Silicon Valley has been studied by the world as the epicenter of innovation. Japanese corporations have been visiting Silicon Valley consistently. What purposes do these trips serve Japan’s innovation ecosystem? Why do established corporations and VC firms from Japan establish a footprint here? How have their views of innovation and interactions with Silicon Valley changed over the years? How successful have they been in importing the Silicon Valley way back to Japan? What have we learned from their presence? Join us as we explore these and other questions in a moderated conversation among the panelists and with the audience.

Continue reading “The Role of Silicon Valley in Japanese Innovation” →

Friday, October 7, 2016

The Keizai Silicon Valley, JETAANC and Procopio have organized an Oktoberfest networking nomikai at Tied House in downtown Mountain View. Please join us to share ideas, meet new people and expand your network.

Additionally, you can casually ask any questions about patent law, copyrights, corporate law etc. to the Procopio attorneys at this Oktoberfest!

Continue reading “Oktoberfest Happy Hour Networking” →

Over the last several years, the technology industry has turned to space ddds yet another area it can disrupt. Tech titans such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are involved with space launch startups and even Google has purchased a satellite company. With Silicon Valley’s latest focus on the space industry, the forum will discuss the role private industry, Silicon Valley companies and investors are currently playing in the space industry versus other areas in the US. It must also be recognized that the US isn’t the only country with a space industry to disrupt; we will also discuss the Japanese space industry and the possibilities of cooperation between Silicon Valley and Japan in this exciting field.

Continue reading “The New Space Industry: Views from the US and Japan” →

Sunday, July 31st

Come join us at our casual networking event at Washington Park in Sunnyvale. Built in 1945 it remains one of Sunnyvale’s most popular parks. It is a very inviting space with plenty of parking. This well shaded, 12-acre park offers lots of fun for everyone. This event is ideal for both networking and catching up with old acquaintances or making new friends. The park’s green open field also offers your family members, significant others and friends a place to enjoy outdoor activities, such as playing football, baseball, soccer etc.

Continue reading “2016 Summer Networking” →

Wednesday June 15, 2016

According to reports from PricewaterhouseCoopers, recent venture capital investments in the biopharmaceutical industry were some of the largest in history averaging $6B-$7B per year.  Thanks to the ease of global monetary policy, the rapid increase in merger & acquisition (M&A) activities along with much easier access to public financing via IPO and robust revenue growth help fuel the venture ecosystem and provide a fertile ground for high-risk companies and young start-ups. The recent paradigm-shift innovations, such as immune-oncology and targeted therapies for previously incurable diseases, surely helped open up many doors of opportunities for both companies and investors alike.

Continue reading “Trends in BioTech: Value Creation and Innovation” →

The agriculture and food industries are estimated by the FAO to comprise 10% of global GDP — making them the largest industries in the world. Concerns over food production and distribution relating to global climate change, land-use change, emerging health issues, and a growing population are driving innovation like never before. Last year, venture capital invested $4.6 B into the category, an almost 100% increase in investment year-over-year.

Continue reading “Trends in AgTech: Real Needs in the Industry” →

Join us in celebrating Keizai Silicon Valley’s 2016 Shinnenkai (New Year’s Reception) on Friday, January 29th at 5:30 pm at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club.

This year, we honor “the Orchid King” Mr. Andy Matsui with the Keizai Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award, and we present the Economic Innovation Award to his daughter, Ms. Kathy M. Matsui, chief Japan equity strategist and co-head of Asia Investment Research, Goldman Sachs.

Continue reading “26th Anniversary Shinnenkai” →

The manufacturing ecosystem is changing rapidly. The agile manufacturing revolution has brought about today’s world where even small electronics hardware companies can take advantage of mass manufacturing systems which until recently were only available to large companies. Yet, more changes are in the air with such technologies as 3D printing, robots designed to work with human workers, printed electronics, Internet community collaborative manufacturing, the maker movement, etc.

Continue reading “Exploring Manufacturing 2.0” →

The market of the Internet of Things (IoT) is about to explode. Analysts forecast the total economic value-add from IoT will be multi-trillion with 30 billion Internet-connected devices by 2020, unlocking innovation and new business models. While tremendous opportunities are ahead of us, little is understood as to how to leverage this much-talked-about innovating trend to strategic advantage and value creation.

Continue reading “Demystifying the Industrial Internet of Things – Use Cases and Requirements” →

In September, 2014 the Governments of California and Japan entered into an agreement to support cooperation in technology associated with ameliorating climate change as well as boosting water conservation.  Targeted areas include electric vehicle charging, renewable energy and high-speed rail.

Continue reading “Exploring Japan and California Cooperation on Cleantech” →

In Silicon Valley mergers and acquisitions have become a prominent exit strategy for early-stage startups. However, these are different from M&As of more established companies.
Continue reading “M&A of Early-Stage Startup What makes it different?” →

Please join us in celebrating Keizai Society’s 25th anniversary at our Shinnenkai on Friday, January 30th at 6:00pm at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. Keizai Society Lifetime achievement recipients: Nobuyuki Idei, Yoshi Akiba, Ambassador Michael Armacost, Dr. Koichi (Ko) Nishimura, and Prof. Daniel Okimoto will discuss their forecast of the next 25 years of US-Japan relations

Continue reading “25th Anniversary Shinnenkai Reception” →

By now, most everyone in Silicon Valley has heard of crowdfunding where groups of people fund a wide variety of projects.

Continue reading “CrowdFinancing: Moving Beyond Kickstarter” →

Leveraging Silicon Valley Solutions for our Food System
Most people know about Silicon Valley, but how many people realize that Silicon Valley’s backyard is the largest Agricultural production region Continue reading “The Future of Food in a Resource Constrained World” →