Headline - Asia

🎉 Headline Asia Year in Review: 2024 Highlights 🎉 As the year draws to a close, we’re reflecting on an incredible 2024 filled with milestones and momentum. Here’s a glimpse of what we’ve accomplished together: 🚀 Fund 5 Launch Targeting ¥27.5B (~$180M USD) to support early-stage startups across Japan and APAC. 🌟 Portfolio Growth From Pi-xcels advancing NFC tech to Tyme Group achieving unicorn status, our portfolio companies raised groundbreaking rounds, driving innovation across e-commerce, AI, fintech, and beyond. 🎤 Event Spotlights ▪️IVS 2024 KYOTO: With 12.5k+ attendees and 800 speakers, we hosted Japan's largest innovation conference. ▪️LAUNCHPAD SEED 2024: Celebrated Elcyo’s self-adjusting glasses as the pitch contest winner. ▪️IVS Beta: Explored M&A strategies, AI trends, and life post-funding. 📰 In the Press Featured across Forbes, Nikkei, Bloomberg, CNN, and PitchBook, showcasing our founders’ successes and our vision for APAC innovation. 💡 Expert Insights We shared stories, strategies, and lessons from trailblazing founders and emerging innovators throughout the year. Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to an inspiring 2025 filled with bold ideas, impactful collaborations, and game-changing startups. See you at IVS KYOTO 2025! Wishing you all a joyful holiday season, —The Headline Asia Team --- Akio T., Joseph Huang, Akihiko Okamoto, Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su,Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU

🎄 Happy Holidays from our Partners Akio T., Joseph Huang, Akihiko Okamoto, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, and the whole Headline - Asia / IVS Family! As the year comes to a close, we’re excited to share we are in the final leg of closing our Fund V — a significant step in expanding our global reach and investing in the next generation of entrepreneurs across Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and beyond. Looking ahead, we’re already gearing up for IVS 2025 in Kyoto—a chance to connect, collaborate, and celebrate the amazing ideas shaping the startup world. We’d love to see you there! Thank you for being part of our journey this year. We’re grateful for the community of founders, investors, and friends who inspire us every day. Wishing you a holiday season full of joy and a new year filled with possibility. Warm regards, The Headline Asia Team --- Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Tatsuya Kawamura, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi,CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU

🌎 Beyond Borders: Scaling into Japan and APAC 🌎 🚀 Tyme Hits Unicorn Status! Congratulations to Tyme Group on their $250M Series D round led by Nubank, valuing the company at $1.5B! Earlier this year, Tyme acquired our portfolio company SAVii, paving the way for expansion into payroll-enabled financial products in Southeast Asia. 📡 Venture Radar Recap Spotlighting APAC’s most promising startups: ▪️ Halluminate - Jerry Wu, Wyatt Marshall ▪️SaveDay - Huy Ngo Xuan, Phuong Nguyen ▪️Civils.ai - Stevan Lukic ▪️Pie Systems - Sunny Long, Dominic S.  🌎 Expert Corner Recap At IVS Kyoto, leaders from AppWorks, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, and Cool Japan Fund クールジャパン機構 shared strategies for thriving in East Asia’s dynamic startup landscape.  Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg--- --- Akio T., Joseph Huang, Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng,Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,

Congratulations to Tyme Group on securing a $250 million Series D funding round, led by Nubank, advancing Tyme to a $1.5 billion valuation and unicorn status. Tyme is a digital banking group offering accessible and affordable financial services in South Africa and the Philippines, with plans to expand into Southeast Asia. Earlier this year, Tyme Group acquired our portfolio company SAVii, the largest fintech salary lender in the Philippines. Savii, wil be playing a pivotal role to Tyme’s business, boosting their growth trajectory and expansion into payroll-enabled financial products. ➡️ To read more on TechCrunch: https://lnkd.in/gUaxU7Ew ➡️ To read more on Financial Times: https://lnkd.in/e-mZUbRG ➡️ To read more on Bloomberg: https://lnkd.in/g499K6UK --- Brian Yen, Thomas Jeng, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,

🌏 East Asia’s Startup Playbook 🌏 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢? At IVS Kyoto last year, Min-Jeong Lee (Bloomberg) moderated a discussion featuring Joseph Chan (AppWorks), Cindy Chow (Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund), and Kenichi Sawaya (Cool Japan Fund クールジャパン機構). Their insights revealed strategies for thriving in East Asia’s startup ecosystem and touched on : ▪️Southeast Asia’s Potential ▪️AI Applications ▪️Regionalization ▪️Japan’s Assets ▪️Post-COVID Funding Have a look below for the full conversation. 📩 Want insights on our next IVS event? Connect with Shimakawa Toshiaki, Tomokazu Okada & Guillaume Defer to learn more! --- Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Kate L.

📡  We are back with another Venture Radar: highlighting APAC's Emerging Innovators 📡  This week features four standout startups transforming APAC industries: ▪️ Halluminate: Evaluation tools for AI agent governance and optimization.   👥: Jerry Wu, Wyatt Marshall ▪️ SaveDay: A tool to save, highlight, and organize web content.   👥: Huy Ngo Xuan, Phuong Nguyen ▪️ Civils.ai: Automates construction workflows from building codes.   👥: Stevan Lukic ▪️ Pie Systems: Streamlined, paperless VAT refund platform.   👥: Sunny Long, Dominic S. Want to learn more? Connect with Jeremy Kai Proctor, Jennifer Lin, Jackson Loo, and Kate L.. Stay ahead—subscribe to Beyond Borders! https://lnkd.in/g-ijHiJt --- Akio T., Joseph Huang, Akihiko Okamoto, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Brian Yen, Thomas Jeng,Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,

