Web3, as the next generation of the Internet is called, is a fast-growing industry, attracting big bucks around the world. In 2021, the inflow of funds here exceeded $25 billion, giving birth to 65 unicorns. Singapore is in the center of the buzz. Through tax incentives and preferences for high tech, the city draws in ambitious entrepreneurs, investors and developers. One of them is Takehito Imai, a Japanese deeply versed in arts and law, leveraging his colorful personal experience to make a change.Today, Mr Imai is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://xpartners.jp/" target="_blank" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: 400; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">X-border Partners company</a>. Established recently (September 2021), the company is already active in many fields - legal, accounting, M&amp;A consulting and HR, giving particular importance to cross-border operations. In June 2022, XP launched a new project - <a href="https://www.mizudao.io/" target="_blank">MIZU DAO</a>, a decentralized autonomous organization with VC features. The project invites experts to invest in and help to develop Web3 projects worldwide. Membership NFTs allow anyone with a crypto wallet to join the club and receive project tokens as a reward.&nbsp;Since then, the progress has been quite impressive – Takehito presented his project in September 2022 at Token 2049 Singapore, one of the largest Web3 events. Soon after that, in&nbsp;November 2022, MIZU DAO’s first incubator project - D3D Meta, a creator-focused metaverse, is going to be listed on a Singapore crypto exchange Gate.io with over 10 million users.&nbsp;In this interview, we’re doing a deep dive on the founder Takehito Imai’s attempt of launching MIZU DAO and his future plans, reflecting on his 37-year career story. <h2>Intellectual property lawyer with a background in arts</h2>Born in Kyoto, with both parents working as interior designers, Mr Imai was surrounded by art from as early as he can remember. He recalls his father's handmade dining table and artworks splattered around the house. In childhood, Takehito started playing violin and devoted 18 years to music, which he thinks helped him to develop a certain sensitivity and understanding of fine arts. At the same time, he also could see the less glamorous side of the artistic world."Art is an extremely tough industry when you get a glimpse of the world. Even my parents, who had customers from outside Japan too, hardly managed to make a living. I never entertained the idea of having the talent to be an artist, nor had I the passion to pursue a career in that field”, he says.During his student years, however, Takehito opened himself to the potential and power of art, and tried to figure out what he could do to be useful. For a moment, he wanted to become an architect, but studying physics did not attract him. Through trial and error, he finally found the best way to get involved: the law.“Thinking about the industry’s structure, I asked myself how artists and entertainers could make some extra money. I clearly saw that middlemen - entertainment agencies, art galleries and advertising companies were in control of their rights. Among all the things I could do to help creators focus on their work and make life easier, legal support was the most obvious choice for me at the time”, Takehito looks back.&nbsp;His career developed smoothly, from a student to a respected lawyer. After 6 years in the prestigious schools, Komaba Junior and Senior High School of Tsukuba University, he graduated from the Faculty of Law at Tokyo University and passed the bar exam. Next step was joining TMI Associates, a major international law firm in Japan.Working in the company on projects in entertainment, art and startup fields, he realized that "business and art are inextricably linked". He studied more, combining legal knowledge with industry-specific experience, to become an expert of intellectual property - an IP lawyer. <img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1496/4bfff858-3b38-4d3e-9c9d-4537e741ad6d.jpg" style="" article-attachment-id="1496">（Imai with his friends at the graduation ceremony law school of Tokyo University） <h2>Ginza district, the gateway to Japan</h2>After 3 years in the firm, Takehito felt confident enough to start his own company. The idea was to use opportunities created by the old-fashioned and analog way of working of traditional law firms. Know-how was shared through the apprenticeship system. He had to learn how to fix contracts, litigate and negotiate by watching the backs of his seniors. Takehito, on the contrary, believed that in today's fast-paced world "the laws should be shared digitally and updated constantly.” Moreover, his experience with startups encouraged him to become independent. At a healthcare startup he was sent to work in, he gained first-hand experience of business development, helping him realize his own entrepreneurial talent.Ginza district in Tokyo was a natural choice for Takehiko to start his own business as he felt it perfect to establish himself as a serious businessman.&nbsp;“For me at the time, Ginza was ‘the place for adults’ I can only go to with my family. With the aura of luxury and exclusiveness, it was the place I longed to be, but beyond my reach. Startups were already thriving in Shibuya where I spent my school days and was familiar with. Ginza had fewer law firms and startups, so I decided to challenge myself from a completely new angle", he recalls. <img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1497/10376848-50be-44d4-b76c-cf6cb298edcb.JPG" style="" article-attachment-id="1497">（Ginza © UNSPLASH） Takehito’s company was launched about a year ago at Ginza and successfully developed its businesses on multiple fronts. Today, a new challenge for Takehito is Web3. The reason, he explains, is that “There were signs that the time had arrived for the ideal forms of organization I had envisioned finally becoming reality".“As the name X-border Partners suggests, we originally planned to position ourselves as a group of professionals that can overcome the current lack of cross-border activities in Japan and stagnation during Japan's “lost 3 decades”. To achieve that, Takehito was gradually bringing in talented people and strengthening his team.&nbsp;“The concept I like and am trying to implement would allow us to be involved in world-class projects in an autonomous and decentralized way, no matter where we are. That is consistent with DAO's culture and the purpose of Web3, so we decided to make it true." <img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1498/0965131e-790e-471e-94df-a5da1fca33a0.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1498"> <h2>（X-border Partners Logo） </h2> <h2>MIZU DAO, a decentralized venture capital community for experts</h2>MIZU DAO’s launch in June 2022 meant that Takehito’s ideas turned into action. “MIZU" means "water" in Japanese. He explains the origin of the name as follows: “For Japanese and Asian people, water is taken for granted as the origin of everything, something that circulates and is essential to life. I want MIZU DAO to become indispensable to everyone involved in Web3, and convince people that it does not fight or exclude anyone."He also dared to use the Japanese word "MIZU" in its name, saying, “There is an underlying respect for Japanese culture in the Web3 community, and many projects have names with Japanese roots, for example ‘Sushi’. Rather than calling it ‘Water DAO’, I thought the name ‘MIZU DAO’ would not only mean that Japanese are working on the project, but also that Japanese culture is highly valued in Web3."<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1499/35bd7083-38ba-41e1-a912-6c7c3d37d9bf.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1499"><h2>（MIZU DAO Logo）</h2><h2> </h2>MIZU DAO has in its ranks a powerful veteran, Mr. Yuji Kato, one of the company's co-founders. He is the former Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of the Cool Japan Organization, a public-private fund established in 2013 to support development of overseas demand for Japan-made products and services.“Mr. Kato challenged cross-border deals in the past and achieved impressive results despite many difficulties. He thinks young people should be the driving force in this business, but he wanted to share his experience and contacted us himself to see if he could help”, says Takehito.&nbsp;MIZU DAO is leveraging its prowess in legal and accounting areas to assist listing on and partnerships with crypto exchanges. The company also takes advantage of Mr Kato's expertise in traditional investment and his business connections.&nbsp; <img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1500/22cbc578-dcd4-437e-829c-e0a676862c5e.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1500">（Kato, Imai and Naito at the launch party of MIZU DAO at Ginza） Investment areas MIZU DAO is particularly focused on are art and cutting-edge technologies.Takehito has a strong passion for art. “From the perspective of passing something down to future generations, blockchain technology is highly valuable. Right now, it has a speculative meaning - NFTs are a good example. But the big issue is how to pass on to the future the masterpieces that artists created. As an intellectual property lawyer, I very well understand the challenge of documenting and conveying the achievements of humans in a traceable way, combining legal and tech expertise to give art a new form”.He also believes that challenges and opportunities in the area of cutting-edge technologies are similar to those of art.“Since ancient times, the concept of ‘art’ also included ‘science'. Artists, like Leonardo da Vinci, understand science, and scientists, in turn understand art. Art and tech are two sides of the same coin. The nature of inheritance is also similar. Even very talented technicians cannot do anything without budget and facilities. They cannot even survive. If other experts can help them with clarifying their rights and commercializing their technology, I think the value will be passed on." <h2>Boosting Web3 industry and conveying true values of Japanese culture to the world</h2>Currently, Web3 has a variety of stakeholders. Takehito envisions MIZU DAO should play a leading role to help them work together. To achieve that requires, unexpectedly, the opposite of the digital world: the real-world community.&nbsp;“Web3 has been trying to fundamentally redefine human behavior, leveraging technology to create a new world. However, it’s unrealistic, due to both mental and social structure, to suddenly move all our activities to a completely new digital world like the metaverse. Considering that, we're going to make our DAO alive and kicking by getting XP Group professionals involved in its activities."“The key for success is to achieve a synergy between Web3 and the real world. Our advantage is having our community of lawyers and other professionals in the real world." <img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1502/f8d85dc8-216d-4643-b6ec-747d3dbaf750.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1502">（A group photo of XP professionals） Takehito chose Singapore and Ginza as bases for expanding that community.“Singapore has a global community with various cultures and ethnic groups living side by side. I felt their passion myself at the Token 2049 event. A person with a Japanese background, I hope to make that community even bigger.”“Ginza is a window to the world. The place where tourists always go to see the real Tokyo and Japan. I want Ginza to be the ground where people of the world interested in Japan and Japanese people interested in the world come to meet each other."Takehito is going to pursue the goal of expanding the overall Web3 market and further increasing acceptance of Web3 in society. He’s motivated by the sense of responsibility and frustration with the current state of Web3.&nbsp;“The more I get involved with the Web3 community, the happier I feel to be Japanese. On the other hand, I think that Japanese culture could be discussed in more detail if it were explained by a Japanese person or someone with a background in Japan.”, he says.Art-savvy lawyer and entrepreneur, Mr Imai has just started his new engagement with Web3. The last question we asked was about his lifelong dream. The answer was:&nbsp; “Prime Minister”. After leading MIZU DAO aiming to become the key player of Web3, one day we will probably see him as the leader of Japan as well. Interview with <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/users/takehito-imai" target="_blank">Takehito Imai</a> (by <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/users/leonkaneko" target="_blank">Leon Kaneko</a>)&nbsp;15 November 2022

