Japan-headquartered music instrument and audio equipment maker Yamaha has announced a $50 million corporate venture capital fund to invest in music and media startups.
The Yamaha Music Innovations Fund I, LP (YMIF) will begin to invest this month, the company said in a statement on Thursday (May 8).
Last year, Yamaha set up Yamaha Music Innovations (YMI), a Silicon Valley-headquartered “business development base” meant to secure the company’s “leadership position as an innovator in the fields of sound and music.”
“Since establishing our base in Silicon Valley in April 2024, we have collaborated with six startups by leveraging our group’s assets as the leading comprehensive musical instrument manufacturer with the No.1 market share,” YMI President and CEO Yusuke “Scott” Sugino said.
“Through our investment activities via YMIF and business collaborations utilizing our assets, we are bringing our mechanisms for creating new value and new businesses to the next stage.”
The YMI fund will be headed up by Managing Partner Andrew Kahn, a veteran of the music innovation space. An alumnus of Live Nation, Kahn most recently spent six years as a Partner at Crush Ventures, whose talent management firm, Crush Music, has a talent roster that includes Miley Cyrus, Panic! at the Disco, Fall Out Boy, Lorde, Sia, Weezer, Green Day, and Lil Nas X, among others.
Kahn also spent several years as a founding member of short-form media software company Greenfly. Billboard named him one of “Music’s Top Investors in Tech of The Future” in 2023.
“With this fund, we’ll be backing early-stage, visionary founders at the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology – from next-gen creative tools and AI to interactive media, immersive music experiences, learning platforms, and new models for collaboration and creator empowerment,” Kahn said in a post on LinkedIn.
“With this fund, we’ll be backing early-stage, visionary founders at the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology.”
Andrew Kahn, Yamaha Music Innovations Fund
YMIF says its core investment areas will be:
- Creative Tools and Infrastructure: Next-Gen hardware, software, and AI-powered tools that elevate artistic expression.
- Innovative and Interactive Media: Technologies and platforms reshaping how content is created, consumed, and monetized.
- Community and Collaboration: New ways for artists, fans, and creators to connect, co-create, and build sustainable careers.
- Empowerment and Accessibility: Technological innovations in education and well-being through immersive experiences.
“Through the dual approach of investment and collaboration, we aim to foster the development of the music entertainment industry in a manner distinctive of Yamaha, support the growth of startups, and realize our mission, ‘The Well-being of People around the World’,” Sugino said.Music Business Worldwide
