Headline - Asia

🌎 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 🌎 Last week’s highlights: 🎉 Congratulations to Akio T.! Our founding partner was named in Forbes JAPAN’s “𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘝𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯” 2025 ranking. 🚀 Leading STRACT, Inc.’s ¥1 Billion Series A Round! This funding will drive R&D, team expansion, new capabilities in finance, real estate, and more. 🍣 Market Pulse Recap From AI grids to generative AI in banking, the latest APAC trends at a glance. ➡️ Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg --- Brian Yen, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki,Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Jennifer Lin, Kate L.,

🍣 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞: 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 & 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 🍣 1️⃣ SoftBank x NVIDIA: Launching AI-powered “mini data centers” by 2026 to drive self-driving tech and global AI leadership. 2️⃣ Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group: Investing ¥50B in generative AI for banking—big opportunities for startups. 3️⃣ 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐕𝐂: $4.05B raised in 2024, deep-tech focus, and a rebound expected in 2025. 4️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝: New Temasek-style fund to boost startups and global partnerships. Connect with Kenneth Jeng to learn more about how these news' might impact the region’s future. ➡️ Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg

🚀 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓 ¥1 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐀 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝! 🚀 We’re excited to announce STRACT, Inc., the operator of PLUG, has raised ¥1B JPY in its Series A, led by Headline Asia alongside Coral Capital and Delight Ventures. 🌟 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 PLUG? With 1.3M downloads and a 4.6 user rating, PLUG helps users find the best deals, cash-back offers, and coupons across 1,100+ partner sites, transforming Japan’s growing e-commerce market. 💡 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 STRACT? “𝘗𝘓𝘜𝘎 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳-𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘻𝘦𝘳𝘰-𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢, 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘗𝘓𝘜𝘎 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘊𝘛’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦.” — Akio T., Founding Partner at Headline Asia 🔜 What’s Next: Funding will drive R&D, team expansion, new capabilities in finance, real estate, and more. Proud to support STRACT in reshaping online shopping! ➡️ To read more on why we chose STRACT, click here (JP): https://lnkd.in/gd4fW_Y8 ➡️ Click here to read more on PR TIMES, Inc. (JP): https://lnkd.in/gdj_EFc5 ---- Hikaru Ito, Yamada Kaho, Toru Tsunoda, Brian Yen, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Jennifer Lin, Kate L.,

🌎 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂 🌎 Last week’s highlights: 🚀 Featured in Nikkei: Our Fund 5 targeting ¥27.5B JPY/~$180M USD is looking to invest in 40-45 startups in fintech, e-commerce, and entertainment. Early wins include investments in newmo and 11 others. 💡 TRADOM Inc. Raises $2.65M USD: TRADOM’s forex platform simplifies global transactions. 📈 𝐏𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩: ▪️ APAC startups gain global traction. ▪️US-China tensions shift fintech strategies. ▪️Japan’s cashless shift opens opportunities. 📡 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐫: Promenade AI: AI-powered research. Niyam AI: Hardware innovation. Wavel.ai: Text-to-speech leader. PEXX: Stablecoin-to-fiat payments. 🇯🇵 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫: Insights from IVS Kyoto leaders on Japan’s global competitiveness, regulation reform, and diversity. Stay tuned for more insights and connect with us to shape the future. ➡️ Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg --- Brian Yen, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Jennifer Lin, Kate L.,

🌟 At Headline Asia, we invest in founders with bold visions who dare to tackle the toughest challenges in their industry. 🎙️ In the words of our Founding Partner, Akio T.: "...𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘖𝘔 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵—𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘛𝘙𝘈𝘋𝘖𝘔’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦." 🚀 Meet TRADOM Inc.: a cloud-based platform that streamlines complex global transactions. Using proprietary algorithms, 𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐱 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 empowers businesses to effectively manage and mitigate foreign exchange risks, making overseas transactions smoother and more secure. 🚀 🇯🇵 🌏 With this funding, TRADOM will accelerate its technology development and strengthen its platform’s capabilities, bringing an advanced foreign exchange management product to companies globally. ⬇️ To read more, go to comments ⬇️ ---- Shin Sakane, Junichi Kayamoto, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Thomas Jeng, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, Brian Yen, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Jackson Loo, Kate L., Isamu Nishijima, Jennifer Lin, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Hiroyuki Tsuda

