WAKU raises ¥480M pre-Series A to advance glutathione biostimulant and fission yeast
What's the deal? Japanese biotech startup WAKUDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has closed a pre-Series A round totalling ¥480 million ($3 million). The round combines ¥330 million in equity and ¥150 million in debt, capping a raise that began with a ¥180 million tranche in July 2025.
Who's backing it? The August 2026 equity tranche drew existing investors Chugin Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Asahi Media Lab Ventures, plus new backers Nanto Capital PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Tottori CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Debt financing came from Toho BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, 77 BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Abukuma Shinkin BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
What does WAKU do? Based in Minamisoma, Fukushima, the company develops agricultural materials using glutathione under the banner "protecting humanity's food with glutathione." Its biostimulant, WAKUFUL, helps crops withstand environmental stress such as heat and drought.
What's the endgame? WAKU is also publicly disclosing its work on fission yeast for the first time, positioning itself as a bio deep-tech company. It filed a related patent in August 2026 and sees the yeast as a platform for producing glutathione and other high-function materials that conventional microbes struggle to make.
Where the money goes: The funds will expand WAKUFUL's domestic distribution network, sales team, and manufacturing capacity, while supporting overseas trials. WAKU will also invest in research on fission yeast production technology, scale-up methods, and hiring.
Why now? Climate change is driving worsening heat and drought that hit crop yields and quality, while producer numbers fall and input costs climb. WAKU frames biostimulants as a new category distinct from fertiliser and pesticides — "conditioning" that helps plants perform under stress.
The signal: The round sits around the 30th percentile by amount, a modest sum that reflects an early-stage bet on an unproven platform. WAKU's ambition to build a new bio industry from Japan spanning agriculture, food, healthcare, and cosmetics rests on making fission yeast an industrial base — a goal still largely in the lab.
Image credit: WAKU
