You can download the event report in Japanese at the below links.

* Event Report: ⁠Download it from here.

CVC Japan hosted a virtual talk with the Co-Lead of CVC Japan and Director of Japan at 500 Startups who shared the overview of 500 Startups’ accelerator programs and the latest trends on startup ecosystem development in Japan as well as her own career development.

⁠In this virtual talk, we touched on the following topics:
(1) Career development before/after Columbia University (Barnard College and Columbia Business School)
(2) 500 Startups’ accelerator programs in Japan in partnership with Aichi Prefecture (Accelerate Aichi by 500 Startups) and the City of Kobe (500 Founder Academy in partnership with KOBE)
(3) Startup ecosystem development in Japan, led by the national and local governments.

⁠About 500 Startups:
500 Startups is one of the most active global venture capital firms, with a mission to uplift people and economies around the world through entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2010, 500 Startups has invested in over 2,500 companies across 77 countries. Its 140-plus team members are located in more than 15 countries to support 500 Startups' global portfolio. Notable　investments include Credit Karma, Canva, Talkdesk, Intercom, GitLab, Grab and Bukalapak.

500 Startups also helps develop innovation ecosystems by partnering with governments and foundations to build tailored accelerator programs, and with corporations to facilitate relationships with startups. We also train investors through educational programs. 500 Startups has run more than 60 growth and accelerator programs for over 1,500 startups worldwide.


⁠Speaker & Co-Lead of CVC Japan

Ayumi Ode, Director of Japan at 500 Startups
Ayumi is Director of Japan at 500 Startups, one of the world’s most active seed stage venture capital firms and startup ecosystem builders. She leads all the 500’s work related to corporate innovation and ecosystem building in Japan.
Previously, she was a top executive at both an educational startup and a tech startup specialized in cloud services based in Tokyo Japan.
She is the special advisor for startup ecosystem development at Shibuya City Government to help develop a thriving startup ecosystem in Shibuya City.
Ayumi earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Columbia University Barnard College.