Headline - Asia

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our principals, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ Sony is to launch its own blockchain, Soneium. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gJmmqNQP 2️⃣ 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐬 have increased 28 times in Japan over one year. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ggHU8cGK 3️⃣  𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧, banks that don’t have physical branches, have reached 40M accounts. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gD2amqqd Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/gnQDubA7 #headlineasia #vc #venturecapital #saas #investing #invest #investmentopportunities #vcfunding #technologynews #tech #companies #japan #japanbusiness #japanese #startups #business cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

Headline Asia at StartSphere Taipei 2024: Strengthening Taiwan -Japan Innovation Ties As part of our ongoing Taiwan Delegation and continued partnership with SIT (Startup Island TAIWAN), we will be attending and speaking at StartSphere Taipei 2024 and Together, Go Big! Join us at StartSphere Taipei 2024, a three-day international event celebrating innovation across digitalization, technology, music, and entertainment. Brian Yen, Principal at Headline Asia, will be sharing his insights on the challenges and opportunities of scaling startups in this dynamic landscape. This event, organized by the Taipei City Government’s Department of Economic Development, brings together over 20 international VCs, unicorns, multinational AI startups, and media founders from across the globe, with a special focus on the thriving innovation and investment ecosystems in Taiwan and Japan. 🔵 Sign up here: September 4th Event: https://lnkd.in/gjtEtcst September 5th Event: https://lnkd.in/gaQT8Ub6 September 6th Event: https://lnkd.in/gYYiXfH6 Our founding partner, Akio T., will also take the stage at the Together, Go Big! Summit in Japan. With over 15 years of experience in connecting Japan’s ecosystem with broader Asian markets and helping new businesses establish themselves in Japan, Akio will provide valuable perspectives at this key event connecting startups and global investors. 🔗 Join the summit here: https://lnkd.in/gjgf8svq By actively engaging in these events, we reinforce our mission to strengthen Taiwan-Japan innovation ties and can’t wait to see how these collaborations will help startups thrive on a local to global stage. --- Allen John Ku, Ariel（櫻儒） WANG（王）, Akihiko Okamoto, Joseph Huang, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Jennifer Lin, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura,

🌟 This week, we bring you our next 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭  - featuring respond.io! Through the integration of multiple messaging platforms, respond.io has become the preferred platform for companies worldwide to communicate with clients. 🤔 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 respond.io? In March 2019, Gerardo Salandra and his team at respond.io faced collapse, but their relentless drive led to the creation of the first WhatsApp CRM—and it worked. They hit $1M ARR in just 12 months with no ads or sales team, just pure determination and a product that resonated with the market. Read more about it here from Gerardo: https://lnkd.in/gCj62HCx Our journey with respond.io began in September 2022 when we discovered them using our proprietary deal-sourcing software, SearchLight, and piqued Jerry's (Gerardo) interest with unique growth data. A call with Headline Asia's Brian Yen, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, and Ian Su introduced Deepdive, showing the respond.io team how a data-driven VC could accelerate their growth and ultimately, we led their $7 million Series A funding. Our founding partner Akio T. commented: "Servicing over 10,000 companies across 86 countries with 150+ employees on the payroll, what a journey from the cramped corner of the Lahore office to disrupting enterprise client communication internationally. We see the huge Go Global ambition behind the respond.io technology and are proud to support the team and its mission to connect brands with customers across industries." 🌟 The two ways respond.io differentiates from competitors: ➡️ Product-led growth: Customers find respond.io easily and organically because they offer solutions to specific problems making their product stand out. ➡️ Content leadership: respond.io ranks highly in search engines due to its quality content that addresses customer issues and solutions. 👉 Discover how respond.io is redefining customer communication on our website: https://lnkd.in/gQ7QApHz ---- c.c Akihiko Okamoto, Joseph Huang, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Jennifer Lin, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Agata Krzysztofik, Kate Ng Jia Yi, Polina Alexandrova, Jerad Tan, Zong You Lai, Hassan Ahmed,

