If you're thinking about starting a business, now's a good time! This year's focus is on "infrastructure" │ Interview with Toshiaki Shimakawa

Now is a good time to think about starting a business

This year's focus is on "infrastructure"

New layer 1 chains such as Aptos and Sui are gaining momentum, and new services are being created to be implemented on new chains.

The crypto asset market has cooled down due to various incidents. Even under these circumstances, new projects are gathering energy to take off and make great strides.

Mr. Toshiaki Shimakawa focuses on promising projects and not only invests in them, but also attracts them to events.

In addition to managing the large-scale conference "IVS," Mr. Shimakawa, who works at Headline Asia, which invests in promising startups, will talk about the current state of the Web 3.0 field and entrepreneurship from his perspective as a VC and event organizer.

Investment trends that VCs are paying attention to

The first results, deliverables, and outputs of the project will appear this year.

Shimakawa: While the bear market continues in the Web 3.0 area, I think new layer 1 chains such as Aptos and Sui will become popular. In the future, new services will be created that will be implemented on new chains. It is predicted that things that previously operated in different chains will be replaced and grow significantly, creating a new economic zone. Although it is said to be the "winter era of crypto assets," it has experienced repeated crashes and rises. Services that have grown significantly in the past, such as OpenSea, were built and prepared during the winter months. As an investor, I have no negative feelings as I believe that services that have raised sufficient funds before the winter will overcome this period and make even greater gains.

In fact, I think now is the time to invest.

I think there has been an increase in more reliable services in the Japanese market recently. Up until now, there were many services based on a DAO-like idea or ``The Web 3.0,'' but now we have come full circle and there are many services around Web 2.5.

Although there are barriers such as not being able to operate tokens due to legal reasons, large Japanese companies and IP holders are interested in Web 3.0 and are starting to launch projects. The first results, deliverables, and outputs of such projects will appear this year.

Infrastructure is the theme that we are focusing on as a theme for investment this year. Security has been a hot topic lately. This is because the number of crimes in the Web 3.0 area has increased.

Therefore, we are keeping a close eye on infrastructure startups in order to invest in projects that will provide basic services in Web 3.0 life and activities.

IVS will hold a large-scale conference "IVSCrypto 2023" in Kyoto from June 28th to 30th this year. We plan to attract several thousand people from overseas, and we have already decided on some great speakers, and we hope to create a place where Japanese people can be inspired and take a step towards globalization. .

I think that Japan has a tendency to become a Galapagos-like environment, so I think it is extremely important for those who are thinking of starting a business to start their business now and build a strong company.

We will make the conferences held by IVS a place where people can take on challenges without fear during this time.

If you would like to take on the challenge of starting a business, please contact us. We would like to hear from anyone who has a strategy to receive investment or collaborate with a top global player in the next round.

Profile

◉Toshiaki Shimakawa

Graduated from Osaka University Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences. Joined Infinity Ventures LLP (currently Headline Asia) in 2017 and is a founding member and business planner of 17Media Japan Inc. (currently 17LIVE Inc.), which operates the invitation-only conference "IVS" and provides Japan's largest live streaming app. Muro: Achieved number one in sales in Japan's live streaming industry in two years as head of the room. In 2020, he became the representative of IVS.

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