VUILD Raises Approximately 230 Million Yen to Accelerate Its B2B Business

With this funding, we will make a major shift from our B2C business, in which we have manufactured and sold furniture and houses to individuals, to the B2B field, undertaking the fabrication and construction of interiors and buildings for companies, and aim for dramatic growth.

Leveraging the knowledge and networks of our new investors, we will expand our business across Japan and around the world, accelerating our growth as a global company.

In particular, with world-renowned artist Takashi Murakami, we will announce our first collaboration at “Magazine House Expo “From Ginza to the World”,” held at Ginza Sony Park from October 10, 2025. VUILD’s technology will help bring to life Mr. Murakami’s ideas for architecture and furniture, which will be exhibited and sold at the venue.

In recent years, labor shortages and soaring construction costs have become serious problems in the construction industry. Drawing on the expertise we have built as a pioneer in digital architecture, VUILD aims to establish itself as a next-generation general contractor and builder.

Specifically, to accelerate our fabrication and construction business for companies working on architectural and interior design, we will build a sales organization and expand production capacity through capital investment. We also want to focus on building a construction system capable of undertaking small- and medium-scale timber construction, such as the “circular timber stadium for Fukushima United” we recently announced in a press release.

We look forward to hearing from anyone who wants to create spatial design or architecture that presents new value.

[Profile]
Artist and CEO of Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.
Born in Tokyo in 1962. Completed the doctoral program at the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, receiving the first doctorate ever awarded in Nihonga (Japanese-style painting).
2005: Received the Best Thematic Museum Show award from the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) USA for the “Little Boy” exhibition in New York.
2008: Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.”
2016: Received the 66th Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize.

[Comment]
I was introduced to VUILD by Mr. Nishio, editor-in-chief of Casa BRUTUS, about the Magazine House 80th anniversary event. Two minutes into our Zoom meeting, I asked whether there was any chance I could invest, and they said, “We’d be delighted!” That’s how our relationship began.

“Submit the data, print out the architecture.”

That idea clicked with me!

Backed by digital power, creativity from Japan will explode ten times more than it does today. I have a feeling VUILD could become the face of that moment, and I hope it does.

[Profile]
Previously worked on regional revitalization at JTB. In 2021, returned to his hometown of Kochi and joined 和建設, where he is in charge of business development, including the hospitality and overseas businesses.

[Comment]
Using technology and rich creativity to draw out the full potential of wood, VUILD has always realized architecture beyond imagination. Its challenge is shining a new light on regions of Japan that are rich in forest resources. It is hard for my imagination to grasp the future of architecture that VUILD envisions, but I am convinced there are areas where we can co-create precisely because we are a regional general contractor. I look forward to what comes next and to walking this path together.

[Profile]
After completing a master’s degree at the Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo, he joined McKinsey & Company’s Japan office and founded Oisix Inc. in 2000. The company listed on the TSE Mothers market in 2013 and moved to the Prime Market in 2022. In 2016 it acquired the mobile supermarket “Tokushimaru” as a subsidiary. Following business integrations with “Daichi wo Mamoru Kai” in 2017 and “Radish Boya” in 2018, he became president of the new company that brings together these food delivery brands. In 2024 it acquired SHIDAX as a subsidiary; he is currently President and CEO. He is also Chairman of Niigata Albirex Baseball Club, Co-Representative Director of EVIDENCE STUDIO, and Chair of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives’ Committee for Realizing Mutual-Aid Capitalism.

[Comment from Akiyoshi]
I met Mr. Takashima at the Noto Multi-Sector Dialogue hosted by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives. I was deeply impressed by how he stood as a leader championing “mutual-aid capitalism,” which aims to balance economic and social value. We want to bring about in the world of “housing” the kind of transformation he is pursuing in the world of “food.” To do so, we must take on not only social value but also economic value head-on. I wanted Mr. Takashima to support this new resolve, and he has now invested in us.

[Profile]
Graduated from the Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. After working at Sony Corporation and Monex, Inc., he founded Money Forward, Inc. in 2012. The company listed on the TSE Mothers market in 2017 and the Prime Market in 2021. “Money Forward ME” has about 17.3 million users (cumulative app downloads and web registrations), and the back-office SaaS “Money Forward Cloud” serves more than 410,000 businesses. Working in the SaaS × Fintech field, the company addresses household finance, asset management and asset building for individuals, and accounting, HR and legal issues for businesses. He is Vice Chairman of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives and Chair of its Startup Promotion Committee, a member of the Executive Committee of the Silicon Valley Japan Platform, and a director of the Japan Association of New Economy.

