Japan startup making paper from stone seeks more pre-IPO funding
Making paper out of rock isn’t just a novel idea — it saves water, is both recyclable and biodegradable and uses a mineral resource available anywhere on Earth.
Startups
Startups
Japanese rocket pioneer Takafumi Horie says his firm Interstellar Technologies could soon take on SpaceX
Days after the first successful launch of his privately built rocket, entrepreneur Takafumi Horie said Wednesday his aerospace startup Interstellar Technologies Inc. may soon catch up with industry leaders such as SpaceX in the commercial space rocket-launching business.
Japan's Google-backed AI pioneer plots a quantum leap
Yosuke Okada was not exactly dressed to impress when he met the man who would become his angel investor.
SoftBank's Son declares second $100bn tech fund will launch soon
SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son on Thursday unveiled plans to establish a second $100 billion investment fund "in the near future," confirming his determination to double down on his international spending spree.
Singapore fund iGlobe gears up to take Asian tech startups global
A Singaporean venture capitalist who spent nearly three decades investing in cutting-edge technology companies in Silicon Valley and helping them expand in Asia now looks to move high-tech Asian startups into the global arena.
SoftBank considers IPO for $100bn Vision Fund
SoftBank Group Corp. is considering audacious fundraising plans, including a public offering of its $100 billion investment fund and the launch of a second fund of at least that size, as it looks to seize on an exploding startup scene, people familiar with the matter said.
Japanese startup funding surges 8-fold over 5 years
Investment by Japanese companies in domestic startups has swelled by more than eight times over the past five years, topping the amount raised through initial public offerings in fiscal 2018, as big businesses scramble to tap fresh sources of innovation.
Japan takes leap in international private space race
Japanese startup Interstellar Technologies' first successful space rocket launch Saturday marked a small step for the country's independent, private-sector led space business but whether it can make a giant leap and compete with American and Chinese companies remains uncertain.
Mitsui to buy strategic stake in Axiata's digital business
Malaysia's Axiata Group said Friday Japanese conglomerate Mitsui & Co is making minority investment into its digital services arm that prices the business at an enterprise value of $500 million.
SoftBank pumps $1bn into Colombian delivery app Rappi
SoftBank Group will invest $1 billion into Rappi, the Colombian on-demand delivery startup believed to be the first target in the Japanese tech conglomerate's push into Latin America.