Japan ventures portoflio company, WHILL, has raised $45m in Series C funding as it continues to expand internationally. WHILL is best known for creating sleek personal mobility devices, this funding will also be used to develop new products for large venues, including airports and sidewalk transportation. Eight Roads invested in this round alongside SBI Investment, Daiwa Securities Group and WHIZ Partners as well as other existing investors. 

This brings WHILL's total funding to date to $80m. WHILL was founded in Japan in 2012 and has since expanded to the US and more recently to Europe. It plans to start working with partners on developing autonomous capabilities for its mobility devices. The company will build its own sensors and cameras to allow users to control vehicles and call customer services through a mobile app. The company also expects demand for its products to grow thanks to a rapidly aging world population, citing statistics that show there are expected to be more than 2.1 billion people over the age of 60 by 2050, up from about 900 million last year.