2-11-3, Meguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Technology or vision, what is the most decisive factor for VCs to invest in your product? How to approach and pitch investors for your seed funding? What are the most important aspects of launching a startup in Japan?
For this ApéroTalk, we'll have the immense pleasure to welcome two renowned figures of the Tokyo VC ecosystem: Hire Maeda, partner and BEENEXT, and James Riney, head of 500 Startups Japan. They'll share their views through a panel discussion and Q&A.
Agenda
• 7:00 pm - Door opens
• 7:30 pm - Panel discussion and Q&A with Hiro and James
• 8:30 pm - Networking session
About Hiro Maeda
Hiro Maeda is a partner at BEENEXT, an early stage VC firm investing in India, Southeast Asia, Japan, and the U.S. With a degree in computer science and economics from Bucknell University, he has been an early stage investor in over 100 companies, including Everlane, Instacart, and Anyperk. Previously, he led the investment division at BEENOS. In 2010, he launched Japan’s first startup accelerator, Open Network Lab, in partnership with Digital Garage and Kakaku.com. Hiro was selected as one of the 2016 Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 in the finance and venture capital category.
About James Riney
James is the co-founder and head of 500 Startups’ $35m fund for Japan, and recently listed in Forbes Asia’s 30 under 30. Prior to 500 Startups, James covered early stage investments for DeNA’s venture arm, focusing on Silicon Valley and Asia. He drove DeNA’s first investments in Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, and India. His notable investments include SmartHR, Infostellar, Coins.ph, Within, and Penrose Studios.
Before investing, he was the founding CEO of ResuPress (now Coincheck, Inc), and the creator of STORYS.JP, the “Medium.com of Japan.” In another life, he worked at J.P. Morgan in New York and Tokyo.
About Le Wagon Tokyo
Le Wagon Tokyo is a coding school for startups, creative people and tech entrepreneurs. Our 9-week Full-Stack Coding Bootcamp is designed for complete beginners or "half-beginners" who really want to dive into programming and, above all, change their mindset. Learn to think like a developer, consider issues with new insight, and become more autonomous thanks to these newly acquired abilities.
The next Tokyo batch will start on January 15th and applications are open. Still considering whether to apply or not? Try our free online track!
Le Wagon is a coding school for startups, creative people and tech entrepreneurs. Our 9-week Full-Stack Coding Bootcamp is designed for complete beginners or "half-beginners" who really want to ...
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