Beyond Next Ventures Inc. (Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Founder CEO / Managing Partner: Tsuyoshi Ito) is pleased to announce its investment as a co-lead investor in the seed round of ATOM Inc. (Koto-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shunsuke Aoki, hereinafter “ATOM” ). ATOM raised a total of JPY 3 billion in this round.

About ATOM

ATOM is a startup developing bipedal, dual-armed humanoid AI robots, driven by the vision of “creating a new species.” By integrating Physical AI with robotic embodiment, ATOM is developing Japan-made humanoid robots designed to perform on-site operations such as transport, replenishment, and kitting, primarily in the manufacturing and logistics sectors.

Physical AI refers to foundational AI technology that enables robots to perceive their environment, make decisions, and perform tasks in the real world.

The company’s key strength lies in its ability to develop both humanoid robot hardware and the underlying AI foundation in an integrated manner. By handling the planning, design, and integration of its robots in-house, ATOM continuously leverages data collected from real-world operations to refine its AI models and hardware, enabling the development of highly practical humanoid robots.

Amid a rapidly shrinking workforce, many on-site operations still rely on human labor, including tasks performed under hazardous conditions. Through its Japan-made humanoid robots and Physical AI technologies, ATOM aims to address these operational challenges while helping build the foundation for Japan to compete globally in next-generation industrial technologies.

The funds raised in this round will be used to strengthen the company’s development capabilities in Physical AI and humanoid robotics, expand hiring efforts focused on AI engineering talent, and establish the business infrastructure necessary to deploy these technologies across the manufacturing and logistics sectors.

ATOM’s Website: https://atom-humanoid.com/

Background of the Investment

Demand for automation and labor-saving solutions across industrial settings continues to grow. While conventional industrial robots excel at executing predefined tasks with high precision, many operations are difficult to automate using existing technologies–particularly in manufacturing lines requiring frequent process changes and logistics sites originally designed around human workers.

In recent years, advances in AI have driven growing interest in “Physical AI,” where AI systems use sensors to perceive their environment, understand instructions, and perform tasks in the real world. Humanoid robots, with their human-compatible form factor, are considered one of the most promising platforms for the real-world deployment of Physical AI.

At the same time, humanoid robots and robotics foundation models are becoming increasingly important from the perspectives of industrial competitiveness and economic security. ATOM believes that domestic development of both humanoid robot hardware and robotics foundation models is essential to building a technological foundation optimized for Japan’s industrial environment.

We decided to invest in ATOM based on its vision for developing Japan-developed humanoid robots and Physical AI, its strategy for real-world deployment, and the strength of its team, which brings deep expertise in autonomous driving AI, robotics, machine learning, and hardware development.

Going forward, we will leverage our expertise and network of corporate partners, investors, and executive talent to support ATOM in advancing its R&D, business development, fundraising, and organizational capabilities.

Comments from Beyond Next Ventures

Tsuyoshi Ito (Founder CEO / Managing Partner) and Akiko Fujii
As investment in Physical AI continues to accelerate globally–particularly in the United States and China–the importance of domestically developing and owning robotics foundation models and humanoid robot platforms is also growing in Japan, from the perspectives of both industrial competitiveness and economic security. We believe these technologies will serve as a critical foundation for Japan’s future industrial competitiveness.

CEO Aoki is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in Physical AI research and development at Carnegie Mellon University and Turing Inc. Guided by the bold vision of “building a new industry as a humanoid robotics manufacturer originating from Japan,” he has assembled, since the company’s earliest days, a team with deep expertise in AI, robotics, hardware, design, and business development. We see tremendous potential in the team’s ability to steadily turn this vision into reality.

Beyond Next Ventures will continue supporting ATOM across business development, organizational building, fundraising, and strategic partnerships, with the vision of the startup becoming a leading force in Japan’s humanoid robotics industry.

About Beyond Next Ventures Inc.

Creating the beyond next society; enabling exceptional people solving global challenges.
Beyond Next Ventures is a deep-tech venture capital firm dedicated to translating scientific breakthroughs into real-world impact and building a virtuous cycle in which the value created fuels the next wave of innovation. We manage JPY 48 billion (approximately US$320 million) in funds focused on deep-tech startups. Through our proprietary company creation capabilities, executive talent matching, and the TECHNIUM Global Conference that convenes key stakeholders from Japan and around the world, we strengthen a deep-tech innovation ecosystem and accelerate the commercialization of research outcomes in collaboration with industry, academia, and government.

• Head Office: 3-7-2 Nihonbashi Honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Nihonbashi Honcho Showa-dori Building, 3rd Floor
• Subsidairy: Galaxy-Wework, 43, Residency Road, Shanthala Nagar Ashok Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India – 560025
• Representative: Founder CEO / Managing Partner Tsuyoshi Ito , Managing Director / General Partner Kengo Ueha
• Established: August 2014
• Business: Investment and growth support for deep tech startups in Japan and India, support for the commercialization of research seeds, cultivation and formation of management talent and teams, operation of shared wet labs, etc.
• Website: https://beyondnextventures.com