Startup
Bitkey
株式会社ビットキー
Not ranked in the Japan Top 100 Startups: published total includes debt and the split is not disclosed
| Founded / HQ | 2018 · Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Equity raised to date | ≥ ¥39Bincl. debt/grants “累計資金調達額390億円超” Company-stated cumulative · as of 1 Jul 2026 · Bitkey Third-party allotments plus bank borrowings (excluding refinanced loans). |
| Last round | 7 Jul 2026 · Undisclosed · ¥4B 40億円 |
| Latest public valuation | Not publicly disclosed (we do not estimate) |
| Key investors | JIC VGI |
| Unicorn | No |
| Website | bitkey.co.jp |
From Japanese sources
Findings from Japanese-language filings, government records, trade press, interviews and job posts, with our English analysis. Items tagged Japanese-only had no English coverage when we checked quickly. Most insightful first.
| 2026-09-04 | Regulatory filingJapanese-onlyBitkey's filed accounts: losses narrowing (¥3.3B → ¥3.06B → ¥1.65B), deficit ¥21.25B 株式会社ビットキーの決算公告・財務情報（2025年12月期） Bitkey's electronic notices show net losses of ¥3.3B, ¥3.06B and ¥1.65B for FY2023–25 and an accumulated deficit of ¥21.25B. Net assets of only ¥1.94B are being refilled by JIC VGI money. The loss is halving, but the deficit explains why a government-linked fund, rather than an IPO, is supplying growth capital. Source: Kaiji Wire (compiling Bitkey's electronic public notices) |
|---|---|
| 2025-09-29 | Hiring signalJapanese-onlyBitkey hiring finance staff 'with a listing in view'; head of IPO preparation named 上場を見据える急成長中企業を経理財務の面からリードするメンバーを募集！ The posting names CPA Masami Tobita as executive officer and 上場準備責任者 (head of IPO preparation). That is an explicit internal IPO-readiness role at a company that has publicly given no listing timeline. Source: Wantedly |
Overview
Bitkey builds an ID authentication and authorisation platform (bitkey platform) and sells 'connect' platforms on top of it: workhub for offices and buildings and homehub for housing, plus smart locks and other hardware. Office users include Mazda's Tokyo head office and Nishi-Nippon City Bank, and developers such as Osaka Gas Urban Development fit its locks as standard in new rental flats. Revenue comes from hardware sales and platform subscriptions. It says it has raised more than ¥39B since 2018, a figure that includes bank borrowing, most recently ¥4B from the government-backed JIC VGI fund in July 2026.
Built from: JIC VGI follow-on release · Newsroom
Company timeline
Founded
| Date | 2018-05-16· Bitkey seed release |
|---|---|
| Founders | Yuki Ejiri, Masanori Fukuzawa, Masanori Takatsuki |
Funding
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead / key investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-26 | Seed | ¥340M 総額3.4億円の第三者割当増資 | VOYAGE VENTURES | Bitkey release |
| 2019-06-20 | Funding | ¥740M; cumulative ¥1B 総額約7.4億円、10億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2020-01-23 | Series A | ¥3.44B equity + ¥460M loans (total ¥3.903B) 約３４.４億円の第三者割当増資と…４.６億円の融資により、シリーズAラウンドで総額３９億３００万円 | Goldman Sachs | Bitkey |
| 2021-06-16 | Funding | ¥3.2B; cumulative ¥9B 32億円、90億円 | PR TIMES | |
| 2024-11-01 | Growth (JIC VGI) | Undisclosed; cumulative > ¥30B incl. loans 累計資金調達額が300億円超 | JIC Venture Growth Fund II | Bitkey |
| 2026-07-01 | Growth (JIC VGI follow-on) | ¥4B; cumulative > ¥39B incl. loans 40億円の追加資金調達…累計資金調達額は390億円超 | JIC Venture Growth Fund II | Bitkey |
Key hires & board
None compiled yet.
