In conjunction with his trip to Tokyo, Dropbox founder Drew Houston took the opportunity to speak at the Globis Business School. After Drew’s discussion on stage, I had the opportunity to ask him for comments about Dropbox’s values and strategies, as well as his experience in the Silicon Valley. I must confess I’m also…
Drew Houston: I started Dropbox for myself
As a part of its international expansion, online storage giant Dropbox recently announced a partnership with Softbank, a Japanese telecommunications conglomerate. In conjunction with his trip to Tokyo, its founder Mr. Drew Houston took the opportunity to speak at the Globis Business School with its founder-president, Mr. Yoshito Hori. Mr. Hori: Tonight, I’d like to…
‘Shibuya Valley’ not ‘Silicon Valley’ for this Japanese Venture Capitalist
Shibuya, or literally “Bitter Valley”, is the Japanese epicenter of youth fashion and culture. It is also becoming the hotbed for startups. In his office here, venture capitalist Yoshihiko “Max” Kinoshita discusses how he took inspiration from Silicon Valley to transform Shibuya into its Japanese cousin “Shibuya Valley.” How did you start investing in…
Int’l Student in Brown U. Shares Concern on Japanese Homeland
Unsatisfied with Japan’s prestigious Keio university, Tomonobu Kumahira transferred overseas to Brown. In his home country, where students hesitate to study abroad given the language barrier, he is admired by aspiring exchange students. A senior at this time of this interview, Kumahira-san reflects back on his college years. After studying in Japan for your…
Peter Thiel to Japanese Students: “You don’t start a company for the sake of it” (Q&A 2/2)
Peter Thiel continues to share his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. Peter Thiel Reflects on Lessons from PayPal for Japanese Students (Q&A 1/2) If you were a 22-year old Japanese in Tokyo, what business would you start? I think everyone needs to start at something that you’re good at, that you’re very interested in…
Peter Thiel Reflects on Lessons from PayPal for Japanese Students (Q&A 1/2)
Known as the founder of PayPal and a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, Peter Thiel came to speak with Japanese college students about his new book “Zero to One.” In the following Q&A session, he shared his observations on successful startups, the startup scene in Japan, and whether he thinks artificial intelligence will overtake humans. …
Playstation President Shuhei Yoshida on VR and 20th anniversary
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the PlayStation gaming console. It has expanded the range of game experiences through various technological innovations and is currently in development to provide an even more immersive experience with Project Morpheus Virtual Reality (VR). We spoke with Shuhei Yoshida of Sony Computer Entertainment and Katsuhiro Harada of Namco…
Cannes Ad Medalist Reveals his Creative Roots
This summer, while doing an internship at Dentsu, Japan’s largest ad agency, I had the opportunity to learn about many intriguing behind-the-scene stories. Though rowdy at parties, Takashi Sakuma tried to keep his cool as our instructor during the day. I wanted to know more about him, so we re-connected for a friendly chat between…
Salaryman-turned Rock Bar Proprietor Discusses his ‘Roundabout’
There is a bar in Tokyo’s Shinbashi’s entertainment district that I frequent, called Rock Bar Dome. It only plays Progressive Rock music made popular in the 70s. Being underage, I come for the music and chit-chat with the bar master, Masatoshi Seki. This time, however, I visited to discover Seki-san’s roots as a salary man.…
Inside the Mind of “Mario” Creator Shigeru Miyamoto
Whether you’re a gamer or not, classics like “Super Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda” are universally recognized. Shigeru Miyamoto, their legendary creator, made a foray into film as he premiered the “Pikmin” shorts at the Tokyo International Film Festival. I had the opportunity to meet and discuss with the man responsible for brightening…