Tokyo startup Sakana AI lands $30M to forge new path with compact AI models

Sakana, a rising star in the AI startup universe, has just reeled in a $30 million in seed funding from an all-star lineup of investors. The young Tokyo-based company, co-founded by former Google engineers David Ha and Llion Jones, is making waves with its unconventional, nature-inspired approach to AI model development. The team aims to create smaller, more efficient models that work in harmony, taking inspiration from the collective behaviors of animal groups like schools of fish and flocks of birds.

The seed round was spearheaded by Lux Capital, a leading investor in pioneering AI companies, and backed by tech giants such as Sony, NTT, and KDDI, marking a strong vote of confidence in Sakana from major players in Japan. The startup’s fresh capital injection and strategic partnerships position it to expand its Tokyo lab, attracting top talent, and further develop its innovative AI techniques.

Sakana’s approach stands out amidst the current trend in the AI field, which has been fixated on scaling up models to beat benchmarks through sheer size. The company’s emphasis on smaller, specialized models collaborating to match the capabilities challenges the conventional belief that bigger means better in AI. Its alternative vision has captured the attention of both Silicon Valley and Japanese investors, signaling the potential for Sakana to pioneer a new AI paradigm from Asia, disrupting the dominance of the U.S. and China in this strategic technology frontier.