Meeting Takehito Imai:  Lawyer-turned-entrepreneur from Japan rethinking arts, culture and Web3

ソフトバンク・ビジョン・ファンド（以下、SVF）。スタートアップに関わる人で、その名を知らない人はいないであろう。SVFは、ソフトバンクグループが抱える世界最大級の投資ファンドで、同社代表取締役会長・孫正義氏の肝煎り事業だ。これまでに10兆円以上の資金を運用し、世界中のスタートアップに投資している。SVFは、もともと海外企業への投資に限定していたが、2021年10月に日本企業への投資開始が発表され、日本国内でも話題になった。SVFは、当時、日本企業への投資を担当するチームを組成するにあたり、ソフトバンクから選りすぐりの4名の精鋭メンバーを招集した。その中の1人に、当時若干24歳の青年がいた。彼の名は、<a href="https://protocol.ooo/u/zitong-mao">ジトン・マオ</a>（茅子桐、Zitong Mao）だ。マオ氏は、中国出身で、アメリカの最先端の大学に入学し、金融とコンピューターサイエンスを学んで最優等で卒業し、4ヶ国語を操る秀才だ。マオ氏は、新卒でソフトバンクに就職し、米国上場株投資に従事する中で、SVFの日本チームに抜擢された。しかし、ソフトバンクが日本を代表する企業とはいえ、マオ氏はなぜ新卒の就職先として日本を選んだのか。いわゆる「グローバルエリート」のマオ氏にとって、大学卒業後のキャリアの選択肢は世界中に無数にある。日本を選んだその理由を聞くと、興味深い答えが返ってきた。「日本のアニメが好きなんです」<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1505/6e1958d7-cce0-4478-b50a-81e0ca1923ce.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1505"> <h2>中国出身のグローバルエリート</h2>1997年5月に中国の南京で生を受けたマオ氏は、一人っ子として両親から大事に育てられ、小中高一貫の進学校で学生時代を過ごした。中国では経済的に余裕のある限り、トップの学生はアメリカの大学を目指す風潮がある中で、マオ氏が通った学校は、アメリカの大学進学において中国でトップの実績を誇る進学校であったという。勉強に打ち込む日々の中で、マオ氏にとっての唯一の楽しみが「日本のアニメ」だった。マオ氏は幼少期から「ドラえもん」や「デジモン」、「名探偵コナン」を見て育ち、どんどんと日本のアニメやゲームにのめり込んでいった。当時の中国では、今ほど日本作品への規制がなく、日本の深夜アニメが中国のプライムタイムで放送されていたというほどだ。中でもマオ氏は人気アニメ「ラブライブ！」の大ファンであった。アニメやゲームに打ち込む、いわゆる「オタク」なマオ氏だったが、勉学も疎かにしなかった。大学受験の結果、見事、アイビー・リーグなど数々の名門校に合格したが、本人曰くある種の反抗期から、典型的なエリートが歩む「見える未来」を拒絶し、ミネルバ大学への入学を決めた。専攻は金融とコンピューターサイエンスだ。ミネルバ大学は、シリコンバレーの起業家が2012年に設立した新興大学で、世界最大級のベンチャーキャピタル（以下、VC）の「Benchmark」からシードラウンドで2500万ドルの資金を調達したスタートアップでもある。1期生として入学したのはわずかな120人、合格率は2％以下だった。そのうちの1人がマオ氏だ。ミネルバ大学は、全寮制で、キャンパスを持たない。学生は、4年間の間に世界7都市を移り住みながらオンラインで授業を受講する。マオ氏は、アメリカのサンフランシスコから始まり、ドイツのベルリン、アルゼンチンのブエノスアイレス、韓国のソウル、インドのハイデラバード、イギリスのロンドン、最後に再びサンフランシスコ（台湾の台北の予定であったがVISAの関係でキャンセル）を4年間で渡り歩いた。大学生活の中で世界中を渡り歩いたマオ氏だったが、一番の思い出の地が、1年生の際に観光として訪れた、他ならぬ「日本」であった。中でもマオ氏のお目当ては、2016年の当時、東京ドームにて開催されていた「ラブライブ！」の声優陣によるユニット「μ's」の最後のワンマンライブだった。大ファンであったマオ氏は、当時を振り返って「めちゃくちゃ感動して、『日本に住もう』と思う最初のきっかけになりました。あの時の胸の高鳴りは今も消えてません」と語る。マオ氏の日本への情熱が爆発した瞬間だった。<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1473/58077f4f-448b-48e7-991d-74352ca7c962.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1473"> アメリカに帰国したマオ氏は、日本のあらゆる企業でのインターンに挑んだ。ミネルバ大学は、夏休みに4ヶ月の期間を設けており、学生にフルタイムの長期インターンを推奨している。マオ氏は、1年次にはアメリカの富士通（Fujitsu Laboratories of America）に勤めたが、翌年からは日本に実際に滞在し、日本のスタートアップに勤めることになる。2年次は、日本で自律分散型水循環システムを開発する「WOTA」だった。ミネルバ大学のスポンサーの1人に、孫正義氏の実弟の孫泰造氏がいたことで、日本でのインターンの話が進み、同氏の投資先のWOTAにソフトエンジニアとして勤めた。3年次には、日本の旅行情報サイト「トラベルjp」にソフトエンジニアとして勤めた。日本滞在中のマオ氏は、孫泰造氏が無償で貸し出すシェアハウスに住み込み、月々2000ドルほどの給料を貰って週5日で働き、余暇にはライブやカラオケに行くなど、充実した日々を送っていたという。マオ氏にとって日本は、どこよりも、楽しく成長できる場所だった。日本でのインターンを終えたマオ氏だったが、日本への情熱は止まるところを知らず、卒業後の就職先としても日本を選んだ。ミネルバ大学を最優等（summa cum laude）で卒業したマオ氏は、2019年10月、新卒でソフトバンクに入社した。 <h2>新卒でソフトバンクに</h2>「日本で働くからには、外資系ではなく、意思決定が近いヘッドクオーターで働きたかったんです。ソフトバンクは、当時ビジョン・ファンドが一番盛り上がっていた時期で、日本企業だけど全世界で活躍していました。それと、僕は孫さんにすごく憧れていたんです。当時の中国一の会社『Alibaba』に投資したのは孫さんなので、中国の人はみんな孫さんのことを知っているんですよ」マオ氏は、ソフトバンクに入社後、事業開発の部署に配属され、SVFの投資先企業のバリューアップ、主に日本進出の戦略コンサルティング業務に従事した。同部署の代表的な成功事例として、SVF投資先のインド企業「Paytm」の日本進出をサポートして展開した「PayPay」などがある。マオ氏は、LINEとヤフーの統合にも携わるなど、同部署にて約1年3ヶ月の時間を過ごした後、2021年1月に投資戦略の部署に異動した。マオ氏は、同部署にて、米国株チームとして「SBノーススター」を担当し、シニアアソシエイトとして米国上場株投資のためのリサーチと分析に従事していた。SBノーススターとは、孫氏が33%を、残りの67%をソフトバンクグループが出資し、米国上場株を中心に投資を行う投資運用子会社だ。そんな中、2021年当時、「SmartHR」がユニコーンになるなど日本のスタートアップの市況が盛り上がっていたこともあり、孫氏の「ビジョン・ファンドはなんで日本に投資していないのか」との一声から、SVFで日本企業への投資を担当するチームが組成されることになる。そこで白羽の矢が立ったのが、マオ氏の米国株チームだった。チーム4人のほとんどのメンバーがもともとSVFに在籍していたこともあり、そのままチームごとSVFに招集されることになった。2021年7月のことだった。SVFの日本チームは現在（2022年11月）までに、「アキュリスファーマ」「SODA」「AIメディカルサービス」「LegalForce」の4社に出資しており、マオ氏も、アナリストとして投資先選定のためのリサーチと分析に従事し、3件の案件に携わった。SVFは孫氏直属のチームであるため、メンバーは基本的に、投資先を探し、目ぼしい企業を見つけては、1ヶ月ほどの時間をかけて検討して資料を作り、数分で孫氏にプレゼンをする。その企業の代表も同席する場合もある。