Taiwan’s startup backer partners with Japan’s bookstore chain, crowdfunding site

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Image credit: iiiNNO

Taiwan-based iiiNNO, one of the island’s largest startup backers, Japan’s Culture Convenience Club (CCC), known for its Tsutaya bookstore chain brand, and CCC’s crowdfunding business Green Funding, announced on Friday that they have reached reached an agreement to support Taiwanese manufacturing startups for the latter’s Japanese market expansion. The ceremony was held at the Tsutaya Songshan store in Taipei to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) among the three companies. Based on the agreement, CCC is expected to provide marketing support for Taiwanese startups’ products both online and offline through the company’s bookstores and crowdfunding site in Japan.

CCC has been deeply involved in supporting startups, including running its own accelerator program and the commissioned operation of the Startup Cafe co-working spaces in Japanese cities. It has also opened seven bookstores in Taiwan since its first overseas expansion back in 2017. Earlier this year, the crowdfunding launched a campaign of iTemp, a smart mug and smart bowl from Taiwan, as its first project in the initiative. iiiNNO has been running a startup accelerator program with Taiwan Tsutaya.

From left: Junichi Anazawa (COO/CHRO, One More), Chong-Jie Lin (Commissioner, Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government), Chia-Lei Chao (Co-founder & CFO, iiiNNO) , and Kazuma Otsuka (Senior Manager, Business Planning Department, Taiwan Tsutaya).
Image credit: Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government

Having collaborated each other in supporting startups across borders, local governments of both Taipei and Fukuoka cities support this initiative as well. Their mayors, Taipei’s Wen-je Ko and Fukuoka’s Soichiro Takashima, contributed video messages to the signing ceremony.

Ko says,

The purpose of the MOU is to establish a funding and access platform between Taipei and Fukuoka, to help Taipei startups connect to online funding and online and offline access in Japan, in addition to introducing Japanese startups to incubation centers in Taipei. We are very pleased with the results of this project.

Takashima says,

Within the framework of cooperation between Fukuoka and Taipei, the new venture energy on both sides will definitely become stronger and more international. With both sides joining hands in the belief of welcoming new international ventures, this framework will facilitate the energy between two cities.

The signing ceremony was attended by Kazuma Otsuka (Senior Manager, Business Planning Department, Taiwan Tsutaya), Junichi Anazawa (Director, COO/CHRO, One More), Chia-Lei Chao (Co-founder & CFO, iiiNNO), and Chong-Jie Lin (Commissioner, Department of Economic Development, Taipei City Government). Also invited were Tetsuaki Miura (Director, Global Startup Planning and Coordination Department, Fukuoka City Government), Mark Pearson (New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei), and Stephane Khoubesserian (Canadian Trade Office in Taipei).