K4 Ventures, a corporate venture capital subsidiary of Kansai Electric Power Company, announced on March 1, 2019, that it has invested in EditForce, a genome editing company, by the issuance of new shares through third-party allocation. EditForce is a venture company with a unique DNA/RNA editing technology.[1] EditForce has been focusing on pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) protein platform technology, designed for the editing of not only DNA but also RNA. PPR technology is expected to be used in a wide range of fields, including medicine, agriculture, and chemistry. The firm’s investors include the University of Tokyo Edge Capital, QB Capital, and KISCO (an advanced materials maker).
K4 Ventures is investing new technologies development and deployment in areas like energy storage, mobility, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), big data, and robotics, as part of the Kansai Electric Power Group’s mid-term business plan to explore new business opportunities.[2]
[1] https://www.editforce.jp/company_info_top/about/