「孫さんは、意思決定において『10秒』集中して考えます。10秒考えなくても分からないことは、分からないことなので、考えなくて良いと。なので、僕たちチームの仕事は、彼が10秒で判断できるように、論点が洗練された分かりやすい資料を作ることです」孫氏は、基本的に仕事の多くが投資業で、アメリカやヨーロッパとの時差にも自ら合わせていることから、深夜の1時・2時まで仕事をして朝の6時・7時からまた仕事を始める毎日を送っているという。マオ氏は、孫氏を尊敬してやまない。お金ではなく信念や情熱で動き、短期ではなく長期で焦らず物事を見て、寝る間を惜しんで仕事に向き合う孫氏に多大なる影響を受けたという。しかし、マオ氏は、SVFでの約7ヶ月の期間を経てソフトバンクを去る決断をした。2022年2月のことだった。<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1471/92fb174e-d160-4df4-936d-2d7b0824114e.png" article-attachment-id="1471"> <h2>日本最大級のVCに転職</h2>「ソフトバンクは、世界最高レベルの仕事を経験できますし、先輩たちはまじで優秀ですし、すごく良い環境でした。ただ、投資した会社は、僕が投資したいより、孫さんが投資したい会社なんです。しかも、レイターステージの投資ではジュニアとして作業がメインになるのですが、僕は、起業家と一緒に未来を語り、夢を作っていきたいんです」「僕は人の夢を応援するのが好きなので、アーリーステージに行くと、起業家と繋がることができます。そのためには、自分がちゃんと責任を持つ人にならなければいけない。ビジョン・ファンドのようなレイターステージのファンドでは、基本パートナーにならなければ1人で起業家と向き合うことができないのですが、グロービスでは僕のようなジュニアでもそれができます」 SVFを後にしたマオ氏が次なる挑戦の場所として選んだのは、独立系VCの<a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/globis-capital-partners" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: 400;">グロービス・キャピタル・パートナーズ</a>（以下、GCP）だった。GCPは、1996年に日本初のハンズオン型VCとして設立され、これまでに1600億円以上の資金を運用し、190社を超えるスタートアップに投資している。その投資先のうち、45社が上場、25社がM&amp;Aという目覚ましい数字を叩き出している。 同社が2022年7月に新たに発表した7号ファンドでは、過去最高額の500億円規模で一次募集を完了し、年内に700億円規模でのファイナルクローズを目指している。同ファンドでは、国内巨大産業のDXや日本発グローバル展開を志すスタートアップへ、1社あたり最大100億円近い投資を行うことで、ユニコーン・デカコーンを創出し、日本の次世代産業を作る狙いがある。GCPは、日本でも最大級の実績を誇るが、日本のトップのVCに留まらず、日本から世界的なスタートアップを輩出することで、世界のトップのVCを目指している。その上で、海外に精通しながらも、日本に情熱を持つマオ氏はぴったりの人材であった。マオ氏のVC投資家（ベンチャーキャピタリスト）としての人生が始まった。GCPでは、投資チームが10人ほど在籍しており、平均的に年間1人あたり1社に投資する。投資チームが厳選を重ねた上で出資を決定し、投資担当者が出資先の経営チームに社外取締役として参画してハンズオンで支援するスタイルだ。マオ氏は、GCPへの転職から約半年の月日が経った現在（2022年11月）、まだ投資実行には至っていないが、日々「これからどんな世界になるか」「これからどんな会社が伸びるか」を考え続け、リサーチし続けている。マオ氏は、個人の投資哲学として、必ず誰かの何かのペインポイントを本質的に解決するような会社にのみに出資することを掲げている。「Nice to have」ではなく「Must to have」だ。その上で、孫氏からの影響もあり、マオ氏は起業家のミッションを重視している。「僕が孫さんから学んだ一番のことは、ミッションです。もちろん数字は見ますが、そのサービスが人々をどのように幸せにするのか。そのミッションがないと孫さんは出資しません。僕もこれからのベンチャーキャピタリストの人生で、そのサービスが、儲かるだけでなく、ちゃんと人々の生活を幸せにできているかを意識してやっていきます」マオ氏は、自身のオタクとしての経験からエンターテイメント全般、ソフトウェアエンジニアとしての経験からテクノロジー全般を主な投資領域として、日々起業家を探している。中でも、イベントや飲み会の参加、TwitterのDMなど、ネットワーキングに没頭しているという。アーリーステージの投資には「出会い」が何よりも大切だからだ。マオ氏は「Web3」にもアンテナを張っている。GCPが2022年に発表した「Astar」との連携も、GCPのWeb3チームとしてその橋渡しに貢献した。マオ氏は「Web3は、優秀な人材が沢山流れていますし、エンタメとも相性が良いですし、注目しています」と語る。 <h2>「日本の力になりたい」</h2>マオ氏は、GCPの中でパートナーを目指し、同社の25年の歴史の中で積み上げられてきたノウハウと資金力を活かして、「日本発で世界トップの会社」を作ることを目標に掲げている。その理由を聞くと、マオ氏は「僕は悔しいんです」と言った。「僕は悔しいんです。同級生たちが、アメリカのシリコンバレーや中国の深圳や上海に行く中で、『なんで日本に行くの』と聞いてきます。日本は給料もそこまで高くないですし、経済的にも伸びているイメージがないので、それは悔しいなと思って。だから僕は、日本のベンチャーが世界で活躍できるように応援して、日本を強くしたいです。日本が大好きなんですよ」マオ氏の日本への情熱は、前述の通り「アニメ」から始まっている。中でもお気に入りは、「ノーゲーム・ノーライフ」「ラブライブ！」「かぐや様は告らせたい」「SPY×FAMILY」だ。学生時代には、そのアニメ愛から日本のゲームにも傾倒し、プロゲーマーとしても活動していたという。さらに驚くことにマオ氏は、投資業と並行して、2022年5月にデビューシングル「<a href="https://linkco.re/nSUD8FcR">New World</a>」をもってJ-POP歌手としての活動を開始した。歌手名は「Z.T.Mao」だ。初来日の「μ's」のファイナルライブで覚えた感動を忘れることができなかったマオ氏は、自らがJ-POP歌手となってその感動を再建するために行動を起こしたのだ。もともとGCPの採用面接でも「歌手になりたい」の一点張りだったという。マオ氏は、歌手デビューを自身にとっての「起業」だとした上で、歌手としての目標を「自分の曲をアニソンの主題歌にしたい。そして、いつかアニソン歌手として東京ドームのステージに立って、6万人に感動を届けたいです」と語る。<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1477/30d0f611-bc6d-4c77-bc53-0e8ba9278a05.png" style="" article-attachment-id="1477"> 中国とアメリカを飛び出し、自分自身の情熱に従って日本に来たマオ氏。VC投資家として、J-POP歌手として、彼の日本への本物の情熱が、私たちの未来を変えるかもしれない。 「ベンチャーの話をすると中国やアメリカが強いですが、僕にとっては、日本のアニメ、ゲーム、音楽は世界の中でも最高なんです。エンターテイメントに限らず、日本はテクノロジーでもいくつか世界でトップのものを持っていて、まだまだ強いのに、ビジネスがあと一歩足りない。日本はすごく良い場所で、これからもずっと住みたいですし、みんなに来てもらえるような国にしたい。僕は日本の力になりたいです」 出演：ジトン・マオ <a href="https://protocol.ooo/u/zitong-mao" target="_blank">https://protocol.ooo/u/zitong-mao</a>企画・取材・執筆：山中貞正 <a href="https://protocol.ooo/u/sadamasayamanaka" target="_blank">https://protocol.ooo/u/sadamasayamanaka</a>