🌎 Beyond Borders: Scaling into Japan and APAC with Headline Asia 🌎 Last week’s highlights: ▪️ Founder Journey with forest inc. 🇯🇵 At this year’s IVS Kyoto, we sat down with Michael (Akira) Takahashi, Co-Founder and CFO of forest inc., to talk about their mission to elevate Japanese e-commerce brands to the global stage. Our talk covered four key areas: Bridging Gaps, Diversity as Innovation, Growth Mindset, and Global Vision. ▪️ On the Ground Recaps: 🇹🇼 IVS Beta: From Check to Partnership IVS Beta brought together founders and investors to explore how to turn VC investments into impactful partnerships. The panel featured: Jason Chih Hsuan Lu ( 達盈管顧 Darwin Venture Management), 郭家齊 (Andy Kuo) ( PopChill 拍拍圈), TseHsin (Jason) Huang (FunNow), and moderator Kate L. ( Headline - Asia) 🇯🇵 Tokyo Venture Breakfast by JAFCO, Headline Asia & VivaTech Last week, we partnered with JAFCO and Viva Technology, to host an intimate breakfast for Tokyo's leading investors and global angels. ➡️ Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg --- Shingo Yuhara, Akio T., Joseph Huang, Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi,CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU,

🗾 From Tradition to Innovation: Spotlight on forest’s Journey 🗾 At IVS Kyoto, we had the privilege of speaking with Michael (Akira) Takahashi, Co-Founder and CFO of forest inc., about their mission to elevate Japanese e-commerce brands to the global stage. A proud portfolio company of ours, forest raised ¥1.5 billion in their Series A round, blending tradition with innovation in a transformative approach to e-commerce and M&A. "𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘹 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦," Michael shared, highlighting forest’s approach to building a global brand with local authenticity. 💡 Key Insights from forest’s Journey: ▪️ Bridging Gaps: forest connects Japan’s e-commerce and M&A sectors, creating a model for growth in untapped markets. ▪️ Diversity as Innovation: With team members from varied backgrounds, forest proves that inclusivity drives resilience and creativity. ▪️ Growth Mindset: Michael’s “embrace imperfection” philosophy ensures progress and agility in scaling operations. ▪️ Global Vision: forest’s passion for spotlighting rural Japanese brands fuels their mission to connect cultural heritage with global consumers. ➡️ Read the full article here to explore how forest is turning tradition into global impact! --- Shingo Yuhara, Shun Marusawa, Matthieu BOMBAR, Shin Onoue, Kimberley Ong, 谷口暢啓, 山.健介, 長濱智子,安藤成希, Naoki (Harry) Harikawa, 縄稚崚太, Keigo Murakami, Yujiro Tatsui, Akio T., Joseph Huang, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU

🌎 Beyond Borders: Scaling into Japan and APAC with Headline Asia 🌎 Last week’s highlights: ▪️LAUNCHPAD SEED 2024 On November 28, we hosted LAUNCHPAD SEED 2024 showcasing Japan’s top seed-stage startups, in collaboration with IVS. Winners: 🥇1st : Elcyo Co., Ltd. - Elcyo Glasses 👥 Sunri Lee, Giichi Shibuya 🥈 2nd & Audience Award: BANKEY, Inc - Pay By Bank 👥 Yoshihiko Sakamoto, 高橋宏圭 🥉3rd : Metaverse Creators 👥 kazuo wakamiya Tokyu Fudosan Prize: 株式会社 PriMateria (CO2-reducing materials) 👥 Mariko Yoshioka, Hiroaki Sagara ▪️Expert Corner: The New Frontier Moderated by Luke LI of Asu Capital Partners, the discussion featured insights from: - Yu Chen (Yunqi Partners) - Hyuk-Tae Kwon ( Pine Venture Partners) - Kay Lim (Z Venture Capital) - Vishal Harnal (500 Global). ▪️ On the Ground: IVS Beta: From Check to Partnership Join us on December 13, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM, for this years IVS Beta moderated by Kate L., featuring: - TseHsin (Jason) Huang (FunNow) - 郭家齊 (PopChill 拍拍圈) - Jason Chih Hsuan Lu (Darwin Ventures) ⏳ 15 seats remaining—register now to secure your spot! ➡️ Subscribe to our weekly LinkedIn newsletter "Beyond Borders" here: https://lnkd.in/geibVRvg --- Akio T., Joseph Huang, Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Shimakawa Toshiaki, Ian Su, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU

🌏 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐫: 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 🌏 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢’𝘴 𝘝𝘊 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦? At IVS Kyoto, a panel of investors— Yu Chen (Yunqi Partners), Hyuk-Tae Kwon (Pine Venture Partners), Kay Lim (Z Venture Capital), Vishal Harnal (500 Global), and moderator Luke LI of Asu Capital Partners—shared their insights on how Japan and India are becoming key destinations for capital amid global uncertainty. 1️⃣ 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Investors are moving away from markets like China toward Japan and India, seeking greater stability and growth opportunities. 2️⃣ 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲-𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: Local expertise is crucial for navigating regulatory complexities. 3️⃣ 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: Japan’s growing entrepreneurial dynamism and deep tech capabilities are drawing global attention. 4️⃣ 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠: Startups that embrace bold, unconventional strategies will create lasting impact and capture outsized value. 📩 Want insights on our next IVS event? Connect with Shimakawa Toshiaki, Tomokazu Okada & Guillaume Defer to learn more! --- Brian Yen, Jeremy Kai Proctor, Kenneth Jeng, Thomas Jeng, Jennifer Lin, Isamu Nishijima, Ian Su, Kohei Suzuki, Tatsuya Kawamura, Kazuhiro Oyoshi, Jonathan Masayasu Hayashi, CHEN-HSI (Claire) LIAU, Kate L.