Toyota launches strategic investment subsidiary and Woven Capital Fund II to accelerate transformation to a mobility company
Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) has announced the establishment of Toyota Invention Partners Co., Ltd. (TIP), a new strategic investment subsidiary with 100 billion yen (approximately £502.9 million) in capital. TIP will focus on accelerating collaborations between Toyota, Woven by Toyota (WbyT), Toyota Group companies, their affiliates, and external partners as part of Toyota’s transformation into a mobility company. Additionally, Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth-stage venture investment arm, has established Fund II with 800 million USD (approximately 120 billion yen; £594.8 million), matching the size of Fund I launched in 2021.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota, TIP will build business collaborations by primarily investing in early-stage startups in Japan and other companies and inventors who share Toyota’s vision of ‘Inventing our path forward, together’. Unlike conventional funds with fixed periods, TIP will take a long-term view, aiming to contribute to Toyota’s mission of ‘producing happiness for all’ by creating new value with partners and stakeholders. Beyond financial investment, TIP will offer partners access to Toyota’s assets – including talent and manufacturing expertise – helping them scale and build enduring frameworks for synergistic collaboration. Together, a broad spectrum of partners will join TIP to shape the future of mobility, including startups and established enterprises, as well as early-stage Inventors participating in Toyota Woven City.
At the same time, Woven Capital has launched Fund II, targeting 20-25 new investments in Series B to late-stage companies developing AI, automation, climate technology, energy, sustainability and more. Since 2021, Woven Capital has invested in 18 companies, led by global investment professionals, and has created new business opportunities within the Toyota Group. To further accelerate strategic partnerships, ownership of Woven Capital was transferred from WbyT to Toyota on 1 July 2025, making Woven Capital a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota.
Kenta Kon, Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Toyota and CFO and Director of WbyT, appointed as CEO of Toyota Invention Partners said, “To ensure that mobility continues to bring smiles to people and remains vital to society, the Toyota Group has embraced the vision of ‘Inventing our path forward, together’. This vision places a particular emphasis on ‘Invention’, which has always been the foundation of the Group. As Toyota advances its transformation, it is crucial for us to go beyond the Toyota Group itself and work with external partners who bring new businesses and technologies not yet part of Toyota. One important way to enable this collaboration is through partnerships formed through investment. What we value most, however, is to stand with companies who share our aspirations, taking on the challenge of inventing the future together as true partners. By establishing TIP, alongside Toyota Ventures and Woven Capital which have led our strategic investments to date, we will accelerate collaboration even further, leveraging the strengths of all three to connect with an even broader community of innovators.”
George Kellerman, Managing Director of Woven Capital said, “Fund II marks a major milestone in our mission to back global innovators advancing mobility and beyond. As innovation accelerates and technological leaps transform how people, goods, information, and energy move, Toyota’s global platform gives these breakthrough companies the ability to scale to billions and improve lives everywhere.”
Moving forward, Toyota Invention Partners, Toyota Ventures, and Woven Capital will advance the strategic investments essential to Toyota’s future by leveraging and sharing their respective strengths, experience, and expertise.
Reference: Toyota Invention Partners
| Name | Toyota Invention Partners, Inc. |
| Start of operations | October 1st, 2025 |
| Headquarters | Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower, 3-2-1 Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan, 103-0022 |
| Representative director / CEO | Kenta Kon |
| Investment capacity | ¥100 billion (approximately £502.9 million) |
| Website | https://www.toyota-invention.partners |
Reference: About Toyota’s Strategic Investment Function
| Company | Toyota Invention Partners, Inc. | Woven Capital | Toyota Ventures |
| Year established | 2025 | 2021 | 2017 |
| Headquarter | Chuo-ku, Tokyo | Chuo-ku, Tokyo | California, USA |
| Representative director / CEO | Kenta Kon (CEO) | George Kellerman (Managing Director) | Jim Adler (Founder & General Partner) |
| Investment focus | Strategic investments with companies and inventors that align with Toyota’s business priorities and Toyota Woven City ecosystem. | Growth-stage VC investments in category-defining companies leveraging Toyota’s platform to advance the future of mobility. | Early-stage VC backing frontier technologies and climate solutions including AI, space, materials, hydrogen and renewable energy. |
| Investment period | In accordance with the business collaboration period (no specific fund period) | 10 years | 10-15 years |
About Woven by Toyota
Woven by Toyota, a part of the Toyota Group, is challenging the current state of mobility through human-centric innovation and empowering mobility transformation. Through its AD/ADAS technology, its software development platform Arene, and mobility test course Toyota Woven City, it is pioneering the movement of people, goods, information, and energy, weaving a future of enhanced safety, connectivity and well-being for all.
About Woven Capital
Woven Capital is Toyota’s growth-stage venture investment arm focused on realising the promise of mobility – how people, goods, information and energy can move. Founded in 2021, it is investing 1.6 billion USD in startups that create new ways to support mobility and emerging technologies, advance the industrial value chain, and accelerate decarbonisation and circularity. Learn more at woven.vc.
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