News & Updates

The Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Roadshow in Kyoto -Interaction between African and Kyoto startup ecosystem to tackle global social issues-

Aug 19, 2022

Appointed as a global hub city for "The Startup City Project" by the Japanese government in July 2020, the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe Bay Area is tackling the formation of a world-class startup ecosystem.

As part of these initiatives, we held an event to showcase Kyoto startups taking on the challenge of solving global social issues and the startup ecosystem of Kyoto in the presence of AfricInvest (*1), a leading African investor, on July 11. Please watch the video of the roadshow.

At this event, investors active in Africa spoke about social issues with global impact, such as climate change and healthcare, and the business opportunities associated with them, as well as their expectations for contributions from Japanese technology. In addition, startup companies in Kyoto promoted their businesses utilizing cutting-edge technologies for water, education, forest conservation, and environmental protection.

Startup support organizations from Kyoto will continue to take steps to create an international startup ecosystem by providing various opportunities to interact with investors and startups.

Event Information

Event Name The Africa Private Equity & Venture Capital Roadshow in Kyoto
Date Monday, July 11, 2022
Place  Daitokuji Temple
Organizers  JETRO Kyoto, City of Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto Wisdom Industry Creation Center, Kyoto Advanced Technology Research Institute (ASTEM)
Program
Number Talk Theme
1
  1. Introduction to Daitokuji Temple & Zen
    Daisetsu SASAKI, CEO of Kyoto Meditation Center
2
  1. Opening Remarks /Introduction to the Kyoto Startup Ecosystem
    Speaker:Takashi KAWAGUCHI, Deputy General Manager for Startup Promotion, Kyoto Wisdom Industry Creation Center
3
  1. A Japanese Perspective of Venture Capital in Africa
    Speaker: Riki YAMAUCHI, Managing Director Investments of Double Feather Partners(* 2)
4
  1. Special Guests Stage Interview : AfricInvest
    Speaker:
    • Khaled BEN JILANI, Senior Partner of AfricInvest
    • Ann WYMAN, Senior Officer of AfricInvest
    Interviewer:
    • Yannick GAYAMA, Managing Director Programs of Double Feather Partners
5
  1. Talk Session: Exploring Collaboration Between Africa & Kyoto’s Ecosystems
    Speaker:
    • Ann WYMAN, Senior Officer of AfricInvest
    • Dr. Oussoby SACKO, Professor and Former President of Kyoto Seika University
    • Prof. Tomoyuki NAITO, Vice President of Graduate School of Information Technology,
      Kobe Institute of Computing
    • Yoichi YOSHIMURA, Managing Partner of TRY HARD INVESTMENTS Co., Ltd.
    Moderator:
    • Yannick GAYAMA, Managing Director Programs of Double Feather Partners
6
  1. Kyoto Startup Presentations
    Speaker:
    • Aya TSUBOI, CEO of Sunda Technology Global
    • Masanori ONISHI, CEO of DeepForest Technologies
    • Patrick OCHEJA, PhD. candidate at Kyoto University  
    • Tadashi KUBO, Co-Founder & CEO of AC Biode
Pictures of the day

Pictures of the day

Pictures of the day

Pictures of the day

* 1 AfricInvest
AfricInvest was founded in the early 1990s, an investment and financial services company. Uniquely positioned as one of the most experienced private equity investors on the continent, AfricInvest has dedicated investment teams focused on Africa, and employs more than 90 professionals in eleven offices. AfricInvest raised USD 1.9 bn across 21 funds and benefits from strong, long-term support from both local and international investors, including leading development finance institutions in the United States and Europe.
websiteExternal site: a new window will open.

* 2 Double Feather Partners
Double Feather Partners (DFP) is an international venture capital firm based out of Japan advising small, medium, and large organizations in public and private sectors in Japan, the Middle East, and Africa. The company quickly expanded its services to include market research and emerging market penetration and expansion strategies, with a particular focus on Africa and start-ups. Its growing engagement with African markets and start-up ecosystems led to identifying critical gaps, which DFP seeks to help address via special projects (such as acceleration programs and accelerator support programs) and its investment services (direct investment and investment funds).
websiteExternal site: a new window will open.

JETRO Kyoto
Oi (Mr.)
E-mail: KYO@jetro.go.jp Tel: 075-341-1021