On October 19, Consul General Sone hosted an event for Japanese start-ups to pitch to U.S. investors and stakeholders as part of JETRO's "Beyond Japan" startup development program. It was held at his official residence in cooperation with JETRO Los Angeles, Plug&Play and LaunchStarz, a local accelerator and supporter of the program.
Beyond Japan is a program driven by the Japanese government's commitment to increase startup investment. It encourages the development of Japanese start-ups through overseas dispatch to start-up hubs. The program has been conducted in Los Angeles and San Diego over the past two months and has included individual mentoring, networking events, and seminars. This pitch event at the official residence was a key moment to provide the entrepreneurs an opportunity to match with local investors.
The event kicked off with Consul General Sone’s opening remarks, followed by a speech from JETRO Los Angeles Deputy Director Yoshiko Tsuwaki. Keynotes by Mr.Mehrad Moeini from Plug & Play and Galina Antova, co-founder of Claroty, a renowned unicorn start-up were also given(*). Approximately 55 investors and local corporations gathered at the event to connect with 11 startups that had passed a rigorous selection process over the past two months.
* Unicorn = Privately held startup company with a value of over $1 billion.
The “Beyond Japan” program will continue through November in both Los Angeles and San Diego.
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| Consul General Sone |
Yoshiko Tsuwaki from JETRO Los Angeles |
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| Mehrad Moeini from Plug&Play |
Galina Antova from Claroty |
| Pitch event by Japanese startups (11 in total) |
