# Startale Group

> Startale Group is a Singapore-headquartered Web3 infrastructure company building the onchain stack for finance, entertainment, and consumer applications. Led by founder and CEO Sota Watanabe - who also created Astar Network - Startale operates a vertically integrated portfolio spanning the Sony-backed Ethereum Layer 2 Soneium, the Astar Network, the Strium blockchain for tokenized securities and real-world assets, the JPYSC and USDSC stablecoins, and a consumer Startale App. Backed by Sony and SBI, the company aims to bring Web3 to billions by bridging traditional finance with onchain systems.

- **Founded:** 2023
- **Headquarters:** Singapore
- **Founders:** Sota Watanabe (Founder & CEO)
- **Team size:** ~50 employees, with talent from 20+ countries and backgrounds at Binance, Polygon, Google, Microsoft, and Y Combinator
- **Products:** Soneium, Astar Network, Strium, JPYSC, USDSC (Startale USD)
- **Notable:** Closed a $63M Series A backed by Sony Innovation Fund and SBI Group (2026), Co-developed and launched Soneium, an Ethereum Layer 2, with Sony (mainnet January 2025), Founder Sota Watanabe named to Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 (2022)

## Products & services

- **Soneium** — An Ethereum Layer 2 network co-developed with Sony (via Sony Block Solutions Labs), focused on entertainment and consumer onchain experiences. Mainnet launched January 2025.
- **Astar Network** — A public Layer 1 blockchain ecosystem founded by Sota Watanabe, now operated within the Startale Group portfolio, providing scalable, interoperable infrastructure.
- **Strium** — A Layer 1 blockchain built for tokenized securities and real-world asset (RWA) trading, positioned as Asia's onchain capital markets infrastructure.
- **JPYSC** — Japan's first trust-bank-backed Japanese yen stablecoin, co-developed with SBI Group.
- **USDSC (Startale USD)** — A US dollar stablecoin enabling fiat-to-crypto integration with onchain dividend and yield distribution functionality.
- **Startale App** — A consumer SuperApp consolidating asset management, mini-applications, payments, and social features - 'Play, Explore & be Rewarded Onchain'.
- **Startale Cloud Services** — Developer infrastructure and tools including RPC nodes, developer SDKs, and account abstraction tooling for Web3 builders.

## Achievements

- Closed a $63M Series A backed by Sony Innovation Fund and SBI Group (2026)
- Co-developed and launched Soneium, an Ethereum Layer 2, with Sony (mainnet January 2025)
- Founder Sota Watanabe named to Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 (2022)
- Founder named to Newsweek's 100 Most Respected Japanese in the World (2023)
- Built JPYSC, described as Japan's first trust-bank-backed yen stablecoin
- Assembled a team spanning 20+ countries with talent from Binance, Polygon, Google, and Microsoft

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Closed $63M Series A with a $50M second close led by SBI Group, following a $13M first close from Sony Innovation Fund.
- **2026-03** — Launched an engagement/points campaign tied to the funding and the Startale App SuperApp roadmap.
- **2026-01** — Secured a $13M first close of its Series A from Sony Innovation Fund.

## Links

- Website: https://startale.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/startale
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/startalehq

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/startale-group
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-18