Go Global
With GHOVC
Technology startups expanding overseas
Venture capital with hands-on support
Mission
Global Hands-On VC (GHOVC) was established by those with extensive entrepreneurial and startup management experience to provide hands-on support for Japanese technology startups to go global.
Our goal is to help create unicorn companies out of Japan by providing hands-on support to startups with unique technologies until they are able to spread their wings on the world stage.
We believe that the potential of Japanese startups has yet to be fully realized. In order for Japanese startups to become unicorns, we believe that they need to expand their businesses not only for domestic demand, but also for the global market.
The international GHOVC team has extensive experience in startup management and is looking to support startups challenging the global markets.
Team
Dr. Richard Dasher
Founding Partner
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Director, US-Asia Technology Management Center at Stanford University (since 1994)
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Senior Fellow, Mitsubishi Research Institute & Mentor, Stanford Angel and Entrepreneurs
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Advisor and committee member of national S&T funding programs, research institutions and global nonprofits in Japan, Thailand, Canada and France.
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Advisor to startups and business accelerators in Canada, U.S., Japan, S. Korea, and China
Knowledge
For Entrepreneurs
Interview with the Founder of GHOVC,
who aims to create a unicorn from Japan
"Establishing GHOVC"
Ken Yasunaga
Founder/Managing Partner
Dr. Richard Dasher
Founding Partner
Ken Yasunaga has 23 years of VC experience and co-founded GHOVC, a venture capital firm that provides hands-on support for Japanese startups to expand their business globally. He talks about his career, his thoughts on founding GHOVC, and his path to the establishing GHOVC.
For start-ups
As founders of successful companies and founders of Global Hands-on VC, we believe a startup needs all five critical items to succeed.
Market and favorable market conditions
We help you to jointly select what, where, when, how and why about the market.
Winning and competitive product
We provide you the art and science of building Minimum Viable Product(s) and growing to Most Viable Product(s).
Cohesive and complete team
Fine tune a trioka team leadership of Technologist, Product/Engineering and Business Execution in harmony.
Class of investors who are on founders side
As investors, we will be on your startup journey as partners who have interest to make you and your startup succeed.
Execution, Execution, Execution
A great idea needs an execution by the team to succeed and needs hands-on advisors to guide the execution.
Testimonial
Mr. Yasunaga was a lead investor of Series B finance and becomes a board member. Since then, he has worked as a member of the team in management, operations, organization construction (including recruitment), strategic partnership, and finance. He played several important roles in our team. Especially in finance, I am convinced that the success of financing from Nvidia and Google, which is unprecedented in Japan, is impossible without Mr. Yasunaga. He pays a great respect to the management member (entrepreneurs). He is one of best partners who finds and solves fundamental problems while giving due consideration to each of various stakeholders.
Yousuke Okada CEO/ABEJA
News
2024.03.19 Global Hands-On VC Invests in Paronym, Inc.
GHOVC Fund I Investment Limited Partnership ("GHOVC Fund I"), the first fund managed by GHOVC, has invested as the lead investor in Paronym, a company that provides interactive video solutions.
GHOVC will continue to support Paronym's growth, especially in its overseas expansion plans, and will provide hands-on management support.
2024.03.19 Takeoff Tokyo, a GHOVC-supported Pitch Event for World-Class Entrepreneurs, will be Held at Tokyo Big Sight on April 10 and 11, 2024
Takeoff Tokyo, a pitch event for entrepreneurs aiming for the world, which GHOVC supports as KeyPartners, will be held at Tokyo Big Sight on April 10 and 11, 2024.
GHOVC will hold PICHI TRAINING (March 23) and HACKATHON (March 29-31) as side events of this event, and the GHOVC AWARD will be selected among the contestants at the Takeoff Tokyo (April 10-11) pitch event.
2023.10.04 Global Hands-On VC Invests in EdgeCortix, Japan-based Edge AI Fabless Semiconductor Company
Global Hands-On VC ("GHOVC") has co-led a $20 million financing round in EdgeCortix, a Japan-based edge artificial intelligence (AI) fabless semiconductor development and design company. The investment was made from its first fund, GHOVC Fund I Investment Limited Partnership ("GHOVC Fund I") managed by GHOVC. Funds managed by SBI Investment Corporation (co-lead investor) and Renesas Electronics Corporation also participated in this round. GHOVC will provide not only financial support, it will also provide management support to help accelerate EdgCortix's growth as it expands its business within Japan and globally.