Ajinomoto Co., Inc., the Japan-based multinational corporation covering food, healthcare and electronic materials, and built on “AminoScience,” has expanded its corporate venture capital (CVC) arm with new U.S. headquarters to grow its investments in U.S. and global companies.
 
The aim is to back innovators in the company’s four growth areas, “Healthcare,” “Food & Wellness,” “ICT,” and “Green.”
 
With its new team in Silicon Valley, the CVC arm is designed to strengthen its funding and partnership support to startups while driving growth across the Ajinomoto Group’s food, healthcare, and electronic material business verticals. Portfolio entrepreneurs will gain access to Ajinomoto Co.’s technology expertise in advanced ingredient and material research as well as manufacturing capabilities from fermentation to biopharma CDMOs.
 
“Ajinomoto is built by scientists and engineers who execute on bold innovative ideas, and we believe there is no better place than Silicon Valley for us to keep our innovation edge sharp and find shared growth opportunities with entrepreneurs,” says Shunji Takehana, the U.S.-based General Manager of the CVC arm.
 
For the 115-year-old company, the new focus on startup partnerships is crucial for its next growth phase, as outlined in its recently published 2030 roadmap. Ajinomoto Co. intends to amplify its impact beyond food and nutrition and drive growth in other business segments that contribute to society and planet, specifically in healthcare and information & communications technology.

More Ajinomoto News