【独占】アニメが好きで中国から日本移住。孫正義とも働く、Z世代のVC投資家

On October 28, 2022, DAIZ inc., a developer and manufacturer of “Miracle Meat,” a plant meat made from sprouted soybeans, announced that it has raised 2 billion yen ($13.6M).DAIZ is a food-tech venture from Kumamoto, Japan, whose core technology is the proprietary the “Ochiai Germination Method” invented by Koji Ochiai, a board member of the company. The company has succeeded in developing delicious plant meat by using its proprietary technology, which it has been researching for many years, to solve the following problems with traditional plant meat: (1) bad taste and texture, (2) distinct smell of soybeans, and (3) lower nutritive value t. This is what called "Miracle Meat.”DAIZ has formed a partnership with a major domestic company to pursue the improvement of the taste of "Miracle Meat" while at the same time expanding sales channels and educating people about the food culture that makes plant meat a new meat category.In May 2021, the company established a subsidiary, DAIZ USA Inc. in Boston, to conduct marketing, sales, and R&amp;D activities in the North American market. In Asia, the company shipped Miracle Meat to Thailand in the spring of 2022, and local companies have begun commercialization and sales of the product.On October 28, 2022, DAIZ announced that it raised 2 billion yen from Cool Japan Fund. This latest funding brings the company's total amount raised to 8.8 billion yen.The company plans to use the funds raised to strengthen its R&amp;D for overseas market, marketing, and production, and to hire talents necessary for these activities. The company plans to promote sustainable food culture and realize a sustainable society through the spread of "Miracle Meat" on a global scale.Kenichi Kawasaki, CEO and COO of the Cool Japan Fund said the following:“We hope that DAIZ will work to solve the global protein crisis, which is one of the second SDGs’ goal "Zero Hunger," through a Japan-originated food tech solution that uses soybeans, a valuable protein source in Japanese food culture, and we also hope that DAIZ will actively expand the solution overseas. The goal of this investment is to contribute to the expansion of DAIZ's overseas business by providing comprehensive support using the extensive network and human resources as a public-private fund, as well as its expertise in supporting existing portfolio companies to increase their business value, thereby enhancing the brand value of the Japanese food industry.”







DAIZ’s company is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/daiz"></a><a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/daiz">https://protocol.ooo/companies/daiz</a>

DAIZ, a developer of soybean plant meat in Japan, raises $13.6M

On October 26, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/frame00" target="_blank">FRAME00, Inc</a>, developer of Dev Protocol, announced that it has closed its Pre-Series A and raised 250 million yen ($1.7M).Gmjp led this round, and B Dash Ventures, SkyPerfecTV JSAT, rikka, and 01Booster Capital joined as new investors.FRAME00 runs blockchain business with in Japan and Switzerland, with the mission of "creating a society where all innovators are valued and can sustainably take on challenges," based on the fact that traditional artisans who create culture that will last 100 years are in a sustainability crisis due to lack of economic recognition. The company was founded in August 2015, focusing on the fact that there is an untapped area and many challenges in the creator economy.The funds raised will be mainly used for the development of Clubs, a no-code DAO tool, Khaos Oracle, a tool to freely connect between Web2 and Web3, the expansion of their partner ecosystem, and acceleration of business development in Switzerland.Since its foudation in August 2015, the company got feedback from many creators seeking solutions to their issues, launched an MVP for the open source community in 2018. After its mainnet launch in 2020, OSS developers worldwide succeeded in raising financial support. In 2021, FRAME00 was awarded Northeast Asia OSS Contributor Award for contributions to the OSS ecosystem. The developer community of DEV Protocol now exceeds 500 developers.As future prospects, in order to meet the diverse needs of the creator economy such as web3 and metaverse, they made an announcement of Clubs, a no-code DAO tool. Clubs has been very popular within their community as it will enable you to easily upgrade your community to web3 by letting you choose templates provided for creators, all with little to no technical knowledge.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1456/654a1e59-2a66-4e57-862a-7862bc687163.jpg" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1456/654a1e59-2a66-4e57-862a-7862bc687163.jpg"> FRAME00’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/frame00">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/frame00</a>







FRAME00’s open job is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/frame00/jobs">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/frame00/jobs</a><a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/frame00/jobs"></a>

FRAME00, a developer of Dev Protocol has raised $1.7M in Pre-Series A

On October 25, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/400f" target="_blank">400F, inc.</a>, a provider of the finaicial consultation matching platform announced that it raised 1.2 billion yen ($8M) in a Series B round.This round was led by SBI Investment, with participation from new investors Aflac Ventures LLC, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital, and T&amp;D Innovation Fund, in addition to existing investor Skyland Ventures.Since its MBO from Money Design Inc. in July 2020, 400F has developed and provided the money consultation matching platform under the mission of "solving money problems through encounters," and has created many life-changing encounters through matching users who are embarking on asset building with money experts. In January 2022, the company will launch a new business based on the money consultation matching platform, a financial online advisory service that provides intermediary services for mutual funds and insurance sales, with the aim of providing more people with opportunities to solve their financial problems.The money consultation matching platform is one of the largest platforms in Japan for one-stop free consultation on a variety of advice including securities, insurance, and banking, with a cumulative total of over 2,000 FPs and IFAs from 200 companies (as of October 14, 2022) registered. In addition to providing consultation on a wide range of topics such as asset management, insurance, mortgage loans, and inheritance, the platform is characterized by its ability to compare comments from multiple advisors. The service is chat-based and can be used in one's spare time, such as at home or during the move. In the four years since its release, the service has had a cumulative total of approximately 160,000 registered users.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1455/39936531-b9d7-4073-b761-85bc465cfb4c.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1455/39936531-b9d7-4073-b761-85bc465cfb4c.png">This raise brings the company's cumulative fundraising to 1.8 billion yen, which it intends to invest aggressively to strengthen product development, marketing, and recruiting activities for the platform as well as to accelerate the development of its financial online advisor business and the expansion of its service lineup for corporate clients.Lee Ming-geun, a manager at SBI Investment, said the following about the investment:“The service provided by 400F meets the needs not only of users who have financial difficulties, but also of financial companies that have sales difficulties. We believe that sales DX can be achieved not only by introducing digital tools, but also by providing services that change the sales mechanism, as 400F does. We will continue to support the business development envisioned by 400F with our entire group.” 







