Mitsubishi Estate backs Japan's VALT JAPAN in push to employ people with disabilities
What's the deal? VALT JAPANDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Tokyo startup that runs a digital platform for people who face barriers to employment, has raised a late-stage round from BRICKS FUND TOKYODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → and Mitsubishi EstateDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal was announced in September 2026.
What does the company do? Founded in 2014, VALT JAPAN operates NEXT HERODealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a platform that helps people with disabilities or chronic illnesses take on business work. Its stated vision is "the construction of new social infrastructure where people who face employment barriers can thrive through work" (translated from Japanese).
Why now? The follow-on investment builds on an earlier round from the same backers. BRICKS FUND TOKYO is Mitsubishi Estate's corporate venture fund, run with Prime PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, that targets startups tackling long-term social impact.
What's the endgame? The two partners opened a joint work-support office in February 2025 in central Tokyo's Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho district, home to many of Japan's largest companies. The site now draws more than 800 applicants a year and has expanded work contracts from major firms, establishing a model where diverse talent handles core corporate tasks.
The signal: By adding key industry and regional players as shareholders, VALT JAPAN aims to speed the rollout of its employment model — a bet that untapped labour can help ease Japan's persistent workforce shortages.
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