Major Japanese Companies and VC Employees Participate in Large Numbers
SBVA announced on the 4th that it successfully concluded the "2024 SBVA Tokyo Forum" held at the Trunk Hotel in Tokyo, Japan on the 2nd. The 2024 SBVA Tokyo Forum, held for the first time this year, was planned to provide networking opportunities between promising domestic startups and major Japanese venture capitalists (VCs) and companies, aiming to revitalize the startup ecosystems in both Korea and Japan.
The forum was attended by over 150 industry stakeholders, including eight SBVA portfolio companies hoping to enter the Japanese market such as Spoon Labs, Dr. Now, Upstage, Visual, Gaudio Lab, Masspresso, Mark Vision, and Law&Company, as well as major domestic and international investors, local Japanese VC professionals, and entrepreneurs.
The first part began with a keynote speech by SBVA CEO Lee Jun-pyo introducing the company and its global investment strategy. This was followed by a fireside chat on the theme of "Successful Korea-Japan Investment Cooperation Cases by SBVA" featuring SBVA Executive Director Choi Ji-hyun, KREAM CFO Kim Young-ki, and SODA CEO Uchiyama Yuta. In particular, Executive Director Choi shared business know-how accumulated through consecutive investments in leading C2C platforms representing Korea, China, and Japan, starting with China's resale platform Nice, followed by KREAM and SODA. She also conveyed the roles and strategies SBVA has undertaken, including partnership formation and global market entry.
The second part featured a keynote session by Miki Fukazawa, Executive Director of SoftBank Corp. and Head of Alliance and Investment Strategy, on "SoftBank's Open Innovation and Partnership Strategies with Startups." A panel talk followed on the theme "Industry Trends and Investment & Exit Strategies from the Perspective of Japanese Local VCs." The panel included representatives from leading Japanese VCs such as SAMURAI INCUBATE, Global Brain, CyberAgent Capital, JAFCO, and PKSHA CAPITAL, who introduced the market atmosphere following the Japanese government's 'Five-Year Startup Promotion Plan' and their plans for investing in overseas startups.
The third part began with a keynote session titled "Global Expansion in the AI Era" by Son Tae-jang, co-founder of The Edge and Chairman of Mistletoe. The event concluded with company pitching by SBVA portfolio companies to local investors and closing remarks by SBVA Executive Director Jung Ji-woo, expressing hopes for Korea-Japan cooperation.
(From left) Fireside chat session. (From left) Jihyun Choi, SBVA Executive Director; Yuta Uchiyama, Soda CEO; Youngki Kim, Cream CFO. Photo by SBVA
CEO Lee Jun-pyo stated, "Global expansion is emerging as an important keyword for domestic startups, and Japan's startup promotion policies are creating new investment opportunities. Based on SBVA's solid global network and experience, we will redouble our efforts to serve as a facilitator that pioneers global pathways and supports growth."
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