Toyota Motor Corporation has announced the creation of a new strategic investment subsidiary, Toyota Invention Partners Co., Ltd. (TIP), with a capital of 100 billion yen (about 670 million USD). The company aims to strengthen collaborations between Toyota, Woven by Toyota (WbyT), Toyota Group companies, affiliates, and external partners as part of its transition into a mobility-focused business.
TIP will focus on investing in early-stage startups in Japan and other regions, as well as supporting inventors who share Toyota’s vision of collaborative innovation. Unlike traditional funds that operate within fixed periods, TIP is structured for long-term engagement. It plans to provide not only financial backing but also access to Toyota’s resources such as talent and manufacturing expertise. This approach is intended to help partners scale their businesses and create sustainable frameworks for cooperation.
In addition to TIP, Woven Capital—Toyota’s growth-stage venture investment arm—has launched Fund II with 800 million USD (approximately 120 billion yen), matching the size of its first fund established in 2021. Fund II will target investments in Series B to late-stage companies working on AI, automation, climate technology, energy, sustainability, and related fields. Since its inception in 2021, Woven Capital has invested in 18 companies worldwide.
Ownership of Woven Capital was transferred from WbyT to Toyota on July 1, 2025. This move makes Woven Capital a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota and is expected to accelerate strategic partnerships within the group.
Kenta Kon, Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Toyota and CEO of TIP, stated: “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.”
Toyota Invention Partners will begin operations on October 1st at Nihonbashi Muromachi Mitsui Tower in Tokyo’s Chuo-ku district under CEO Kenta Kon.
Woven by Toyota continues efforts toward human-centric innovation in mobility through technologies like AD/ADAS systems and software platforms such as Arene.
Woven Capital focuses on investing globally in startups that advance mobility solutions across various sectors including decarbonization initiatives.
More details about SDGs-related initiatives can be found at https://global.toyota/en/sustainability/sdgs/.
