Ex-Ripple VP Emi Yoshikawa Launches $100M Fund Backed by SBI to Connect Japanese Corporations With Silicon Valley Startups

Gate News message, April 16 — Emi Yoshikawa, former VP of Strategy and Operations at Ripple, has launched Across Ventures Fund I, a $100 million fund-of-funds backed by SBI Holdings as anchor limited partner. Yoshikawa spent eight years at Ripple leading corporate strategy, international expansion, and the Ripple-SBI partnership that became the foundation of XRP's institutional presence in Japan. She founded Across Ventures in 2025, and SBI followed her there as primary backer.

Across Ventures will invest across blockchain and fintech, AI, climate tech, and deep tech, targeting specialized micro-VCs to give Japanese corporations systematic access to early-stage Silicon Valley innovation. SBI will provide more than capital, actively supporting deal sourcing and investment review using its network across Asian banking and technology sectors.

April 2026 has marked Japan's most active month for XRP adoption. SBI Ripple Asia completed its XRPL token issuance platform and secured registration under Japan's Payment Services Act on April 7. Japanese bank pilots at XRP Tokyo demonstrated that XRP reduces cross-border settlement costs by up to 60% compared to SWIFT. SBI also launched a 10 billion yen blockchain bond paying investor rewards in XRP in February. Separately, Japan launched XRP payments for 44 million Rakuten users this week, further expanding institutional adoption across the country.