[Comment from Akiyoshi]
I first met Mr. Tsuji at a pitch event hosted by the Japan Association of Corporate Executives. It was my first pitch contest, and I remember being very nervous. Later, reading his book “Let’s Talk About Failure” gave me great courage that people can change through effort. Mr. Tsuji founded his company at 36. Now, at 36 myself, I strongly feel that I too must change. I wanted Mr. Tsuji to support my challenge of transforming from a creator into a businessperson, and he has now invested in us.

[Profile]
Completed the doctoral program in Applied Biological Chemistry at the Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the University of Tokyo; Ph.D. (Agriculture). In 2002, while still a graduate student, he founded Leave a Nest with only science and engineering undergraduate and graduate students, turning Japan’s first “cutting-edge science outreach lab classes” into a business. He has built one of Asia’s largest deep-tech venture ecosystems and works with startups, corporations, universities and financial institutions around the world to solve global challenges. He has launched many startups, including euglena Co., Ltd., and manages 30 group companies, including overseas subsidiaries in Southeast Asia. Since 2022, he has also served as CEO of UntroD Capital Asia, which runs a “global fund” aiming to bring deep-tech ventures that help solve the challenges of the planet and humanity into society, mainly in Southeast Asia.

[Comment]
On December 22, 2024, I was suddenly called to a café in Tokyo, and that is where I met Mr. Akiyoshi. Even though it was our first conversation, he asked me about investing right away, which still leaves a strong impression on me. But I resonated with his passion and VUILD’s worldview, and decided on the spot that we would work together. Through joint projects such as the Regenerative City, we will continue working together to build the foundation of a new knowledge-manufacturing industry that connects “space and people” and “regions and technology.”

[Profile]
Founded architecture-tech startup VUILD in 2017, aiming for “the democratization of architecture.” His work covers a wide range of design fields, from things to experiences, including digital fabrication and social design.
Major awards include the Under 35 Architects exhibition Gold Medal (2019), the Good Design Gold Award (2020), the Archi-Neering Design AWARD 2021 Grand Prize (2022), the Archi-Neering Design AWARD 2023 Grand Prize (2024), the Minna no Kenchiku Taisho Grand Prize (2024), and the iF Design Award Gold Award (2025). His books include “Meta Architect: Architecture for the Next Generation” (2022).

[Comment]
Our previous fundraising rounds took place when we had no clear path to profitability, so most of the money went to working capital. They were, in a sense, “defensive” fundraising. This round, by contrast, is “offensive” fundraising, backed by growing revenue and stable cash flow.

We will use the funds for business investment with long-term growth in mind. Specifically, we will promote (1) automation of the design process with AI, and (2) automation of the manufacturing process with robotics.

With macro conditions such as labor shortages and soaring construction costs acting as a tailwind, we are receiving many requests for fabrication and construction projects. For now we have no choice but to handle them in a labor-intensive way, but through this investment we will digitize everything from design to manufacturing and achieve the scalability to expand across Japan and around the world.

Over the next one to two years, we will focus on validating automation technology and gaining traction in our B2B business. Based on those results, we plan to raise another large round and scale up rapidly.

We sincerely appreciate your continued support.

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of Magazine House Co., Ltd., the special event “Magazine House Expo “From Ginza to the World”,” a collaboration with Ginza Sony Park, will be held from Friday, October 10 to Saturday, October 25, 2025. Under the concept “From Ginza to the World,” visitors can experience a wide variety of content symbolizing the past, present and future of the magazine culture Magazine House has cultivated over 80 years. Making the most of the unique venue of Ginza Sony Park, the event will offer programs that immerse visitors in Magazine House’s cultural assets.

Venue: Ginza Sony Park
Dates: October 10 – October 25
Organizer: Magazine House Co., Ltd.
Press release: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000547.000030125.html
Official site:

We are actively hiring for all positions.
If you are even a little interested in VUILD’s mission and work, please apply!

Website: https://vuild.co.jp/career/
Wantedly: https://www.wantedly.com/companies/vuild
architecturephoto: https://job.architecturephoto.net/jobs/035009/

▶︎ Original press release (Japanese): https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000042.000031751.html