Japanese sustainability enterprise ASUENE has raised $87 million in a Series D funding round led by Decarbonization Partners, a joint venture between BlackRock and Temasek. The transaction marks the fund’s first direct investment in Japan and brings ASUENE’s total funding to date to $161 million.
The Series D round comprises $43.8 million in fresh equity capital alongside $19.3 million in debt financing provided by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). The round attracted a syndicate of eight new and returning domestic and international investors, including industrial giants Daikin and Ricoh.
The capital injection will support ASUENE’s merger and acquisition pipeline, accelerate business expansion across Japan and overseas markets, advance artificial intelligence product development, and finance new commercial ventures. The company aims to position its platform as the international standard for enterprise sustainability management and manufacturing supply chain reporting.
Dr Meghan Sharp, Global Head and Chief Investment Officer of Decarbonization Partners, noted that sustainability metrics are becoming central to core commercial strategy.
“As companies face increasing expectations to measure and reduce emissions across their operations and supply chains, sustainability data is evolving from a reporting requirement into a strategic business tool,” said Sharp. “ASUENE enables organisations not only to meet evolving disclosure requirements, but also to use emissions data to improve efficiency and drive better business outcomes. We’re excited to partner with the ASUENE team as they expand as an international integrated sustainability services company.”
Kohei Nishiwada, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ASUENE, described the ten-month fundraising process as a crucial milestone amidst rapid market evolution.
“We’re honoured to announce the close of our Series D round, a total of US$87 million, led by Decarbonization Partners, BlackRock’s dedicated decarbonisation investment fund,” Nishiwada stated. “This was a complex, high-stakes deal that took roughly ten months to bring home, involving a wide range of investors and stakeholders. We navigated it against a backdrop of rapid change in the market, most notably the rise of generative AI, and worked through no shortage of hard problems along the way.”
Nishiwada added that the partnership with institutional investors will propel the company’s ambition to become a leading global AI-driven sustainability platform.
