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Japan's largest tech conference "IVS" has been held since 2007 and is now in its 16th year. Following the IVS mission "Trigger the next generation" IVS has evolved into one of the largest communities, both in terms of history and scale, for leaders of Internet companies in Japan.

Empowered Women: The Female Founders and CEOs of Headline in Asia

From Joe’s Desk: MetaSaaS and Music’s Future in the Metaverse

A Conversation With Our New Partner, Akihiko Okamoto

Headline's spotlights in Asia - Discover the latest news about Headline.

Blog Asia | Headline

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We’re exploring the multiple aspects of this ongoing trend, which has been coined in various terms such as FinTech Enablers, Embedded Finance, FinTech-as-a-Service, and Modular Finance.

All series on Embedded Finance, Evolving IPO Landscape, Virtual Banks....

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In order to create world-class Japanese brands, Shingo Yuhara, Masafumi Nishizawa, and Michael (Akira) Takahashi are building foundations for sustainable growth, helping e-commerce entrepreneurs solve business challenges, and building comprehensive teams capable of supporting a wide range of business needs.

My experience as a pilot has taught me the importance of decision-making and that indecisiveness can be a death sentence, even for a startup. 

I believe that forest is at the forefront of this shift, and we are consciously building a company with a culture and mentality that can help build brands that can compete on the global stage.  

Founders Spotlight of forest: Akira Michael Takahashi

Founders Spotlight of forest: Akira Michael Takahashi | Headline

Crafting e-commerce brands that showcase sustainable, high-grade Japanese items on the global stage

Authme stands out for its pioneering approach to identity verification and eKYC solutions tailored for regulated industries. By leveraging its FIMA & ISO-certified advanced technologies, they are not only addressing critical challenges faced by businesses in today’s evolving regulatory landscape but are also uniquely positioned to implement financial fraud prevention on a global scale.

...This allowed us to contribute to setting industry standards, fostering interoperability, and enhancing cybersecurity protocols, aligning with Authmes' commitment to excellence.

Founders Spotlight of Authme: Kuo Chan Tseng

Founders Spotlight of Authme: Kuo Chan Tseng | Headline

How Authme is redefining Identity Verification in the Digital Age

17 Live has exploded onto the scene, and according to January 2021 announcement, the number of certified live streamers who have direct contracts with the company exceeded 32,000 by the end of 2020. That’s a 188 percent increase from the previous year, and 17LIVE has become the number one live streaming platform in Japan in terms of downloads and sales.

The Unexpected Stars of Japan’s Number One Live Streaming Platform, 17LIVE

The Unexpected Stars of Japan’s Number One Live Streaming Platform, 17LIVE | Headline

The real secret behind why those TikTok videos are so addicting.

TikTok’s Secret Money Maker is Actually Its Algorithms

TikTok’s Secret Money Maker is Actually Its Algorithms | Headline

November 1 to November 5, 2021, we’ll be looking for the next big thing at one of the top FinTech events around the world.

“The HKMA will continue to promote the all-round adoption of FinTech by Hong Kong banks and encourage them to fully digitalize their operations…The HKMA will issue further supervisory guidance to facilitate the uptake of novel technologies and continue to ‘walk the talk’ by digitalizing its supervision of banks through the use of advanced technologies.”

Headline Will Be Discovering New FinTech Stars at HK FinTech Week 2021

Headline Will Be Discovering New FinTech Stars at HK FinTech Week 2021 | Headline

Find out how employers are using a new kind of recruitment tool to track future and past candidates.

Employers are using a new kind of tool, a talent CRM (candidate relationship management) system, to start engaging candidates long before they even apply.

Talent CRM: Is Your Future Employer “Stalking” You?

Talent CRM: Is Your Future Employer “Stalking” You? | Headline

A new method of headhunting gets up close and personal with job candidates.

WHIKO has amassed over 30 million followers since its debut in 2015, find out why this hairless cartoon figure has gained such a following.

A Mysterious Cartoon in China Is a Unique Lesson in Creating IP Value

WHIKO has amassed over 30 million followers on social media.

A Mysterious Cartoon in China Is a Unique Lesson in Creating IP Value | Headline

WHIKO created intellectual property value out of thin air.

Find out which two of Headline Asia's portfolios were among the nine companies nominated to represent the "NEXT BIG" project in 2021.

Taiwan’s NEXT BIG Project: 9 Industry-Leading Startups You Must Know

Two of Headline Asia's portfolios to represent Startup Island Taiwan.

Taiwan’s NEXT BIG Project: 9 Industry-Leading Startups You Must Know | Headline

17LIVE and Pinkoi, two of Headline Asia’s portfolio companies, made the list.

We share freee K.K.’s early pitch deck and how we knew they were destined for greatness.

We Look At freee K.K.’s Winning Pitch Deck for LAUNCHPAD 2013

The Headline team in Asia shares freee K.K.’s early pitch deck and how we knew they were destined for greatness.

We Look At freee K.K.’s Winning Pitch Deck for LAUNCHPAD 2013 | Headline

We invest in three Japanese problem-solving startups: Spider Labs, 207, and kickflow.

“I was impressed by her power to speak at LAUNCHPAD just a few days after giving birth.” — Toshiaki Shimakawa, Principal of Headline.

“We are going to establish a ‘data-driven improvement loop’ not only on the product side but also on marketing and sales sides, to provide safety to everyone through the new Spider AF (Anti Fraud). “ — Satoko Otsuki, CEO of Spider Labs.

“We will create the next generation of global logistics solutions.” — Sinya Takayanagi, CEO of 207.

“We believe that 207’s services will be widely adopted around the world in the near future.” — Kohei Suzuki, Investor of Headline.

“Based on the interview results from more than 300 companies, kickflow has identified the three challenges for approval and workflow nowadays, and has developed an approval and workflow system specialized to solve these challenges.” — Taito Shigematsu, CEO of kickflow.

“While Mr. Shigematsu is very friendly and approachable, he also has a charming personality that he pushes the business forward thoroughly, this made us to invest in kickflow.” — Toshiaki Shimakawa, Principal of Headline.

Investing in Japan: Headline's Latest Investments in Asia in 2021

Investing in Japan: Headline's Latest Investments in Asia in 2021 | Headline

Founded in 2007, IVS LAUNCHPAD select winning pitches from 250 applicants.

Announcing the Winners of IVS2022 LAUNCHPAD NAHA

One of Japan's largest startup pitch contests, IVS LAUNCHPAD select winning startups from approximately 250 companies.

Announcing the Winners of UVS2022 LAUNCHPAD NAHA | Headline

Standing out from around 250 applicants, the winning pitches influenced over 1,000 CXOs in Japan.

This weeks Founder Spotlight belongs to Kevin Zhang, founder of Inteluck, a company looking to take over Southeast Asia by providing data-driven end-to-end logistics services.

“One of the key reasons why we were able to advance is because we implemented a precautionary BD strategy from the beginning that diversifies our customers to different industries, even though most industries have been and are badly hit by the pandemic, few industries like E-commerce and Telecommunication are still growing, and we captured those opportunities.” — Kevin Zhang, Founder of Inteluck.

Founder Spotlight of Inteluck: Kevin Zhang

Founder Spotlight of Inteluck: Kevin Zhang | Headline

Inteluck is the answer in Southeast Asia when it comes to logistical efficiency