The other day a large growth equity fund in Europe reached out to me. This firm has invested across Europe as well as into North America. They contacted me because they are considering to open an office in Tokyo. This is of course fantastic news and a testament to how some capital allocators globally are […] The post A massive opportunity still up for grabs in Tokyo’s real estate sector appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

Beyond of course natural gratitude for the citation, I enjoyed Chris Newland’s article in today’s Financial Times. Global media is also awakening to Japan’s startup renaissance. The post Japan’s startup spirit awakens appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

As General Partners of Shizen Capital, we consider ourselves very fortunate to work as venture capitalists. We each also happen to have founded tech startups in our prior careers before entering the VC world. Although we would love to believe that we are brilliant, the reality is that we’ve been lucky. Any flashes of wisdom […] The post How to pitch us appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

Takerufuji toppled fellow rank-and-file wrestler Gonoyama today to win the Emperor’s Cup at the Osaka sumo basho. The 24-year-old from Aomori Prefecture became the first rikishi in over 100 years to win his first tournament upon promotion to the elite makuuchi division. Congratulations Takerufuji, and thank you for demonstrating that anything is possible. The post A testimony of tenacity appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

Thank you to Dr. Stefanie Di Russo, Rebekah Cheng, and James Hollow MBE from Fabric for leading yesterday’s Shizen Capital Workshop on design thinking. Stefanie and Rebekah offered insights on design-oriented frameworks for startups to consider before embarking on a costly product development endeavour. For example… Design the right thing Design things right Good vibes […] The post Shizen Capital Workshop Series – Strategic Design Thinking appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

“Right now, early stage venture in Japan represents the most compelling opportunity for asymmetric upside of any asset class worldwide. It’s a unique moment in time.” The post Why Japan’s Startup ecosystem will likely be on every VC’s radar in 2024 appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

Tip of the cap to Bitwise. Last month following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s approval of its spot Bitcoin ETF, the asset management firm disclosed its bitcoin wallet address publicly. This sets a new threshold for transparency in financial markets. The Bitcoin holdings in Bitwise’s Bitcoin spot ETF (ticker: BITB) can now be viewed […] The post A new paradigm for radical transparency appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

I followed with fascination the recent parliamentary elections in Pakistan this month. Candidates backed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, won 99 seats, the most of any party. The strong showing in and of itself was not necessarily a surprise. Khan, a former cricket star turned Islamist politician with a significant grassroots following, […] The post Martyrdom in the age of AI appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

A heartfelt thank you to Mihoko Manabe for leading today’s Shizen Capital Workshop. Mihoko counts an extensive career at Moody’s, first as financial analyst in New York and later as Head of Moody’s Japan Corporate Finance as well Board Director. She leveraged her expertise to advise the Shizen portfolio companies on basic financial management in […] The post Shizen Capital Workshop Series – Mihoko Manabe appeared first on Rude VC ..read more

I found this clip about bringing electricity to remote parts of Africa inspiring and thought that you might too. It is an extract from an upcoming film by Bitcoin Shooter. The post Electrifying Africa appeared first on Rude VC ..read more