Translation guide
Initial capital used to start a business, project, or venture. In Japanese, this is expressed with specific financial terms or descriptive phrases.
Money provided to start a new business, often from investors or founders.
Direct loanword from English, widely understood in business and startup contexts.
Provide seed money to a startup.
Literally 'founding capital', a common term for money used to start a business.
I struggled to raise seed money.
Means 'initial capital', used for early-stage funding of any project.
We lack seed money for the project.
Specifically refers to capital for opening a business, like a store or restaurant.
I borrowed seed money from the bank.
The specific early investment round in startups, often called 'seed round'.
創業資金 is broader, covering any business startup. 開業資金 is often used for physical store openings or professional practices (e.g., clinic, restaurant).
seed money for an IT company
seed money for opening a restaurant
シードマネー is a katakana loanword and sounds modern/technical. It's best for startups, tech, and venture capital. In traditional business settings, 創業資金 or 初期資金 may be more appropriate.
We expanded the business with seed money.