🇯🇵 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧'𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐄𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 🇯🇵 At IVS2024 KYOTO, key figures from Japan’s startup ecosystem—Toshimitsu Motegi (LDP Secretary-General), Hiro Nishiguchi (Startup Genome Japan), Masaru Nagura (CIC Tokyo), and moderator Chika Minami (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)—shared insights on elevating Japan’s global role: 1️⃣ 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡: Japan ranks 10th among startup ecosystems but needs larger exits to compete with global leaders. Expanding internationally is key. 2️⃣ 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: Easing regulations could unlock vast growth, especially in ride-sharing and emerging sectors. 3️⃣ 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲: Embracing diverse talent will sharpen Japan’s competitive edge. 4️⃣ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Japan holds ¥2,200 trillion in low-yield accounts; redirecting even a fraction could fuel startups. 5️⃣ 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Fostering a risk-taking mindset is crucial for future innovation. Want insights on our next IVS event? Connect with Shimakawa Toshiaki, Tomokazu Okada & Guillaume Defer to learn more!

🌎 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 🌎 Thank you, PitchBook, for featuring insights from our own Thomas Jeng and Jackson Loo on Southeast Asia and Japan’s fintech ecosystem. 💡 Some Highlights: 1️⃣ Global Reach: APAC startups are increasingly capable of serving global markets, closing the gap with Western ecosystems. 2️⃣ Geopolitical Shifts: Rising US-China tensions push Chinese founders to set up outside China, keeping R&D local while targeting APAC markets. From Thomas: "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢-𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴." 3️⃣ Japan’s Tech Challenge: Japanese banks’ reliance on system integrators limits innovation, opening doors for fintech partnerships. 4️⃣ Cashless Push: Japan’s shift to a cashless society post-COVID offers vast opportunities for digital payment disruptors. From Jackson: "𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵—𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦." Interested in APAC fintech trends? Connect with us or check out the full report for more insights! --- Kaidi Gao, Rudy Yang, Nalin Patel, Kyle Stanford, CAIA, Matthew Nacionales, Max Navas, Emily M. Zheng, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, Brian Yen, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Kate L., Isamu Nishijima, Jennifer Lin

📡  Venture Radar: APAC's Emerging Innovators 📡 This week features four standout startups transforming APAC industries: ▪️ Promenade AI: Streamlining research with consolidated data. 👥: Sylvia Woo & Junheong Park ▪️ Niyam AI: Real-time verification for hardware design. 👥: Samarth Shyam &  🥃 Agrim Singh ▪️ Wavel.ai: Leading text-to-speech tool in SE Asia. 👥: Narasimha Suda & Abhinav Yadav ▪️ PEXX: Simplifying cross-border payments with stablecoin off-ramp. 👥: Marcus Lim Want to learn more? Connect with Brian Yen, Jennifer Lin, Jackson Loo, and Kate L.. ➡️ Stay ahead—subscribe to Beyond Borders! https://lnkd.in/g-ijHiJt

🚀 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚 🚀 Here’s what we have in store for you this week: 🇯🇵 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘭𝘴𝘦 – Key updates from Japan and APAC, including: ▪️ Mastercard Launches ‘Pay Local’ – Linking its cards to four major Asian e-wallets ▪️ Toyota and Joby Aviation – Showcasing the first electric air taxi flight in Japan ▪️ New Visa in South Korea – Easing startup launches by international entrepreneurs ▪️ Japan’s Consumer Protections – Safeguarding customers from foreign crypto exchange collapses 🥾 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 – Key takeaways from our recent events. Curious to dive deeper? Each section is crafted by our investors. Connect directly with Jennifer Lin, Kate L., Brian Yen, Jackson Loo, Kenneth Jeng, and Jeremy Kai Proctor to explore the trends that matter most. Don’t miss out—subscribe to Beyond Borders for weekly insights into APAC’s tech landscape! https://lnkd.in/g-ijHiJt --- Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,

🚀 A big thank you to Nikkei for covering our new fund 5, targeting ¥27.5 billion (approx. $180 million) to invest in early-stage startups across Japan and Asia. 💡 A few highlights: 1️⃣ Investment Focus: Fintech, e-commerce, and entertainment sectors 2️⃣ Global Reach: Supporting startups in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Southeast Asia 3️⃣ Investment Strategy: Targeting 40-45 companies over 10 years with initial investments of $1M to $5M, plus follow-on investments of $3M to $5M 4️⃣ Early Momentum: Already invested in 12 companies, including ride-sharing platform newmo Full interview here : https://lnkd.in/gfPMYhxv Reach out to our team and help us drive innovation and growth in the startup ecosystem! Akio T., Akihiko Okamoto, Joseph Huang, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Thomas Jeng, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, Brian Yen, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Jackson Loo, Kate L., Isamu Nishijima, Jennifer Lin