400F’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/400f">https://protocol.ooo/companies/400f</a>

400F, Japan's financial wellness advisory platform, raises $8M

On October 24, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/willbox" target="_blank">Willbox, inc.</a>, operator of the international logistics platform “Giho,” announced that it raised approximately 700 million yen ($4.7M) in a Series A round.Willbox is a startup that aims to solve the problems of the international logistics industry, which is an inefficient industry with limited options due to lack of digitalization.Giho, the company's international logistics platform, is a cloud-based service that directly connects logistics providers with a database of shipper companies that handle large cargo. The core of Giho is the "Giho Engine," a technology that consists of patented and proprietary technologies. Giho Engine enables the entire process from packing to exporting, from quotation to process management, and the collected data is analyzed to facilitate the next export.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1451/9fa270b6-c248-4a68-8737-2908b2656429.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1451/9fa270b6-c248-4a68-8737-2908b2656429.png">Willbox announced on October 24, 2022, that it has raised a total of approximately 700 million yen in a Series A round. Existing investor SMBC Venture Capital led the round, and Salesforce Ventures, Golden Asia Fund III, Mizuho Capital, and existing investors such as Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Marubeni Ventures, and ANOBAKA participated.Willbox plans to use the funds to accelerate the development of its services to expand its customer base, as well as to expand its domestic base and launch its business in Taiwan.Tetsuji Nakano, of SMBC Venture Capital said the following:






“Willbox is a vibrant team, led by CEO Kami, who has an overwhelming domain knowledge and driving force. Since their last round we supported, the external environment for international logistics has drastically changed due to COVID-19, but by diligently addressing the challenges and needs of both demand and supply, Willbox has seized the moment of change and evolved into a marketplace that can offer a very wide range of logistics function options. We will do our utmost to support Willbox's further growth.” Willbox’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/willbox" target="_blank">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/willbox</a>

Japan's international logistics platform, Willbox raises $4.7M in series A

On October 20, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/reality" target="_blank">REALITY, Inc.</a> announced that “REALITY,” its metaverse service for smartphones, surpassed 10 million cumulative downloads worldwide.REALITY is a venture founded in April 2018 by GREE, Inc. as a wholly owned subsidiary in the live entertainment business to enter the then rapidly growing virtual YouTuber market. REALITY is developing a metaverse service for smartphones for individual users and REALITY XR cloud , a metaverse development platform utilizing 3D CG and XR technology, for corporate users.REALITY is a communication platform that allows users to create their own original avatar just with a smartphone and enjoy everything from interaction through live-streaming to games. Since the launch of the service in August 2018, the number of downloads has steadily increased, surpassing 5 million in August 2021, and doubling to 10 million in about a year. Currently, the service is distributed to users over 63 countries in 12 languages, and is making great strides toward becoming a globally used application.“REALITY XR cloud" is a cloud solution for realizing virtual events held within any virtual space. This solution realizes metaverse for corporate clients by utilizing consulting services by experts, a platform with a total of 8 million downloads, a development engine that can be intricately customized, and partnerships with various companies.REALITY is currently strengthening its recruitment activities for key positions for the global expansion, aiming for further global growth in order to increase the number of global users of its applications and develop new functions. The company will continue to develop services that many users can enjoy for a long time globally by providing richer avatar expressions and communication methods. 




REALITY’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/reality">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/reality</a>

REALITY, metaverse for smartphones in Japan, surpasses 10 million downloads

On October 19, 2022, <a href="http://protocol.ooo/en/companies/upsider" target="_blank">UPSIDER,</a> a provider of a corporate card and BNPL service for enterprisesannounced that it has closed debt financing of 46.7 billion yen ($312.5M).UPSIDER is a startup co-founded in 2018 by Toru Miyagi, the CEO of UPSIDER, after working on company-wide transformation projects for major financial institutions, such as formulating digital strategies for bank open APIs, etc., and optimizing fee structures and branch locations at McKinsey &amp; Company's Tokyo and London offices, where he joined as a new graduate after graduating from Tokyo University. Based on his knowledge and experience in this area, he co-founded this startup in 2018 with COO Mizuno (former head of marketing at Userbase, Inc.)The company's UPSIDER is a corporate card that solves financial issues such as credit limits and accounting processes. In particular, it provides companies with virtual credit card with credit limit of up to 100 million yen or more (prepaid or postpaid) and accounting SaaS. The active user is more than several thousand, and the retention rate is 99%.The business was initially developed as a corporate card for startups, but with the release of card usage restrictions, authorization setting functions, and Slack integration functions, the company has been able to operate corporate cards more securely than ever before, and the number of listed company clients has also been increasing rapidly.<a href="http://xn--n8j502mt1b.com">支払い.com</a>, which the company also offers to sole proprietors and corporates, is a service that allows users to settle all bank transfer payments for business-to-business transactions with their own credit cards. By extending payment to the credit card debit date, users can improve their cash flow. In addition, users do not need to submit any documents, meet with any person, or undergo any screening process.UPSIDER announced on October 19, 2022, that it has closed debt financing through an additional line of credit with four major financial institutions (undisclosed) as underwriters, raising 46.7 billion yen. As a financial platform that supports all challengers, the company will continue to encourage as many people as possible to succeed as quickly and as greatly as possible, and create a society where all challengers are freed from financial worries and can accelerate their challenges.The company explains the background of this fundraising as follows:The cumulative settlement scale of the corporate card "UPSIDER" and the BNPL service for businesses "<a href="http://xn--n8j502mt1b.com">支払い.com</a>" exceeds 50 billion yen, and the number of new customers recently acquired exceeds 1,000 per month, while the number of customers is over 5,000. Although it has only been two years since the launch of the service, we have been able to secure this additional loan facility not only because of our service expansion track record, but also because of the high accuracy of our unique screening scoring system. With the mission of "creating a society where people who take on challenges can play an active role", we support the growth of companies from a financial perspective by providing the corporate card "UPSIDER" and the
BNPL service "支払い.com". The funds raised this time will be invested for further service expansion.








 UPSIDER’s company profile is here: <a href="http://protocol.ooo/en/companies/upsider">http://protocol.ooo/en/companies/upsider</a>

UPSIDER, a corporate card for growing companies, raises 46.7 billion yen in debt

On October 18, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/fujikosan" target="_blank">Fujia Corporation</a>, operator of the online assistant service Fujiko-san, announced that it has completed the financing of 465 million yen ($3.1M) through equity and debt financing.With the vision of "making online assistants common in Japan," Fujia is a startup that aims to become an infrastructure to solve the manpower shortage in companies. The company's online assistant "Fujiko-san" is a service that allows users to request online assistants via e-mail or chat whenever necessary for "non-core tasks" like back-office operation that are necessary for corporate growth. The service is operated by a team of experienced staff in more than 30 countries around the world, who respond to requests in a sustainable manner, even during nighttime hours by taking advantage of time zone differences.Fujiko-San" provides a team of assistants with a variety of work experience without having to spend time, effort, and the costs of recruiting, hiring, and equipment, and on-boarding. A wide range of requests can be made, from clerical work such as accounting, personnel and labor affairs, and general affairs, to web design and site management, translation, and call center operations. In addition, offline work such as organizing documents and creating paper files can also be handled, and the company plans to expand this service in the future so that it can respond flexibly to work requests.On October 18, 2022, Fugia announced the completion of a Series A round of financing totaling 465 million yen with equity investments from Future Venture Capital, Kamakura Investment Trust, basepartners, Vector Corporation, PKSHA SPARX Algorithm Investment, Lotte Ventures Japan, and Ability Center Inc., and debt financing from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and the Japan Finance Corporation.With this fund raised, Fujia aims to achieve further growth by accelerating marketing activities to raise awareness of its "online assistant" service and expand the number of users, acquiring human resources to serve as "Fujiko-san," and developing systems to automate the content of the service.Atsushi Nakazawa, Senior Investment Officer in the Investment Division of Future Venture Capital said the following:“I met Mr. Yamada when I was at my previous job, and I am very happy to be able to work with him on this investment. Mr. Yamada is always calm and logical, but at the same time, his passion for his work and ambition are evident in his every word. The decline of the working population in Japan is a serious issue, and they are contributing to the advancement of women in society by hiring assistants to support their services, as well as improving the productivity of their clients, small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors. We will continue to support Fujia through the concerted efforts of our entire company."