Milestones
| 2020-01-23 | Tractionbitlock LITE passes 120,000 orders nine months after its April 2019 launch· Bitkey |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-11 | PartnershipNew smart lock co-developed with Alpha: edロック Connect Bitkey Edition· Bitkey |
| 2026-06-30 | CorporateAbsorbs subsidiary Palette Cloud· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-17 | RecognitionBitkey gives special award at NHK Student Robocon· Bitkey |
| 2026-09-08 | TractionNishi-Nippon City Bank adopts workhub at new Hakata head office· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-29 | CustomerMazda adopts workhub at its Tokyo head office· Bitkey |
| 2026-09-29 | TractionMazda adopts Bitkey's workhub at its Tokyo head office· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-01 | TractionTenjin Business Center II adopts Bitkey's workhub· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-01 | TractionTenjin Business Center II adopts workhub· Bitkey |
News
| 2026-10-01 | Tenjin Business Center II adopts workhub 「天神ビジネスセンターII」、ビットキーの「workhub」を導入 ワーカーの働きやすさと運営省人化を両立· Bitkey |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | Tenjin Business Center II adopts Bitkey's workhub 「天神ビジネスセンターII」、ビットキーの「workhub」を導入 ワーカーの働きやすさと運営省人化を両立· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-29 | Mazda adopts workhub at Tokyo HQ, saving 2,000+ hours a year マツダ、東京本社にビットキーの「workhub」を導入 カード貸出・会議室管理等で年間2,000時間超を削減し「攻めの総務」を実現· Bitkey |
| 2026-09-29 | Mazda adopts Bitkey's workhub at its Tokyo head office マツダ、東京本社にビットキーの「workhub」を導入· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-08 | Nishi-Nippon City Bank adopts workhub at new Hakata head office 西日本シティ銀行、博多駅前の新本店にビットキーの「workhub」を導入· Bitkey |
| 2026-09-08 | Nishi-Nippon City Bank adopts workhub at new Hakata head office 西日本シティ銀行、博多駅前の新本店にビットキーの「workhub」を導入· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-19 | Gekkan Koho Kaigi covers Bitkey’s generative-AI use 月刊『広報会議』に、当社の生成AI活用の取り組みが掲載されました。· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-24 | Listed in Nikkei’s fundraising ranking 日本経済新聞朝刊・電子版「資金調達ランキング」に掲載されました· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-17 | Bitkey gives special award at NHK Student Robocon ビットキー、「NHK学生ロボコン」で東京農工大学に特別賞を授与· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-17 | Bitkey gives special prize to Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology at NHK student robot contest ビットキー、「NHK学生ロボコン」で東京農工大学に特別賞を授与· PR TIMES |
| 2026-07-09 | Gold sponsor of Physical AI Developer Conference 2026 フィジカルAI開発Conference 2026にGoldスポンサーとして協賛し、特別展示をおこないます· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-01 | ¥4B follow-on from JIC VGI; cumulative funding above ¥39B ビットキー、政府系ファンド「JIC VGI」から追加資金調達 累計資金調達額390億円超に· Bitkey |
| 2026-07-01 | Bitkey raises more from JIC VGI; cumulative funding over ¥39B ビットキー、政府系ファンド「JIC VGI」から追加資金調達累計資金調達額390億円超に· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-30 | Bitkey absorbs subsidiary Palette Cloud ビットキー、子会社パレットクラウドを吸収合併· Bitkey |
| 2026-06-30 | Bitkey absorbs subsidiary Palette Cloud ビットキー、子会社パレットクラウドを吸収合併· PR TIMES |
| 2026-06-12 | First startup to sponsor NHK Student Robocon ビットキー、スタートアップ初の「NHK学生ロボコン」協賛· Bitkey |
| 2026-06-11 | New smart lock co-developed with Alpha: edロック Connect Bitkey Edition ビットキー、住宅向けスマートロックシリーズに新商品 総合ロックメーカーアルファと共同開発した 「edロック Connect Bitkey Edition」を発売開始· Bitkey |
| 2026-05-12 | Osaka Gas Urban Development makes Bitkey smart locks standard in URBANEX flats 大阪ガス都市開発の賃貸マンション「URBANEX」シリーズ 新築物件でビットキーのスマートロックを標準採用· Bitkey |
| 2026-04-23 | Nikkei covers Bitkey’s work at Fukuoka One Building 日本経済新聞電子版にて福岡・ワンビルでの取り組みが掲載されました· Bitkey |
| 2026-04-22 | Gold sponsor of RoboCup Japan Open 2026 ロボカップジャパンオープン2026にゴールドスポンサーとして協賛します· Bitkey |
Founder profiles: Masanori Hotsuki
Funding rounds in 2026
Amounts are the full announced figure. Grey amounts aren't counted in equity totals. † includes debt, grants or other non-equity (hover for detail).
| Date | Company | Stage | Amount | Investors | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul 2026 | | Undisclosed | ¥4B† | JIC Venture Growth InvestmentsSBI InvestmentGlobal Brain +3 | Real Estate & PropTech |