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- Sakana AI
Sakana AI Valuation, Funding & Investors
Sakana AI is valued at $2.6B as of January 2026.
Last Sakana AI valuation
$2.6B
Strategic investment · Jan 2026
Last Sakana AI funding round
Strategic investment
Amount undisclosed · Mar 2026
Cumulative funding Sakana AI raised
$228M
across 6 funding rounds
Key investors in Sakana AI
Lux Capital
New Enterprise Associates
Khosla Ventures
Alphabet
Macquarie Asset Management
IQT
About Sakana AI
Sakana AI is a Tokyo-based artificial intelligence lab founded in 2023 that develops evolutionary algorithms for large language models. The company created Evolutionary Model Merge to combine open-source LLMs like Llama and Mistral into superior hybrids outperforming GPT-4 on benchmarks. Sakana AI introduced AB-MCTS for multi-model inference cooperation, Continuous Thought Machine using neuron synchronization for temporal reasoning, and Transformer² with dynamic weight adjustment. Additional innovations include TAID for model distillation and ShinkaEvolve for algorithm discovery via LLM code search.
Founded
2023
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Licensing
Valuation
$2.6B (Jan 2026)
Sakana AI Valuation
Sakana AI is currently valued at $2.6B, based on its strategic investment round in January 2026.
The round was led by Alphabet.
Sakana AI's valuation has grown 13x from $200M at its seed round in January 2024 to $2.6B in January 2026, across 4 priced rounds.
Sakana AI valuation by funding round
| Date | Stage | Valuation |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | Strategic investment | $2.6B |
| Nov 2025 | Series B | $2.6B |
| Sep 2024 | Series A | $1.4B |
| Jan 2024 | Seed | $200M |
Sakana AI Funding History
Sakana AI has raised a total of $228M across 6 funding rounds.
Sakana AI's first fundraising round was a $30M seed round in January 2024. The most recent completed round was a strategic investment round in March 2026.
Sakana AI funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Valuation | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | Strategic investment | Mitsubishi Electric (lead) | - | - | - |
| Feb 2026 | Strategic investment | Citigroup (lead) | - | - | Sakana AI is a Tokyo-based AI R&D company developing foundational models and enterprise-grade AI solutions using nature-inspired intelligence to enhance operational efficiencies across industries, including finance. The company has a proven track record of working with financial institutions like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Daiwa Securities Group to create specialized AI models for financial domains. On February 24, 2026, Citi made a strategic minority equity investment in Sakana AI through its Markets Strategic Investments unit, marking Citi's first such investment in a Japanese company. The deal aims to accelerate Sakana AI's international expansion and innovation in global financial services by leveraging the company's technical capabilities and commercial traction in Japan. Financial terms, including amount raised and valuation, were not disclosed. Citi highlighted Sakana AI's strong product-market fit and potential to transform financial services, with executives from both sides expressing enthusiasm for the partnership to drive AI adoption in banking and markets. |
| Jan 2026 | Strategic investment | Alphabet (lead) | - | $2.6B | Sakana AI, founded in 2023 by former Google researchers including David Ha, Llion Jones, and Ren Ito, develops affordable generative AI models optimized for the Japanese language, culture, and small datasets. The Tokyo-based startup focuses on sovereign AI solutions tailored to national needs, positioning itself as an alternative to large U.S. foundation models from companies like Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic. In November 2025, Sakana AI raised $135 million (¥20 billion) in a Series B funding round at a $2.65 billion post-money valuation, up from a $2.5 billion pre-money valuation, making it Japan's most valuable private startup. Investors included major Japanese financial institutions like MUFG and Daiwa Securities, alongside global funds such as Khosla Ventures, Macquarie Capital, NEA, Lux Capital, and In-Q-Tel. The round brought total funding to approximately $379 million across four rounds. The proceeds will accelerate R&D for Japan-optimized AI models, expand enterprise business into industrial, manufacturing, government, defense, and intelligence sectors, and support engineering, sales, and distribution growth. Sakana AI has secured partnerships with enterprises like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Daiwa Securities. Separately, Google made a strategic investment in Sakana AI to boost Gemini's presence in Japan's enterprise market, providing access to Alphabet's foundation models while leveraging Sakana's local expertise, though the investment amount and exact date were not disclosed. |
| Nov 2025 | Series B | MPower Partners; MUFG; New Enterprise Associates; Macquarie Asset Management; Lux Capital; Geodesic Capital; Khosla Ventures; Ora Global; Fundomo; Mouro Capital; IQT; Factorial Funds | $128M | $2.6B | - |
| Sep 2024 | Series A | Khosla Ventures (lead); Lux Capital (lead); New Enterprise Associates (lead) | $70M | $1.4B | - |