 Fijia’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/fujikosan">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/fujikosan</a>

Fujiko-san, an online assistant in Japan, raises $3.1

On October 17, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sunmetalon" target="_blank">SUN METALON Inc.</a>, a developer of ultra-fast metal 3D printers, announced that it has raised 800 million yen ($5.6M).SUN METALON is a startup developing a new type of metal 3D printer that can reduce costs by more than 90% due to ultra-high efficiency of 500 times higher than traditional metal 3D printing technology. The first unit is currently under development, with the first customer delivery scheduled for October 2022 and the first official release in early 2023. The company plans to expand the size of manufacturable parts in stages.The company was founded in February 2021 by Kazuhiko Nishioka and Koji Kageyama, both of whom were working at Nippon Steel Corporation at the time, after they conceived of their own metal 3D printing technology based on a steel-making method that had never existed in the market before and conducted experiments at a campground. The vision of the company is to “dramatically expand the possibilities for human beings in space by locally producing and digesting metal parts.”<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1430/6b34bdbe-e458-4d46-9a3d-9370282b5836.jpg" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1430/6b34bdbe-e458-4d46-9a3d-9370282b5836.jpg">SUN METALON announced on October 17, 2022, that it has raised 800 million yen ($5.6 million) from new investor Globis Capital Partners and existing investors UTEC (University of Tokyo Edge Capital Partners), D4V (Design for Ventures), Berkeley SkyDeck (University of California Berkeley). This latest round of funding brings the company's cumulative total raised to approximately 1.1 billion yen ($7.7 million).In the future, SUN METALON will democratize metal 3D parts based on its unique ultra-high-speed metal 3D printing technology, lead the world in the diffusion of metal 3D printers, and expand its business globally with the technology originated in Japan.Kazuhiko Nishioka, CEO of the company, said the following:“We would like to thank everyone involved in this large-scale seed round for their support. It is very encouraging to have the support of investors with notable achievements and strengths in Japan, the U.S., and globally, as we target the global and space markets with technologies originating in Japan. With the concerted efforts of all parties involved, we will first realize the test sales of the first model in October 2022 and the official release of the first model in early 2023 without delay. We also look forward to the participation of those who share our vision and are willing to take on the challenge with us.”







 SUN METALON’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sunmetalon">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sunmetalon</a>

SUN METALON, a developer of ultra-fast metal 3D printers, raises $5.6M

On October 14, 2022, Bring Out Inc., a provider of the sales DX tool "Bring Out," announced that it raised 200 million yen ($1.35M) from JAFCO, Japan’s leading venture capital firm.Bring Out is a startup founded to support DX for Japanese companies. The company's CEO, Kei Nakano, co-founded the company in December 2020 after working as a manager at a management consulting firm, serving as head of business development at Recruit Marketing Partners, and as a startup CEO.Bring Out launched in July 2022, is a sales DX tool that can automatically convert business meetings records into texts through speech recognition at 99% accuracy regardless of online or face-to-face.Using the company's proprietary, patent-pending AI that identifies critical points, it automatically identifies with an accuracy of over 80% how much the budget is, whether or not the approval route is comfirmed, and whether or not the sales talk is conducted in accordance with compliance.This makes it possible to efficiently confirm the key points of business negotiations in a short period of time, and to streamline the understanding of issues and human resource development in business negotiations while greatly reducing the human cost-intensive tasks of preparing daily sales reports and holding meetings to confirm them. The system is already in use by major companies with an established reputation for sales capabilities, such as Recruit Co.Bring Out plans to use the funds raised to develop an improved AI for extracting important information and to strengthen its service delivery for clients.Yutaro Saka, a partner at JAFCO said the following:“I was strongly attracted to the world Bring Out is trying to realize, and I am pleased to support them. The company has a big vision to solve the problems of sales professionals, who account for more than 10% of the working population, but their approach, led by Mr. Nakano, a first-class consultant, is calm and realistic, not a pipe dream. That is why they are supported by top companies with strong sales organizations. We will continue to support them.”







Bring Out’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/bringout"></a><a href="https://protocol.ooo/companies/bringout">https://protocol.ooo/companies/bringout</a>

Bring Out, a developer of sales DX SaaS, raises $1.35M 

On October 12, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/dnxventures">DNX Ventures</a>, a Japan&nbsp;and Silicon Valley-based VC firm, announced the first close of multiple new Japan funds raising a total of approximately 26 billion yen (U.S.&nbsp;$179M).DNX is a venture capital fund with offices in Silicon Valley and&nbsp;Tokyo&nbsp;that has been investing in B2B startups since 2011, primarily in the Japanese and U.S. markets. To date, it has invested in more than 160 startups, mainly in&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;and the U.S., and have led 18 companies to exits, through a total of eight funds totaling approximately U.S.&nbsp;$750M&nbsp;under management, including five main funds and annex/seed funds. Among B2B startups, the main areas of investment are in cloud SaaS, fintech, deep tech, and sustainability, all in early stages.DNX Ventures has announced the initial close of&nbsp;$110M&nbsp;for Japan Fund IV and&nbsp;$50M&nbsp;for Japan Annex Fund III for follow-on investments, along with the final close of&nbsp;$20M&nbsp;for Japan Seed Fund for seed stage investments, totaling approximately&nbsp;26 billion yen&nbsp;(~U.S.&nbsp;$179M) across the three funds. This new&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;fund family will enable DNX Ventures to continue to support startups from seed to late stages, and will focus on startups in&nbsp;Japan, possibly including some in the&nbsp;Asia&nbsp;region.DNX Ventures has already invested in some startups through the Japan Fund IV and "Japan Annex Fund III and plan to make new investments in a phased manner from its investment pipeline, including the seed fund, which was formed last year and targets investments in seed startups. It will continue to invest in B2B startups in Japan, focusing on additional investments in some of the seed fund investees and new early-stage startup investments. In terms of investment areas, the company plans to invest in SaaS-focused B2B startups, leveraging its track record and experience in investing in Japan's leading SaaS startups.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1391/7d81e861-b886-4480-a918-62b3382cf775.jpg" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1391/7d81e861-b886-4480-a918-62b3382cf775.jpg">The company's portfolio includes airdoor, DIGGLE, Hiway, immedio, Leala, Levetty, Medical Force, moja, Resilire, Revie, ROMS , Tremolo, Workside, Gecko, RESTAR, ROMS, Simpleform, Andpad, MagicMoment, and UPSIDER.Japan Fund IV and Japan Annex Fund III will continue to fundraise, aiming for a cumulative total of&nbsp;40 billion yen&nbsp;(U.S.&nbsp;$276M) across the three new&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;funds.






