Satellite Data and AI-Powered Real Estate Tool WHERE Raises ¥460 Million from Five Banks

WHERE, the startup behind the real estate exploration tool ‘WHERE,’ which uses satellite data and AI, announced on the 25th that it has secured around ¥460 million in debt financing from five financial institutions: Mizuho Bank, Hokuriku Bank, Japan Finance Corporation, Resona Bank, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation. Since its founding, the company has now raised a total of about ¥1.11 billion.

WHERE provides a full-service platform supporting real estate exploration, evaluation, management, and approach using satellite imagery combined with AI. Within a year of its launch in September 2024, more than 50 companies adopted the service. In October 2025, WHERE rolled out the ‘ENERGY Update Version’ to serve the renewable energy sector, supporting land acquisition for solar power plants and storage facilities. By December, the number of companies using the tool reached 100.

On the technical side, the platform integrates satellite and ground data to help discover off-market properties and structure urban spatial information, giving companies an edge in identifying opportunities that are often invisible through conventional methods.

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The funds will be used to enhance the product, expand the customer base, and strengthen the corporate structure. WHERE aims to go beyond being just a real estate exploration tool and deliver value at the exact moment real estate transactions are initiated.

Founded in February 2022 as a JAXA-originated startup, WHERE is led by CEO Takeo Akutsu, who has previously founded and managed eight real estate-related companies. Akutsu developed the service after conducting space technology research at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) within JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.