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Visual Bank

Category: Foundation Models / LLMs

A Japanese 'IP x AI Enabler' that builds ethical creative infrastructure by providing rights-cleared training datasets and AI-powered creation tools for the entertainment and media industries. Visual Bank was founded in 2022. The company is led by Saneyuki Nagai. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Team size: 37. Total funding raised: $24.4M. Latest round: Series B, $7.3M, 2025-08, led by Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital. Key investors include ["Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Venture Capital", "Z Venture Capital", "SMBC Venture Capital", "Mizuho Capital", "W inc.", "Global Brain", "ANRI", "Incubate Fund", "Aozora Corporate Investment", "CDIB Cross-border Innovation Fund"].

Founded
2022
Headquarters
Tokyo, Japan
Team size
37
Total funding
$24.4M

Value proposition

Resolves legal and ethical risks in AI development by providing high-quality, rights-cleared Japanese datasets while maximizing the economic value of intellectual property through AI integration.

Products and solutions

["amana images: Japan's largest stock photo and video library (100% subsidiary).", "Qlean Dataset: A specialized service providing rights-cleared datasets (images, text, and voice) for AI training and RAG.", "THE PEN: An AI-powered drawing and production support tool specifically designed for the Manga and Anime industry.", "IP Data Library System: A government-backed (GENIAC) infrastructure for managing and distributing IP-specific data for AI learning.", "Qlean Market: A data marketplace allowing for the ethical transaction of AI training materials."]

Unique value

Combines ownership of a massive legacy archive (amana images) with a 'legal-first' AI strategy, positioned as the primary gateway for ethical AI development in the Japanese IP market.

Target customer

Generative AI model developers (LLM/Diffusion), major tech firms (RAG development), manga and anime production studios, and corporate IP holders.

Industries served

["Generative AI & LLM Development","Entertainment (Manga, Anime, Games)","Media & Publishing","Legal Tech (Intellectual Property Management)","Advertising & Marketing"]

Technology advantage

Selected for METI’s 'GENIAC' project with a 1.5 billion JPY subsidy to build a national-scale IP data ecosystem; leverages proprietary rights-clearing workflows that allow commercial use of sensitive IP for AI training.

How they differentiate

Visual Bank differentiates through its 'IP x AI Enabler' strategy, providing a legal-first infrastructure for AI. Unlike global stock platforms, it offers deep, rights-cleared Japanese and Asian cultural datasets (via its subsidiary amana images) specifically curated for high-quality ethical AI training and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) applications.

Main competitors

["Adobe (Adobe Stock/Firefly)","Shutterstock","Stability AI Japan","Appen"]

Key partnerships

["Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) / NEDO (GENIAC project lead)","Toyo Keizai Inc. (Text data partnership for RAG)","Law Firm ZeLo (Strategic legal and IP framework development)","LINE Yahoo & Kyocera Group/Rist (AI development and dataset clients)","National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)"]

Notable customers

["Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)","LINE Yahoo (LY Corporation)","Toyo Keizai Inc.","Kyocera Group / Rist","Nippon Television Network"]

Major milestones

["Founded in April 2022 with 2.1 billion JPY in initial funding.","Acquired 100% of amana images in May 2022 to secure the largest Japanese visual IP library.","Launched 'Qlean Dataset' for ethical AI training and 'THE PEN' for Manga/Anime production support.","Selected for METI’s 'GENIAC' (Generative AI Accelerator Challenge) project in 2024 to build national IP data infrastructure.","Closed Series B funding of 1.1 billion JPY in August 2025 to accelerate global IP-AI integration."]

Growth metrics

Total capital raised exceeds 3.6 billion JPY (~$24.4M). Selected for the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) 'GENIAC' project with a 1.5 billion JPY subsidy. Subsidiary amana images maintains Japan's largest professional stock library with over 100 million assets.

Market positioning

Primary gateway and infrastructure provider for ethical AI development in Japan, bridging the gap between legacy intellectual property (IP) holders and generative AI developers.

Geographic focus

Japan (Core), Asia-Pacific, and North America (targeting global AI model developers needing localized/high-quality Japanese datasets).

Patents and IP

Focuses on proprietary data-management architectures and rights-clearing logic; specific patent filings are centered around their 'IP x AI' data library systems and automated attribution technologies.

About Saneyuki Nagai

Saneyuki Nagai is an investment banking professional with a decade of experience in corporate finance and M&A. After graduating from Waseda University in 2012, he held positions at Mizuho Securities and Deutsche Securities before joining SMBC Nikko Securities in 2016. During his tenure at SMBC Nikko, he served in the New York branch (SMBC Nikko Securities America), where he specialized in investment and M&A advisory for US-based tech startups. He co-founded Visual Bank in April 2022 and transitioned from Director to Representative Director & CEO in May 2024 to lead the company's expansion into the AI-driven intellectual property sector.

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