| Jan 2024 | Seed | Lux Capital (lead) | $30M | $200M | Sakana AI, founded in 2023 by former Google researchers David Ha, Llion Jones, and Ren Ito, is a Tokyo-based generative AI research lab developing nature-inspired foundation models optimized for Japanese language and culture, aiming to create efficient AI that works well with small datasets and reduces computational costs by evolving beyond traditional Transformer architectures. The company released products like Japanese-language models, an Edo-style chatbot named Karamaru, and the open-source ShinkaEvolve framework. In January 2024, Sakana AI raised a $30 million seed round (equivalent to 4.5 billion yen) led by Lux Capital, with participation from Khosla Ventures, NTT Group, Sony Group, and angels including Jeff Dean, Clement Delangue, and Alexandr Wang. The funds were intended to research and develop new foundation models based on nature-inspired intelligence. Subsequent rounds followed: a Series A in September 2024 raising approximately $100-214 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, led by New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, and Lux Capital, to invest in talent and infrastructure for sustainable AI technologies. By March 2025, total funding reached about $244 million. A Series B in November 2025 raised $135-200 million at a $2.65 billion post-money valuation (from $2.5 billion pre-money), backed by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Khosla Ventures, Macquarie Capital, NEA, Lux Capital, and In-Q-Tel, to expand R&D, engineering, sales, distribution teams, and focus on sectors like defense, manufacturing, and government in Japan. Sakana AI differentiates by prioritizing sovereign AI solutions reflecting national cultures, partnering with Japanese enterprises like Daiwa and MUFG, and pursuing energy-efficient models distinct from U.S. giants like OpenAI and Anthropic. As of late 2025, the company had around 70 employees and total funding nearing $379-330 million, positioning it as a leader in Japan's AI landscape with strong investor confidence from both local heavyweights and global VCs. |
Who has invested in Sakana AI?
15 investors have backed Sakana AI across its funding rounds, including Lux Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, Alphabet, Macquarie Asset Management and IQT.
Lead investors include Mitsubishi Electric, Citigroup, Alphabet, Khosla Ventures, Lux Capital and 1 other investor.
Sakana AI Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Lead | Jan 2024 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Sep 2024 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Sep 2024 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Feb 2026 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
| 1 | Lead | Mar 2026 | ||
| 1 | Participant | Nov 2025 | ||
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Start Free TrialSakana AI Competitors
Sakana AI competitors include listed companies like Affle 3i and Ncino, and private ones like Corgi Insurance, Pendo, Quantexa and Baichuan Intelligence.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private | $100M | - | $2.6B | 26.0x | ||
| Private | $100M | - | $2.6B | 26.0x | ||
| Private | $100M | - | $2.6B | 26.0x | ||
| Private | - | - | $2.8B | - | ||
| Publicly listed | $282M | $67M | $2.3B | 6.7x | ||
| Publicly listed | $595M | $65M | $2.3B | 4.0x |
Sakana AI Public Comps
Sakana AI is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Affle 3i, Ncino, Haizhi, C3.ai, Wenge AI, TRS Information Technology, PCITECH, Fractal Analytics, Presight AI and MiniMax Group.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $282M | $67M | 7.4x | 6.7x | 31.3x | 29.5x | |||
| $595M | $65M | 4.3x | 4.0x | 39.0x | 15.8x | |||
| $93M | ($30M) | 21.5x | 16.3x | (67.1x) | (440.4x) | |||
| $250M | ($484M) | 4.3x | 4.5x | (2.2x) | (6.2x) | |||
| $60M | ($20M) | 27.6x | - | (82.7x) | - | |||
| $76M | ($20M) | 19.3x | 19.7x | (73.5x) | 478.8x | |||
| $1.5B | $53M | 0.8x | 0.9x | 24.1x | - | |||
| $344M | $50M | 3.7x | 3.4x | 25.8x | 21.0x | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Sakana AI competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Sakana AI
| When was Sakana AI founded? | Sakana AI was founded in 2023. |
| Where is Sakana AI headquartered? | Sakana AI is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. |
| Is Sakana AI publicly listed? | No, Sakana AI is a private, VC-backed company. |
| What is Sakana AI's valuation? | Sakana AI was last valued at $2.6B in its strategic investment round in January 2026. |
| How much funding has Sakana AI raised? | Sakana AI has raised $228M across 6 funding rounds. |
| What was Sakana AI's last funding round? | Sakana AI's last funding round was a strategic investment round in March 2026, led by Mitsubishi Electric. |
| Who are Sakana AI's investors? | Sakana AI's investors include Lux Capital, New Enterprise Associates, Khosla Ventures, MPower Partners, MUFG, Citigroup, Macquarie Asset Management, Geodesic Capital, Ora Global, Fundomo and 5 others. |
| Which companies are comparable to Sakana AI? | Companies comparable to Sakana AI include Corgi Insurance, Pendo, Quantexa, Baichuan Intelligence, Affle 3i and Ncino. |
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