 DNX Ventures’ company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/dnxventures">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/dnxventures</a>

DNX Ventures, a JP/US VC, announces the first close of new JP Fund of $179M

On October 12, 2022, Sumitomo Corporation announced the launch of <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sumisho-vp" target="_blank">Sumisho Venture Partners Corporation</a> in April 2022 as a corporate venture capital firm to invest in startups in Japan.Sumitomo Corp. has invested in more than 300 startups globally since 1998, first in Silicon Valley, then in Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, and London. In 2022, the company launched Sumisho Venture Partners in Tokyo, and will continue to invest in Japanese startups while leveraging its global expertise and know-how.Sumisho Venture Partners has a dual investment strategy of pursuing capital gains and business synergies. First, from the perspective of a VC, the company identifies and investigates startups whose corporate value is expected to grow rapidly in the future. In addition, the Sumitomo Corporation Group will contribute to the disruptive growth of startups in Japan by investing in companies with which it sees potential for collaboration in the short to medium term. Also, through its global CVC experience, the company has established a lean decision-making process and plans to provide flexible investment consideration and business support in line with the management speed of the startups.Sumisho Venture Partners focuses its investments on the next-generation growth strategy themes set forth in Sumitomo Corporation's management strategy called "SHIFT2023," including next-generation energy, social infrastructure, retail/consumer, healthcare, and agriculture. The targeted investment stage is mainly Series A or later, with a focus on middle-stage investments. The company will support its portfolio through sales expansion of existing businesses, overseas expansion by leveraging Sumitomo Corporation's assets and resources, and co-creation of new businesses that will become future core businesses by leveraging Sumitomo Corporation's business platform.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1376/5eaa249a-2a04-4ae0-b600-89f239e997bc.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1376/5eaa249a-2a04-4ae0-b600-89f239e997bc.png">The company also announced that it has invested in Nudge Corporation, which provides a next-generation credit card service called "Nudge.” Nudge is a service that allows any artist, creator, sports team, etc. with a fan community to issue credit cards. The company aims to provide a new financial experience for both users and partners, and to become a challenger bank in Japan. Sumitomo Corporation will be utilizing Nudge for its retail business and Sustainability City, which is under consideration. 







Sumisho Venture Partners’ company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sumisho-vp">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/sumisho-vp</a>

Sumitomo Corp. launches its CVC to invest in Japanese startups

On October 11, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/flamers" target="_blank">Flamers</a>, developer of Memoria, a dating-specific metaverse service, announced that it raised 100 million yen ($686K) in a seed round.Flamers is a startup co-founded in November 2019 by Kochi Sato (CEO) and Kota Shidara (CPO) from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering, and Hiroto Shibata (COO) from Hokkaido University's Faculty of Fisheries, while still a student. With the vision of "creating a world where people's lives around the world are filled with excitement," in addition to its existing business "Voil," a long-term internship job service, the company is developing "Memoria," a metaverse specializing in dating, starting in 2022.Memoria" is a VR application that allows users to search for a partner or go on a date with a partner in a metaverse space. While being away from each other, users can relax and talk in a room, go to an amusement park, go for a drive, or go swimming in a VR space, and "make memories together" as if they were on a real date. In the metaverse space, users are matched in the metaverse without knowing the other person's appearance through communication via avatars, and can spend time together on a series of dates.ANRI, basepartners, Yasushi Funakoshi, founder and CEO of HIKKY Corporation, and Kenji Kasahara, founder of Mixi, Inc. have participated in Flamers' seed round. The funds raised will be invested mainly in expanding Memoria's engineering team. Kochi Sato, the company's CEO, said the following:“Last year in 2021, Facebook Inc. changed its name to ‘Meta’ and in 2023, several huge global tech companies are planning to launch new VR headsets for consumer. The VR market has been called ‘the first year of VR’ since 2016, and we may be living at the turn of that era, with the VR market accelerating in the past few years. With everything from games, live performances, events, and work now being developed in VR, I believe that the future of ‘finding a partner in VR space’ and ‘dating in VR space’ will surely arrive in the near future, and we want to be at the forefront of leading the industry. In order to meet the expectations of those who have decided to take the risk and invest in Flamers, as well as those who have supported Flamers up to now, we ourselves will continue to be excited about the future. And we will continue to move forward with all our might so that more and more people's lives will be filled with excitement!”<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1343/3b29ff32-83ad-42af-b8bb-9a4155c048cc.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1343/3b29ff32-83ad-42af-b8bb-9a4155c048cc.png">






 Flamers’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/flamers">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/flamers</a>

Flamers, a developer of a dating-specific metaverse, raises 100 million yen

On October 6, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/octarobotics" target="_blank">Octa Robotics</a>, whose mission is to "make robots an infrastructure," announced that it raised 100 million yen ($690K.)&nbsp;<a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/anri" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: 400;">ANRI</a>, Japanese independent venture capital firm led the Octa Robotics round.Octa Robotics is a startup that aims to accelerate the growth of the service robotics market by promoting communication across organizations and providing missing elements in the market to support open innovation. The company develops and provides “LCI,” an interface service that enables robots to move between floors and areas by themselves, in conjunction with elevators, automatic doors, and other building equipment.Kota Nabeshima co-founded Octa Robotics in May 2021 with Koji Maekawa after graduating from the University of Tokyo Ph.D. in robotics and working at CYBERDYNE and Preferred Networks.LCI is a multi-vendor interface service specializing in robot/building equipment integration, which enables robots to work with elevators, automatic doors, and other building equipment, allowing robots to move between floors and areas on their own. The service is based on an open specification that conforms to the RRI protocol developed at the initiative of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and can be easily connected to any elevator company or robot vendor.Octa Robotics will use the funds raised to implement various measures related to the expansion of the LCI service. LCI has been steadily increasing adoption, and the company will focus on marketing the service and recruiting excellent human resources to speed up the expansion of LCI's services.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1242/3841d71a-4f86-4475-8e1e-91e47fec5dea.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1242/3841d71a-4f86-4475-8e1e-91e47fec5dea.png">Masahiro Samejima, general partner at ANRI, said the following about the investment:“We are pleased to announce our seed investment in Octa Robotics. As various service robots become more widespread, we believe that they will be required to work smoothly with existing facility, and they aim to solve this problem and help realize a robot-friendly society. We look forward to the robot revolution that will be triggered by Mr. Nabeshima, Mr. Maekawa, and the rest of the best robot "geeks" out there!” 








Octa Robotics’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/octarobotics">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/octarobotics</a>

Octa Robotics, developing infrastructure for robots in Japan, raises $690K

On October 6, 2022, health tech startup <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/ubie" target="_blank">Ubie</a> announced that it raised 6.26 billion yen ($43B) in a Series C round.Ubie is a health tech startup founded in May 2017 by Yoshimichi Abe, a doctor, and Kota Kubo, an engineer, with the mission of "guiding people to appropriate medical care with technology.” The company develops and provides "Ubie," which uses AI as its core technology to guide patients to appropriate medical care based on their symptoms, and "Ubie AI Medical Questionnaire," which aims to improve the efficiency of medical workplaces. The company also plans to go in to overseas market in 2020 in order to expand its technology developed in Japan, a country with advanced medical care, to the rest of the world.Following the 3.5 billion yen fundraising in July, the company raised an additional 2.76 billion yen to close the Series C round for a total of 6.26 billion yen. This round was funded by equity investments from Sogo Medical, AAIC Investment Pte. Ltd., Japan Impact Investment, and Rakuten Capital, as well as loans from The Shoko Chukin Bank, Ltd. This brings the company's cumulative capital funding to 10.72 billion yen since its foundation.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1241/d36f527a-4131-4b5a-925f-faf4a6161e3c.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1241/d36f527a-4131-4b5a-925f-faf4a6161e3c.png">Ubie will not only focus on collaboration between consumers/patients and medical institutions, which has been a focus of the company for some time, but also strengthen collaboration with pharmaceutical companies. By connecting the three parties on our medical platform, Ubie aims to create an unprecedented medical experience that solves their problems by providing a system that delivers information and scientific knowledge about diseases and drugs held by pharmaceutical companies to consumers, patients, and medical institutions at the timing necessary for them to receive it.In addition, for the purpose of strengthening its management structure and governance, the company has appointed Ryusuke Shigetomi, Chairman and Representative Director of Blackstone Group Japan K.K., as a board member and Kazumi Yoshikawa, CPA, as a full-time auditor. Shigetomi said on his appointment as a board member:Japan's advanced medical technology is an asset that we should be proud to share with the world. We believe that Ubie, which aims to create unprecedented medical experiences through technology, will play a role in extending healthy life expectancy around the world as a company originating from Japan. We intend to contribute to the realization of Ubie's corporate philosophy by leveraging my expertise in international and corporate finance. 







