events 
Masaru Ikeda
Japanese VC firm CyberAgent Ventures announced on Monday that it would hold this year’s edition of the Rising Expo, the company’s annual startup conference, on September 6th.
At last year’s edition, 51 other VC firms and 21 companies were invited to attend conference, where a number of outstanding startups and entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to the crowd. Smartphone-based credit card payment provider Coiney won the top prize of 2 million yen (about $20,000), and the startup subsequently raised 100 million yen ($1 million) from CyberAgent Ventures, East Ventures, and an individual angel investor.
CyberAgent Ventures just started accepting applications for those who want to pitch at this year’s event. Applicants must meet the criteria listed below:
- Your business must be IT- or internet-related.
- Your service is already live, and has acquired some userbase or revenue.
- You should be exploring funding worth more than 100 million yen ($1 million)
There will be preliminary screening process prior to the event. Applying companies do not need to be registered in Japan.
As many of our readers may know, CyberAgent Ventures has many offices and representatives all around Asia, so that if you have an idea that you want to develop in the region, they are one of the best teams that you could work with.
If you’re interested, you can apply here. The deadline is July 29th at 11am, Japan Standard Time.
Rick Martin
