TOPICS
ecosystem
JIC and Atomico hold event to
promote development of Japan’s
startup ecosystem:
“Innovation Summit”
On November 7, 2024, JIC has co-hosted an event to promote the development of Japan’s startup ecosystem, “Innovation Summit ~Learnings from the European tech ecosystem~”, together with Atomico (UK) Partners LLP (“Atomico”), a venture capital firm investing mainly in the European tech sector.
JIC aims to be an investment institution that will lead the development of investment professionals and sharing of knowledge to create a virtuous cycle of risk capital in Japan. The opinion exchange meeting was held to provide an opportunity for middle-back office members of JIC's portfolio funds to share their knowledge and expertise. It also aimed to improve the efficiency and productivity of the portfolio funds’ operations through the exchange of information by middle-back office members responsible for operations such as preparation of investment contracts and other documents, performance measurement, and reporting to LP investors.
In a fireside chat between Zennström and JIC CIO Toshiyuki Kumura, Zennström sought to encourage Japanese VCs by explaining that it took a while for the startup ecosystem in Europe to develop and unicorns to emerge, so Japan also needs to be patient and wait for success stories of its own. Emphasizing the importance of the Japanese market, he noted that the number of entrepreneurs in Japan with outstanding entrepreneurial spirit continues to increase and that several notable companies have begun to emerge.
The event also introduced the advanced measures that Atomico has adopted to support its portfolio companies, including the “Growth Acceleration Program” under which experts with specialist knowledge of funding, recruitment, internal and external communication, and business development provide support to portfolio companies, and the “Conscious Scaling” program, which utilizes dialogue with entrepreneurs to identify ESG factors related to the portfolio company’s business, embed ESG and DE&I policies into the company’s business model from the initial stage and achieve both long-term profitability improvement and a positive impact on society.
Approximately 70 Japanese VC and government officials attended the event, sharing knowledge and building relationships.For the details of the event, please click here.