Asahi Kasei established a “Care for Earth” investment framework as a new initiative for carbon neutrality by investing $100 million worldwide in early-stage startups that aim to solve issues in environmental fields such as hydrogen, energy storage, carbon management, and bio-based chemicals over the 5-year period up to fiscal year 2027.

Since 2008, Asahi Kasei has advanced corporate venture capital (CVC) activities in order to create new businesses by investing in startups and performing joint developments with them. Based in Silicon Valley since 2011, this activity has facilitated investments in over 50 startups in the US, Europe, China, and Japan, resulting in numerous collaborations and the two acquisitions of Crysal IS, a U.S.-based provider of UVC LEDs for air, water, and surface disinfection, and Swedish Senseair, a manufacturer of CO₂ and alcohol sensing solutions.

Until now, Asahi Kasei has focused its CVC investments in the area of “Care for People” such as healthcare, IoT, and homes, which have relatively short timeframes to commercialization. The area of “Care for Earth,” in contrast, tends to have longer-term commercial prospects, while fields such as hydrogen and energy storage lack established value chains, making it difficult to invest under the conventional framework.

“Our CVC team is excited for the opportunity to accelerate investments in early-stage startups hard at work to make a difference for our planet,” said Dr. Takashi Morishita, General Manager of Corporate Venture Capital at Asahi Kasei. “We are seeing a lot of passionate people leading these decarbonization initiatives and it feels good to help them on their way. The ideas and technology being innovated now will be an invaluable asset in actualizing a carbon neutral society.”

The Asahi Kasei Group aims to further contribute to sustainable society while achieving sustainable growth of corporate value by leveraging its accumulated technologies and expertise while accelerating investment for Green Transformation (GX).