CDIB Cross Border Innovation Fund Invests in Japanese AI Startup Visual Bank, Strengthening the Taiwan–Japan IP and Innovation Ecosystem

CDIB Capital Group ("CDIB") announced that its CDIB Cross Border Innovation Fund II LP ("Cross Border Innovation Fund") has invested in Japanese startup Visual Bank Inc. The company leverages AI technology to revolutionize the creation of manga, animation, and other IP content. This investment marks a strategic expansion into the Japanese market following the fund's earlier backing of a drone performance startup, further deepening ties between Taiwan and Japan in the anime IP creation space and driving industry innovation.

Founded in 2022, Visual Bank owns amana Images, one of Japan's most iconic visual asset platforms, and launched Qlean Dataset, a high-quality AI training dataset with full rights clearance, enabling enterprises to safely utilize content assets in AI development. Its subsidiary, THE PEN, focuses on developing AI-assisted tools that support manga artists throughout their creative process. These tools are designed to improve efficiency across various stages-from rough drafts (storyboards) to finished illustrations-significantly reducing production time and allowing creators to concentrate on creativity and produce high-quality IP content.

Ryan Kuo, President of CDIB Capital Innovation Advisors, stated, "AI-powered creative tools are key to the future of the digital content industry. Visual Bank not only demonstrates leading technological and innovative capabilities but also serves as an ideal bridge between the Taiwanese and Japanese anime industries. This investment reflects our confidence in Visual Bank's growth potential and aims to foster cross-cultural and cross-media collaboration, unlocking new possibilities for the content industry."

The Cross Border Innovation Fund is CDIB's first venture capital fund targeting Northeast Asia. It was jointly established by CDIB, government-backed funds from Taiwan and Japan (National Development Fund and Cool Japan Fund), and leading Taiwanese enterprises including Himax Technologies, Systex Corporation, and Lion Travel. The fund focuses on sectors such as mobile commerce, digital transformation, AI/blockchain, and lifestyle industries. Beyond investments, the fund actively promotes the "Taiwan-Japan Co-Creation Platform for Startups." Recently, it co-hosted "Cross-Border Open Innovation Day-DX for Future Tech" with Meet Startup, bringing together 12 leading startups and 4 major enterprises from Taiwan and Japan to explore challenges and opportunities in market entry, growth, and IPO, fostering deeper bilateral collaboration.

Melanie Nan, President of CDIB, reaffirmed the group's commitment to cultivating the Taiwan-Japan startup ecosystem, promoting open innovation, and supporting the growth of outstanding startups. She added that CDIB will continue to pursue investments in deep tech sectors such as biotech, semiconductors, and AI infrastructure in Japan, aiming to complement industrial strengths between Taiwan and Japan while offering investors more flexible and diversified asset allocation strategies.