WAKEI Inc. has completed its seed funding round with Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd., the investment vehicle of the co-founding family of Hotai Group (Taiwan), and MicroAd, Inc. (TSE Growth: 9553), one of Japan's leading adtech companies.

A landmark Japan-Taiwan strategic alliance — bringing together Hotai Group’s co-founding family’s investment vehicle, a CyberAgent-spun-off TSE-listed adtech leader, and a CEO with country-lead experience at InMobi and Outbrain — launches WAKEI’s independent programmatic trading business across the Japan-Taiwan corridor

TOKYO, June 30, 2026 — WAKEI Inc., a Japan-Taiwan cross-border digital marketing company, today announced the completion of its seed funding round. Investors include Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd., the investment vehicle of the co-founding family of Hotai Group — Taiwan’s largest mobility conglomerate — and MicroAd, Inc. (TSE Growth: 9553), one of Japan’s foremost data-driven digital marketing companies. The funding brings WAKEI’s total capitalization, including capital surplus, to approximately JPY 130 million. 

The transaction signals more than a capital event. It is the convergence of three rarely combined assets: the regional trust and digital portfolio of Hotai Group’s co-founding family; the data infrastructure and Asian market reach of a Tokyo-listed adtech innovator; and a CEO whose career spans the Japan country leadership of some of the world’s most globally consequential adtech companies.

Japan and Taiwan: The Next Frontier for Programmatic Advertising

The global programmatic advertising market is forecast to reach USD 2.75 trillion by 2030 (Grand View Research), driven by rapid budget migration into CTV, retail media, and app-based inventory. Japan and Taiwan — two of Asia’s most economically developed and digitally sophisticated markets — are at a significant inflection point in this transition.

Both markets have traditionally been web-centric in their programmatic infrastructure. Yet consumer behavior is shifting decisively toward app environments, connected TV, and digital out-of-home (DOOH). The next wave of growth in Japan and Taiwan will be driven by exactly the inventory channels where global demand-side platform technology has advanced the furthest — and where purpose-built, platform-agnostic expertise creates the clearest competitive advantage.

WAKEI is positioned at the center of this opportunity. Founded to accelerate the adoption of world-class programmatic technology in Japan and Taiwan, the company operates across both the Japan-Taiwan inbound marketing space and the broader cross-border digital advertising market — working with global demand-side platforms and local advertisers to bridge the gap between global adtech capability and local market execution.

From Cross-Border Marketing to Full-Scale ITD Launch

Since its founding in October 2025, WAKEI has built early commercial traction in Japan-Taiwan cross-border marketing — connecting Taiwanese inbound tourists in Japan with relevant retail and brand experiences through coupon-based reward advertising and consumer purchase data from Ho-Chwan’s portfolio companies.

With this funding round complete, WAKEI now moves into its primary strategic objective: the full launch of its Independent Trading Desk (ITD) business. An ITD is a platform-agnostic programmatic buying operation that works directly with the world’s leading demand-side platforms on behalf of advertisers, with no media-owner conflict of interest and full data transparency. This model — well established globally but rare in Japan — is what WAKEI brings to the Japan-Taiwan corridor, covering app, CTV, DOOH, and web inventory through a single, independent buying operation.

Three Assets. One Structure.

Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd.: Established by the co-founding family of Hotai Group — Taiwan’s exclusive distributor of Toyota, Lexus, and Hino, with over 70 years of market presence — Ho-Chwan Investment is the investment vehicle through which the family supports the development of Taiwan’s digital ecosystem. Its portfolio includes Invos Data, a consumer app with over 9 million downloads and 4 billion purchase data records, and Funliday, a major travel planning platform widely used by Taiwanese visitors to Japan.

MicroAd, Inc.: Founded in 2007 as a spin-out from CyberAgent — one of Japan’s largest internet companies — and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in 2022 (TSE: 9553), MicroAd has grown into one of Japan’s leading data-driven digital marketing companies. It operates UNIVERSE, a consumer behavior data platform aggregating behavioral signals from over 220 enterprise partners, and delivers industry-specific marketing solutions across Japan and Asia.

Takeshi Iryo, CEO: Iryo brings a rare combination of Japanese market depth and global adtech leadership experience to WAKEI. His full profile appears below.

Statements

“We warmly welcome MicroAd’s participation in this project. MicroAd has built a 100-person operation in Taipei and earned genuine trust in the Taiwan market. With this investment in WAKEI, we are confident that MicroAd’s adtech capabilities and our local digital network will combine to drive meaningful growth across the Japan-Taiwan marketing corridor.”

Ko Wang-Teh, Chairman — Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd.

“Taiwan has long been our highest-priority inbound market. Our investment in WAKEI, alongside our deepening partnership with Ho-Chwan Investment, is fully aligned with our Taiwan and overseas Chinese network strategy. We believe this will accelerate both our existing inbound business and the expansion of our digital marketing capabilities into the Taiwan market.”

Yoshiki Enohara, Executive Vice President — MicroAd, Inc.

“I am proud to have formed this alliance with two of the most important players in the Japan-Taiwan digital ecosystem. We have steadily built our cross-border marketing business, and with this funding, we are ready to launch our ITD business at full scale — in Japan and in Taiwan. With this team behind us, we will cross the Japan-Taiwan boundary and build the kind of truly global digital marketing company that can compete on the world stage again.”

Takeshi Iryo, CEO — WAKEI Inc.

About WAKEI Inc.

WAKEI Inc. is a Japan-Taiwan cross-border digital marketing company founded in October 2025 and headquartered in Tokyo. The company operates an Independent Trading Desk (ITD) providing transparent, platform-agnostic programmatic campaign management covering app, CTV, DOOH, and web inventory, alongside a Japan-Taiwan inbound marketing business focused on coupon-based reward advertising and consumer data-driven insights.
Website: https://wakei-inc.com/home-en

About Ho-Chwan Investment Co., Ltd.

Ho-Chwan Investment is the investment vehicle of the co-founding family of Hotai Group, Taiwan’s largest mobility conglomerate and exclusive distributor of Toyota, Lexus, and Hino in Taiwan. Drawing on more than 70 years of market leadership across mobility, financial services, and retail, Ho-Chwan Investment supports the development of next-generation digital infrastructure in Taiwan.

About MicroAd, Inc.

MicroAd was founded in 2007 as a spin-out from CyberAgent and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (TSE: 9553) in 2022. The company operates UNIVERSE, a consumer behavior data platform powered by data from over 220 enterprise partners, and provides industry-specific marketing solutions across Japan and Asia.

About the CEO

Takeshi Iryo

CEO, WAKEI Inc.

Began his career at Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan’s leading national newspapers, before joining All About as an early-stage team member and contributing to its IPO. At Rakuten, he led agency sales and international advertising, driving the expansion of the company’s ad business both domestically and globally.

He subsequently took leadership of the Japan business for a series of world-leading global adtech companies — Appier (Taiwan), Mobvista (China), InMobi (India), and Outbrain (US) — consistently delivering market success for each organization in Japan.

Founded WAKEI Inc. in October 2025.

Media Contact

WAKEI Inc. | info@wakeiinc.com | https://wakei-inc.com/home-en