Why should US investors consider Japanese startups?
Co-hosted by Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs Texas Chapter and by Stanford Entrepreneurs.
Join us to hear from Sozo Ventures Managing Director Phil Wickham, Eight Roads Ventures Managing Partner David Milstein, and Typewriter Therapeutics Japan General Manager Mayu Yoshikawa about how US investors can successfully back Japanese startups. The event will be moderated by StartX Founder Cameron Teitelman.
During the event, our speakers will cover topics including:
Why now: What about Japan today makes it worthwhile exploring investing there?
Conversion to US: How are Japanese startups structured, and do they conform to US investor expectations?
Startup BD in Japan: How do customer acquisition and exits work?
Japanese startup BD in US: What are the challenges that Japanese startups face entering the US market?
Structures / Investor rights: How are common US investment vehicles and investor rights different in Japan?
Founder mindset / language barriers: Are Japanese founders receptive to foreign input or US investor expectations?
Sector strengths: What sectors is Japan particularly strong in that might not be obvious?
Valuations: How do valuations compare to the US for similar startups at similar stages?
Sozo Ventures is a venture capital firm founded in 2012. It is primarily based out of California, and, as of May this year, it has invested in 54 companies, with 7 new investments in the last 12 months. The firm has backed startups like Zoom, Twitter, Coinbase, Square, Palantir, mongoDB, and other major successes. Sozo now has an office in Japan. Join us to find out why.
Phil Wickham is a seasoned venture capitalist, startup founder, and global innovation leader with decades of experience in scaling high-growth technology companies across the US, Europe, and Asia. He is the Founder and General Partner of Sozo Ventures, where he focuses on helping category-leading tech startups expand globally, particularly into Japan and other strategic international markets.
In parallel, Wickham serves as Executive Chairman of the Kauffman Fellows program, one of the world’s most respected training grounds for venture capitalists, where he has been instrumental in mentoring generations of global investors.
Phil began his entrepreneurial career by co-founding Reference Media, a publishing company based in Tokyo, which he scaled and sold to the Princeton Review, later becoming VP of Sales for Japan and Korea. He then joined JAFCO America Ventures, a billion-dollar U.S.-focused fund backed by major Japanese corporations like Hitachi and Mitsubishi, where he served as General Partner and led strategic services connecting startups to over 40 Japanese LPs.
He later led U.S. operations for Copan, a Munich-based venture firm, and also held senior investment roles at TL Ventures and Flagship Ventures, where he was part of the Charter Class of Kauffman Fellows.
Across his investing career, Wickham has shepherded more than 40 venture investments, including breakout companies like Square, Twitter, Palantir, ServiceMax, WebMethods, Lotame, and Handshake. He currently sits on the board of Lotame and advises funds including Angular Ventures (London), Cross Culture Ventures, and Taro Ventures (Tokyo). He has also served as an advisor to Creandum in Stockholm.
Wickham is recognized not only for his cross-border investment expertise but also for his deep commitment to developing the next generation of global venture leaders.
Eight Roads Ventures is a global venture capital firm backed by Fidelity, managing over $11 billion in assets. Since 1969, it has invested in 500+ companies across technology and healthcare sectors, supporting startups from early stages to IPOs. With offices in Europe, Asia, and the U.S., Eight Roads offers strategic guidance and a global network to help entrepreneurs scale.
David Milstein is the Managing Partner of Eight Roads Ventures Japan. David’s investments include among others,
Paidy, a buy-now-pay-later company purchased by PayPal for $2.7 billion, the largest venture M&A exit in Japan
Whill, the leading personal mobility and Mobility as a Service company which provides automonous solutions to airports and hospitals worldwide, and
newmo, Japan’s leading ride sharing company.
Early in his career, David worked for Asahi Glass and then was a founder of Japan Transaction Partners. Then he joined Fidelity Ventures to set up the operations in Japan. In 2005, he joined the Walt Disney Company Japan as VP of the Interactive Media Group, he was responsible for building and launching the Disney Mobile MVNO service. This business drove the division to its largest revenue and profit ever. In 2010, he was appointed General Manager of the Disney Interactive Media Group. He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Mayu Yoshikawa, General Manager of Typewriter Therapeutics Japan, is a seasoned life sciences investor and biotech executive bridging innovation across the U.S. and Japan. She serves as Chief Strategy Officer at A-SEEDS and a Venture Partner at ARCH Venture Partners. She also played a key role in the launch of AN Ventures, a Japan-U.S. biotech fund. Earlier in her career, she led investments at a venture capital firm in Japan and worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. With a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Tokyo and global experience spanning South Africa to Tanzania, Mayu combines scientific rigor with strategic insight to advance high-impact health technologies.
Cameron Teitelman is the founder and Chairman of StartX, Stanford University’s premier startup accelerator and founder community. Since 2009, he has helped over 1,200 startups raise more than $50B, including Snap, Lime, OpenSea, and Freenome. He also launched and manages the Stanford-StartX Fund, which has invested $200M in 750+ deals with top-decile returns. Cameron holds a BS from Stanford.