How much funding has Akari raised?

Akari has raised $36.3M in total funding. Their latest funding round was Strategic Round ($33.0M, Jan 2026). Key investors include Mitsubishi Electric, PKSHA Technology.

Where is Akari headquartered?

Akari is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The company has a team of 101-500 people.

When was Akari founded?

Akari was founded in 2021. It is based in Tokyo, Japan.

How much funding has Akari raised?

Akari has raised $36.3M in total funding. Key investors include Mitsubishi Electric, PKSHA Technology.

Who is the CEO of Akari?

Yuki Noro is the CEO of Akari. The company was founded in 2021.

Where is Akari located?

Akari is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

What funding stage is Akari at?

Akari is currently at the Established stage.

How many employees does Akari have?

Akari has approximately 101-500 employees.

Akari

Category: Robotics / Embodied AI

An AI startup from the University of Tokyo's Matsuo Lab that specializes in 'Physical AI' and vertical SaaS solutions to digitize Japan's core industries, including construction, manufacturing, and logistics. Akari was founded in 2021. The company is led by Yuki Noro. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $36.3M. Latest round: Strategic Round ($33.0M, Jan 2026). Key investors include Mitsubishi Electric, PKSHA Technology.

Founded: 2021
Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Team size: 101-500
Total funding: $36.3M

Value proposition

Solves industry-specific labor shortages and operational inefficiencies by integrating generative AI with proprietary industrial data (like BIM) and physical robotics.

Products and solutions

Hikari (光): Construction-specialized generative AI agent / Construction Concierge for site management., Takumi (工): Manufacturing-specialized generative AI agent for industrial workflows., Hakobi (運): Logistics-specialized generative AI agent., Akinai (商): Wholesale/retail-specialized generative AI agent., Digital Billder: AI SaaS for construction admin (invoices, expenses, cost management)., AKARI Construction LLM: Proprietary LLM fine-tuned for construction terminology and BIM data., Physical AI Solutions: Robotics control and digital twin systems bridging software intelligence with physical operations (with Mitsubishi Electric).

Unique value

Unlike generic AI providers, Akari focuses on 'Vertical AI' tailored for heavy industries, specifically the ability to index and search complex BIM (Building Information Modeling) and CAD data using LLMs.

Target customer

Large-scale general contractors (Zenith-con), manufacturing enterprises, real estate developers, and logistics providers.

Industries served

Construction, Manufacturing, Logistics, Real Estate, Wholesale / Retail

Technology advantage

Possesses a unique technical pipeline for 'Physical AI'—the intersection of deep learning and robotics—allowing for the automation of physical tasks in unstructured environments like construction sites.

How they differentiate

Differentiates through 'Physical AI' (integration of AI with robotics) and the proprietary 'AKARI Construction LLM' specifically fine-tuned for building information modeling (BIM) and industrial CAD data parsing, which generic LLMs cannot process.

Main competitors

Arent Inc., Photoruction, SpiderPlus & Co., ANDPAD

Key partnerships

Mitsubishi Electric: Strategic investor (¥5B, Jan 2026) and Physical AI / next-gen industrial OS co-development partner (strategy announced Mar 2026)., Haseko Corporation: Co-development partner for BIM + generative AI., Itoki: Joint development for office data utilization through generative AI., Iwata Chizaki Construction: Collaboration on LLM-based document automation., Sho-Bond Construction: Co-developed AI assistant Archibs for site knowledge retrieval (Feb 2026)., Nitori: Co-developed AI furniture placement simulation 'お部屋の写真deシミュレーション' (Aug 2026)., Daiwa House Industry: AI-assisted house plan system (NHK coverage 2026).

Notable customers

Haseko Corporation, Itoki Corporation, Iwata Chizaki Construction, Mitsubishi Electric, Sho-Bond Construction, Nitori, Daiwa House Industry, Shimizu Corporation

Major milestones

Founded in 2021 as a University of Tokyo Matsuo Lab spin-off, Launched 'Digital Billder' for construction invoice automation, Released 'AKARI Construction LLM' for BIM data utilization in 2023, Reached ¥100 billion+ pre-money valuation (unicorn candidate) in January 2026 following ¥5 billion investment from Mitsubishi Electric, Announced Physical AI collaboration strategy with Mitsubishi Electric (Mar 2026), Industry-specialized AI SaaS cumulative customers surpassed 1,500 (Jul 2026)

Growth metrics

Pre-money valuation over ¥100 billion (unicorn candidate) within five years; ~425 employees (Mar 2026); industry AI SaaS cumulative customers surpassed 1,500 (Jul 2026).

Market positioning

Leading vertical AI unicorn-candidate specializing in heavy industries (Construction, Manufacturing, Logistics), valued at ¥100B+ pre-money after Mitsubishi Electric's Jan 2026 investment.

Geographic focus

Japan

Patents and IP

Holds proprietary technologies in BIM automatic generation, digital twin synchronization, and construction-specific data encoding for LLMs.

About Yuki Noro

Founder and CEO of Akari Inc. (燈株式会社). He was a researcher at the University of Tokyo's Matsuo Lab, where he participated in AI joint research projects with listed companies. He was recognized in 'Forbes JAPAN 30 Under 30' (2022) and 'MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 Japan' (2023). Under his leadership, Akari achieved unicorn status with a valuation exceeding 100 billion JPY following a 5 billion JPY investment from Mitsubishi Electric in 2024.

More Robotics / Embodied AI companies

Official website: https://akariinc.co.jp/