Cities around the world are increasingly looking to technology to help them better understand and serve their citizens. “Smart Cities” denotes the efforts to use electronics and data to analyze and improve a wide range of city services, from traffic and transportation, to waste management, utilities and services related to health, education, crime prevention and social services. This move has been driven by – and sparked the growth of – a vibrant group of companies and entrepreneurs eager to apply their technologies to improve daily living.

Scrum Ventures has established an initiative called SmartCityX that seeks to bring together a wide range of startups, investors, corporations and thought leaders with an interest in this space. Tak Miyata, General Partner of Scrum Ventures, and Michael Proman, Managing Director at Scrum Ventures will talk about how cities in Japan and the US are using technology to transform the lives of their citizens in the post-COVID world, how Japanese and US approaches differ and how Scrum’s Smart City initiative is driving innovation and cross-border technology transfer between Japan and the US.

Please join us for a program to discuss exciting new developments in this area.

Date and Time

U.S. — Monday, May 10, 2021 @ 4:30 – 5:30 pm (Pacific Time)

JAPAN — Tuesday, May 11, 2021 @ 8:30-9:30 am (Japan Time)

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Agenda

4:30-4:35 — Moderator, Steve Pollock | Member of the Board, Japan Society of Northern California, and Founder, Turnstone Ventures

4:35-4:45 — Tak Miyata | General Partner, Scrum Ventures

4:45-4:55 — Michael Proman | Managing Director, Scrum Ventures

4:55-5:30 — Q&A Moderator, Steve Pollock

5:20-5:23 — Closing Takahide Akiyama | President, Japan Society of Northern California

5:23-5:30 — Networking

Price

FREE!  (Zoom link will be sent upon registration)

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OUR AMAZING SPEAKERS

Tak Miyata | General Partner, Scrum Ventures

Tak worked as a systems engineer for Electronic Data Systems (an HP company) after which he founded NevenVision, his first US-based startup that was acquired by Google in 2006. Tak then established J-Magic, a Japan-based startup, in October of the same year to develop mobile-specific services using image analysis technology. The company exited in 2009 after which Tak joined Mixi where he served as the CEO of Mixi America. Tak founded Scrum Ventures in 2013. He holds a Master’s degree in Nano Science from Waseda University.

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Michael Proman | Managing Director, Scrum Ventures

Working with large multinational companies as well as starting new ventures, Michael’s diverse experience and deep industry relationships have been a hallmark of his nearly 20 year career. Michael worked in global marketing and development capacities at Coca-Cola and the National Basketball Association prior to starting (and ultimately exiting) his initial startup, OptionIt. Through additional roles in the early-stage space, Michael helped lead multiple startups to acquisitions and continues to play an active role in mentoring and advising founders across multiple industries. Michael is a graduate of Amherst College and makes his home in Minneapolis.

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Moderator, Steve Pollock | Member of the Board, Japan Society of Northern California, and Founder, Turnstone Ventures

Steve is a member of the Board of the Japan Society of Northern California and the founder of Turnstone Ventures, a boutique consulting firm that advises companies doing business between the US and Japan on market entry, business development and growth strategies. He began his career at Mitsubishi International Corp., and has co-founded, led and advised early stage companies in the US and Japan. He has a passion for connecting Silicon Valley with Japan and serves on the Steering Committee for the Innovation Awards. Steve received a BA, summa cum laude, in East Asian Studies from Harvard College, and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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This event was made possible thanks to our 2020 Japan-US Innovation Awards Symposium sponsors