backing from a long-term institutional investor signals confidence in flying cars moving from demonstration to commercial reality.
Image credit: skydrive.co
Read more: PR Times