Ubie’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/ubie">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/ubie</a>

Ubie, founded by Japanese doctor and engineer, raises $43B

On October 5, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/origressparks">ORIGRESS PARKS</a>, which provides the "Leisure Pass" subscription service for unlimited play at leisure facilities throughout Japan, announced that it raised 150 million yen ($1M).ORIGRESS PARKS is a theme park venture offering a "leisure pass." After graduating from Sophia University, Masaru Yoshitake joined Dentsu, and in his fourth year with the company became the youngest and first individual ever to win the sales award of Dentsu, and then used all his paid time off to travel around the world to observe entertainment. After that, he took on the management of a project to open a leisure facility in Tokyo as the representative director, and then founded ORIGRESS PARKS and became its CEO.“Leisure Pass" is an unprecedented new subscription service that allows unlimited access to more than 110 paid facilities and events of various genres throughout Japan, including amusement parks, theme parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, hot springs, saunas, and campgrounds, for a monthly membership fee of 1,980 yen and up. Under the slogan of "Entertainment Revolution," the company will enhance its event lineup in addition to leisure and spa facilities to create a future in which entertainment is at the center of the after-Covid.Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, i-nest capital, Coloplanext Co., Ltd. and individual investors participated in this round, bringing the total amount raised to 150 million yen. The total amount of funds raised so far is 207 million yen. About this funding, the CEO Masaru Yoshitake, said the following:“We are truly delighted and at the same time more determined by the fact that we are able to raise our second round of funding after our founding. In the transition from Before-Covid to After-Covid, we will share the pain with all leisure/entertainment businesses, and then develop by taking on bold challenges with them that were unimaginable before Covid. By offering unlimited play in a variety of genres for a fixed price, we will contribute to the creation of a society where people's hearts are filled with encounters and memories by influencing the way they approach live entertainment and changing their lifestyles." 





ORIGRESS PARKS’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/origressparks">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/origressparks</a>

ORIGRESS PARKS, Japan's theme park startup, raises $1M

On October 3, 2022,<a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/pixiedusttech" target="_blank"> Pixie Dust Technologies</a>, founded by Yoichi Ochiai, announced that it has raised 2.17 billion yen ($15M) in a Series C round.Pixie Dust Technologies is a university-launched venture that aims to provide a bird's eye view of the world from the perspective of digital technology and to be a driving force in leading the world to a new equilibrium point. It was founded in May 2017 by Yoichi Ochiai and Yasuichiro Murakami, two researchers with PhDs, engaged in research and education, and have academic backgrounds in human interfaces and wave control such as holograms.The company offers new options to meet unmet needs around the world that go beyond traditional user interfaces and medical device approaches, such as "sound-absorbing metamaterials," "dementia care through the five senses," and "healthcare through mechanobiology using ultrasonic.With its core technology specialized in "wave control technology (computational hologram technology and signal processing technology)" that can manipulate not only ultrasonic waves but also light and so-called electromagnetic waves, the company focuses on the development of non-contact and non-invasive devices in the office area, healthcare and diversity area, with "improving quality of life," "complementing and improving physical capabilities" and "coping with aging" as its main domains.IF Growth Opportunity Fund I, Tohoku University Venture Partners, Shionogi &amp; Co., Ltd., Suzuyo &amp; Co., Ltd., Nomura Kogeisha, and Axiom Asia Private Capital, participated in this series C funding, bringing the total amount raised to 2.17 billion yen.The company intends to use the funds raised for manufacturing and marketing expenses for the recently launched ultrasonic hair care device "SonoRepro™" and sound-absorbing metamaterial "iwasemi™" and other products to be launched in the future, as well as for product development and hiring personnel for new businesses, to further strengthen its business foundation. 





Pixie Dust Technologies’ company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/pixiedusttech">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/pixiedusttech</a>

Yoichi Ochiai's Pixie Dust Tech raises $15M in series C round 

On October 3, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/visualbank">Visual Bank</a> announced that it raised ¥2.1 billion ($14M) along with its founding and acquisition.Visual Bank is a startup that is engaged in the overall business of connecting "cultural value" and "economic value". After working for Rakuten, Inc. and Crocos, Inc., founding BuzzFeed Japan, managing Weekday, Inc. and selling it to Nippon Television Network Corporation, Yuta Numazawa co-founded Numazawa, Iizuka, and Nagai for Kimberley (now Visual Bank) in April 2022 with Sanayuki Nagai.At the same time as the funding, Visual Bank acquired all shares of Amana Images Corporation, which has consistently sold high-quality photographs, illustrations, and video materials since its establishment in 1984, and made it a wholly owned subsidiary. Amana Images has been nurturing its stock photo business for 38 years, taking care of and protecting the creations of creators, such as photographers, illustrators, and copyright holders, and bringing them to users who seek high-quality materials. In the future, the company intends to utilize and develop this system to produce services that can contribute to the organization of complicated legal relationships surrounding transactions, the archiving of creations, and the subsequent capitalization of those creations.It is the first ETA in Japan to be structured using a self-funded search model, and has achieved a shareholder structure in which management retains a majority stake in the company to facilitate medium to long-term growth.<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1226/3f63283c-415e-4cfa-bca1-8c262d9647e8.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1226/3f63283c-415e-4cfa-bca1-8c262d9647e8.png">The following VCs, corporates, individual investors, and banks (loans) participated in this funding round for Visual Bank, totaling 2.1 billion yen: Incubate Fund, W fund, Headline Asia, Fuji Startup Ventures, Watanabe Entertainment, Inc., PayForward, Masaki Yoshida, Chairman of Watanabe Entertainment, Yoshitsune Ido, Founder of ANKER JAPAN, Mangyo Kinoshita, Founder of Southgate Law Offices, Kenichi Nakao, Founder of FROSK, Takeshi Hiki, Founder of Welby, Takeshi Fujikawa, Tomoki Akabori, Mizuho Bank, Ltd (loan).Visual Bank describes the background of its founding as follows:“Visual Bank was founded to create a society in which the value of creativity is maximized and optimized. By producing services that support the creativity unleashed in the world behind the scenes, we will create businesses that connect "cultural value" and "economic value".







 Visual Bank’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/visualbank">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/visualbank</a>

Visual Bank, founded through acquisition in Japan, raises $14M

On September 30, 2022, <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/progrit" target="_blank">PROGRIT</a>, a provider of English coaching programs, announced that it was newly listed on the Growth Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.Founded in August 2016 by Shogo Okada, formerly of McKinsey, and Shuntaro Yamazaki, formerly of Recruit, PROGRIT is a startup company that offers an English coaching service to learn practical business English in a short time. In addition to English coaching services, the company also offers global human resource development services for corporate clients and subscription-based English learning services.In their previous jobs, Okada and Yamazaki saw companies not being able to do business smoothly because of their English skill, and businesspeople missing out on opportunities to be active globally. This led to this service. With the mission of "increasing the number of people who can work freely in the world," we hope to provide skills and confidence to all people through our service and encourage as many people as possible to work freely in the world.The company received an investment from <a href="https://protocol.ooo/users/keisukehonda">Keisuke Honda</a> in 2018, a soccer player who works as an angel investor. For Honda, this is the second company in which he has invested to go public, following Makuake Inc. which went public in 2019.PROGRIT describe this listing as follows:“We would like to thank all of our customers, business partners, shareholders, and all other stakeholders who have supported us since our establishment. Our main business concept is to provide English language coaching services to improve English language skills in a short period of time, and we have also been providing subscription-based English language learning services. We will continue to expand our business and increase our corporate value in order to realize our mission of "increasing the number of people who can freely play an active role in the world.”<img src="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1221/28f1f9d3-ff7b-4e72-91d5-ecd5e72bc635.png" alt="https://assets.protocol.ooo/uploads/article_attachments/image/1221/28f1f9d3-ff7b-4e72-91d5-ecd5e72bc635.png">






 PROGRIT’s company profile is here: <a href="https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/progrit">https://protocol.ooo/en/companies/progrit</a>

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