Global Event Called MOMENT 2023 to be Held by Inviting Global Top-Level Venture Capitalists and Startups

1. Background to and overview of the event

Startups perfectly typify the new form of capitalism that strikes a balance between solving social challenges and achieving economic development. Accordingly, the Government of Japan has been focusing on efforts for supporting startups, as seen in its formulation of the Startup Development Five-year Plan in 2022.

Networking with innovation hub bases and human resources overseas is important for Japan to build global startup ecosystems and create internationally winning startups. To this end, METI launched a Project for Conducting Programs for Fostering Entrepreneurs, etc. in Overseas Countries and Establishing Hub Bases for the Programs and, under this project, started a new program in FY2023 called J-StarX. This is an effort whereby METI has dramatically expanded the existing Start Next Innovator program in which outstanding entrepreneurs and others are dispatched to Silicon Valley in the U.S. and other locations. Since then, METI has been advancing efforts to dispatch Japanese entrepreneurs, students, and others to innovation hub bases around the world, mainly to those in Europe and the U.S.

Against this backdrop, as part of the J-StarX program, METI will hold an event called MOMENT 2023, inviting global top-class venture capitalists and startups from the U.S. and other countries. Its aim is not only to contribute to solving social challenges and economic development in Japan but also to create startups that are able to compete with and win against those from other countries, and supply new value as well as to achieve further provision and diversification of funds to Japan’s startup ecosystem. This event will provide startups, company personnel in charge of creating new business, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, students, and others in Japan with opportunities to gain global perspectives and new awareness.

This event will bring together stakeholders as speakers who have world-class knowledge and a high level of expertise, including venture capitalists who belong to global top-level venture capital (VC) firms, such as Andreessen Horowitz, commonly called “a16z.” There will also be startups in which these capitalists invest, and stakeholders in the academic sector, as well as talk sessions and other opportunities.

Date:

October 10 (Tue.) and 11 (Wed.), 2023

Venue:

Toranomon Hills Forum (The event will be broadcast online.)

Admission:

Free
*Closing date of prior registration: 23:59, September 19 (Tue.), 2023

Major speakers:

• Mr. Ben Horowitz, Co-founder and General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz
• Mr. Isayama Gen, Co-founder, General Partner and CEO, WiL
• Mr. Jeff Wang, Managing Partner, Sequoia Capital Global Equities
• Mr. Justin Borgman, Co-founder and CEO, Starburst
• Mr. Taylor Brown, Co-founder and COO, Fivetran

Note: Both Starburst and Fivetran are decacorns with market values over 3 billion dollars.

Schedule and other details of the event and how to apply for participation:

• J-StarX official website

Contact point for the event:

• J-StarX Secretariat

2. Details of MOMENT

The MOMENT initiative is part of the Project for Creating a Bridge of Innovation between Silicon Valley and Japan, an effort that then-Prime Minister Abe announced in Silicon Valley in April 2015. In September 2016, MOMENT 2016 was held as an event to provide participants with opportunities to meet, talk with, and create a future with world-leading venture capitalists and startups.

MOMENT 2016 was held to provide proactive Japanese investors who invest in venture businesses with opportunities to raise their awareness of and learn about U.S. ways of investment from top-class venture capitalists in Silicon Valley through networking with them. It also was intended to provide U.S. venture capitalists with the opportunity to further learn about Japan’s venture markets and investment opportunities, thereby helping stimulate investment in Japanese venture businesses and the development and expansion of venture ecosystems. MOMENT 2023 in FY2023 will be a second event following on from MOMENT 2016.

Division in Charge

Startup and New Business Promotion Office, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau