E51 Raising $1bn to bringing entrepreneurship to Japan with World Innovation Lab founder and CEO Gen Isayama Sand Hill Road

In this episode, Erasmus Elsner is talking to Gen Isayama, co-founder and CEO of World Innovation Lab, a Palo Alto and Tokyo based venture firm investing in growth-stage companies and serving as a bridge between startups and Japanese corporations.

00:00​​ Intro

01:30 World Innovation Lab

04:10 From Japanese lawyer to Silicon Valley VC

09:10 From DCM to WIL

13:55 WIL investment thesis

19:40 Japanese entrepreneurial culture

26:57 Open innovation Models at WIL

31:57 Raising Fund I

37:00 Full spectrum of WIL Activities

42:16 Investment strategy and portfolio construction

48:06 Outlook for WIL III

51:23 Call to action