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our principals, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 has reached a record high in the last 20 years. Read more: https://lnkd.in/guyW9Cer 2️⃣ 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐨 is to go public at USD $ 4.8B. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gCfKUgsr 3️⃣  Canada’s convenience store chain wants to acquire 7-Eleven Japan, which could be the 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐌&𝐀 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 has ever seen. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQr-h6gw Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/gnQDubA7 #headlineasia #vc #venturecapital #saas #investing #invest #investmentopportunities #vcfunding #technologynews #tech #companies #japan #japanbusiness #japanese #startups #business cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki,Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our Venture Partner, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ A16z sets up office in Japan Read more: https://lnkd.in/gsh9QTQE 2️⃣ Mitsubishi Morgan Stanley is to enter Security Token business. Read more: https://lnkd.in/giUMWBGA 3️⃣ 3. 1,411 startups raised US$2.9B in Japan in 2024 H1. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gS478F_v Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/ cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our principals, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤 saw its biggest drop in one day in history, followed by seeing its biggest rebound in history. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g2JtYpP7 2️⃣ Amazon 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 invests USD 200M to 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gTi-GmQT 3️⃣ Japan's largest telco company announces its 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦. Read more: https://lnkd.in/geSrzQfU Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/gnQDubA7 #headlineasia #vc #venturecapital #saas #investing #invest #investmentopportunities #vcfunding #technologynews #tech #companies #japan #japanbusiness #japanese #startups #business cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our principals, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 further increased their interest rate. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gHH5bnUe 2️⃣ 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 aims to be the first crypto exchange listing in Japan.  Read more: https://lnkd.in/gWFQEMQn 3️⃣ Japan’s largest bank invests 𝐔𝐒𝐃 $500𝐌 in Philippines’s fintech company. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gkCnGChv Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/gnQDubA7 #headlineasia #vc #venturecapital #saas #investing #invest #investmentopportunities #vcfunding #technologynews #tech #companies #japan #japanbusiness #japanese #startups #business cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

🇹🇼𝐈𝐕𝐒2024 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩: 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐕𝐒 🌍 IVS2024 was the center of innovation and cross-border collaboration, and the Taiwan Delegation was a prime example. Our partner Joseph Huang delivered the opening speech for the delegation‘s pitch panel, setting the stage for the "Gateway to Taiwan" pitch session. This event featured 18 Taiwanese startups presenting their innovative ideas to Japanese and Southeast Asian investors, with over 200 attendees from Taiwan participating. Additionally, two Taiwanese startups (Valtec & DMKTZ Inc.) pitched on IVS LAUNCHPAD main finale in front of thousands of attendees. Organized by Startup Island TAIWAN, CDIB Capital Group 中華開發資本, AppWorks, and Meet Global by Business Next Media, the Taiwan delegation was a great opportunity to foster cross-border collaborations and explore Taiwan's vibrant startup ecosystem. It was inspiring to see the engagement and the fostering of international partnerships. Here's to more collaborations and innovation for next year's IVS! Allen John Ku, Ariel（櫻儒） WANG（王）, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki,

🎓 Headline Asia School: Class 4 Powered by Women In Tech! 🌟 🚀 Headline Asia School is a free online program designed for those eager to embark on the venture capital journey. 🤩 We're thrilled to announce the applications for the 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 of 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 has started! We are collaborating with WOMEN IN TECH ® Global to empower aspiring female venture capitalists to participate in the 2024 and 2025 classes, reinforcing our commitment to support women in S.T.E.A.M. in the Asia Pacific region. ➡️ Be sure to register and send the application as soon as possible, spots are filling up quickly! :  https://lnkd.in/gDZhfiBU ✨ Special Shoutout to the Women In Tech APAC Summit & Awards 2024! Don't miss the chance to participate in the APAC awards with a special discount for Headline Asia! Register now with 10% off (on top of an early bird 20%) using the code until 31st August: HEADLINEWIT2024.  https://lnkd.in/g7yvHz7b Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, Ayumi Moore Aoki, Yuki Aizawa 愛澤友己, Brian Yen, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Jennifer Lin, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura

This week's 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 is brought to you by one of our principals, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi. Bringing you the most insightful news of the week, here are the highlights: 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲! 1️⃣ 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 $300𝐌 in Thailand's mobile payment Ascend Money. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g-HBJCVE 2️⃣ SONY and other large JP companies are to invest 𝐉𝐏𝐘 5𝐓 (US$ 35B) by 2029 into semiconductors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gNixxnx6 3️⃣ The number of 𝐌&𝐀 𝐢𝐧 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 hits all-time high. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gjWxDQkZ Read below for the extended version of these news. You can also click on the 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞 (Desktop) for the article links. --- Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? --> https://lnkd.in/gnQDubA7 #headlineasia #vc #venturecapital #saas #investing #invest #investmentopportunities #vcfunding #technologynews #tech #companies #japan #japanbusiness #japanese #startups #business cc : CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Tzu Ning ( Kate ) Liu, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura