Crypto-influencer with about 100,000 YouTube subscribers accelerates activities in the Web 3.0 domain. Joe Takayama has released numerous video contents based on his own experiences.
What kind of person is Joe and what kind of fund is he setting up? We take an in-depth look and unravel his strategy for the bull market.
Hiroki Nagatomo (Nagatomo): You are currently known as a crypto YouTuber.
Joe Takayama (Joe): At first, I was doing vlogs.
One time, I posted a video commentary on the news about the political conflict between China and the US and how this event would impact the stock market, and it got a lot of views.
That led me to start commentating on the relationship between news and the stock market. Later, on the recommendation of a friend, I decided to open a channel dedicated to crypto assets using the same approach, which has changed to what it is today.
In 2021, there were YouTubers who did technical analysis, but there were no YouTubers like me who explained how macroeconomic news impacted the market.
Furthermore, there were not many people with a background of working at a financial institution, so I thought that if I could utilise my own edge to disseminate information, I could grow in the crypto genre.
Nagatomo: Was there a point in the course of running your YouTube channel where the flow of information changed?
Joe: To be honest, I never had any buzz, but there was a point when I was able to transition to my current role as a YouTuber and investor, which was around November 2021.
At the time, I was being asked to promote various projects, but I didn't want to do it on my channel. Then I received an offer to invest in the company. I invested, and it went very well.
It was a so-called seed or pre-seed project, and I invested in two more projects in quick succession that did well, which made me realise the potential of the YouTube style of investing while doing YouTube.
Nagatomo: What specific activities are you involved in as an investor?
Joe: I work as an angel investor, investing in pre-listed Web 3.0 projects.
I have many opportunities to come into contact with a variety of projects and meet investors, so in addition to supporting projects to raise funds, I also provide support to projects to provide the necessary resources, such as meeting the right people or finding collaborators as they develop their business.
Nagatomo: You are currently based in Dubai, how did that come about?
Joe: As an investor, I was attending conferences around the world to look for projects and deepen my friendship with VCs, but I started to feel that there were more opportunities abroad.
The big catalyst was TOKEN2049, which was held in Singapore in September last year. I decided to move to Singapore because I was convinced that I could take on new challenges as a result of the friendships I made there.
Nagatomo: What are some of the best things about being a YouTuber?
Joe: When I go to conferences, I can talk to a lot of people because I'm already recognised.
As the number of subscribers grows, I feel that I've gone from being a YouTube channel as a transmitter to a media outlet, and I've had the opportunity to speak to people I would never have spoken to directly before, and companies have been receptive to my suggestions. This is a big advantage.
Nagatomo: I understand that you are setting up a new fund called ‘Beast Ventures’.
Joe: There are many reasons, but first of all, I wanted to use YouTube to disseminate information and I wanted to be an investor on a larger scale.
If you look around the world, for example, in the US there are already examples of KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) setting up funds, and some actually succeeded in raising around $100 million last year, so the scale is steadily increasing.
As I myself have invested in more than 30 projects in the past two years and verified the results, I have found that VC projects usually have high risk, so some are profitable and some are not, but compared to that, the returns have been quite good, so I thought I could compete too.
The other thing is that over the past year, I have been approached by an increasing number of investors who are active in the Middle East and family offices in Dubai who have asked me if I would like to do a fund for them because they would pay me money.
At first I wasn't sure, but after talking to various people and doing some research, I realised that if KOL people are setting up funds and actually producing results, then what they are doing is the same as other funds, so I thought it might be interesting from an investor's perspective to put money into a fund with a different strategy (specialising in Web 3.0). I thought it would be interesting to put money into a fund with a different strategy (specialising in Web 3.0) from an investor's point of view, so I decided to set up the fund.
Nagatomo: You say that a trend is emerging for KOLs to set up funds, but how is this different from existing schemes?
Joe: If you look around the VC industry today, the mainstream is to have a fund function and then add media functions such as blogs and podcasts along the way, but even if the quality of information transmission is high, it is difficult to see how far the transmission to the masses will go.
On the other hand, we already have a medium to transmit information, so we can use that medium to support projects and founders.
While many investors, such as VCs, often only provide financial support, Beast Ventures can provide a wide range of support, such as fundraising support and business development support, with a focus on expanding awareness and gaining users, which is a definite plus for the project side. I think it is absolutely positive for the project to have such people as investors.
Until now, the type of investors has been considered important, but in order to achieve mass adoption, the project side has to create a product that will actually be used, and it is necessary to let as many people as possible know about it and convey its merits.
Recently, a lot of money has been flowing into the market, which is why there is a high demand for project developers, and I believe that the environment will become even more conducive to our activities.
Nagatomo: What form does the fund take?
Joe: We plan to obtain a fund licence in the Cayman Islands and set up the fund.
Many crypto funds in Japan are operating in the form of so-called operating companies, but we want to do it in the form of a fund licence, which will make it easier for LPs to raise money and for funds to raise money from them.
We are hoping to raise a maximum of around JPY 1 billion, and we hope to finish fundraising in December and start in January 2024.
Nagatomo: I think the fund can be done in Dubai, but is there any reason why you are aiming to obtain a licence and set up in the Cayman Islands?
Joe: If we do it in Dubai, it will be in the form of an operating company, as explained earlier, rather than a fund structure.
The operating company format is like investing in a joint stock company, which is something Japanese people are used to, but from an international perspective, the fund structure format is more common from an accounting perspective.
This time, we were thinking of raising funds from overseas investors, so we wanted to set up a fund in a scheme that they are used to, so that communication with overseas investors would proceed smoothly.
Therefore, we decided to set up a fund by obtaining a fund licence in the Cayman Islands, although it costs a little more.
Nagatomo: What is Beast Ventures' vision for the future one year from now?
Joe: In the fund business, the first thing is to gain recognition of Beast Ventures as an investor. I would like to take it from recognition to gaining trust.
I think it's important to win the trust of both the project side and the people who are giving me money that Beast Ventures is going to deliver a solid return.
If we do well with the first fund, we will be able to do the second fund with a different size, and beyond that, with Beast Ventures in it, people will say things like, ‘If we are aiming for expansion in Asia, we will have generous support for expansion in Asia’ or ‘If we are aiming for expansion in Asia, we will have generous support for expansion in Asia’. Beast Ventures is the one to go to if you're looking to do an Asian expansion.’ I want to create a presence that makes people say, ‘If you want to go for expansion in Asia, why not ask Beast Ventures to help you?
Nagatomo: Lastly, what is the driving force behind your activities?
Joe: My first job was as a trader at a hedge fund, and I fell in love with investing as a job, and I had the goal of becoming an investor myself in the future as a trader.
The advantages and the aspects that I find attractive about being an investor are a little different now than before, but to begin with, investors are evaluated on their returns, so when I was younger I thought it was good to be able to challenge even experienced senior people with numbers.
Nowadays, investors can meet a lot of different people and hear a lot of different stories, which I find interesting.
Of course it is important to make a return, but I also think that meeting various people and learning about the background of the project enriches your life, and I hope that through this work I can show people the good parts of Web 3.0 and the fun of the blockchain, both as media and as a fundraiser. I would like to continue my activities both as a media person and as a founder of a fund so that I can convey the joys of the blockchain.
Virtual Currency Channel - Joe Takayama
A channel for virtual currency beginners that is easy to understand for beginners. ‘Making virtual currency fun and more accessible.’
A channel for US stock investors that is easy to understand, even for beginners. The channel provides information for those who want to learn more about investing, improve their financial and information literacy, be the first to know about overseas news, and use their commuting time and spare time for learning.
◉Joe Takayama
Joe Takayama is a YouTuber and angel investor in the Web 3.0 space. He is also an advisor for marketing, fundraising and business development in the Web 3.0 space, both domestically and internationally. He started his career at Morgan Stanley's hedge fund, where he worked as a financial professional for almost 10 years.
◉Hiroki Nagatomo.
Born in 1988. Started his own business while still a student at Yokohama City University. In 2022, he participated in the launch of BitLending, an asset-building platform for the Web 3.0 era. He uses his unique network to follow the current state of crypto. Hobbies include photography. As a triathlete, he also challenges himself in ‘IRONMAN RACE’ races around the world.
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