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Be Bold or italic, never regular.

Ikuo Hiraishi

Entrepreneur, Startup, Education, Society, Life, and about Japan.

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Substack
PricingOnly free issuesPublishesMonthly
Issues53Founded4 years agoLast Issue13 days ago
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ikuohiraishi.substack.com
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Latest Issues

Can We Turn Serendipity into a System?

On July 24, I attended Jason Calacanis’s Angel University in Tokyo.

As I’m sure everyone here knows, Jason is a well-known angel investor in Silicon Valley. He became especially famous for his investment in Uber, which reportedly returned...

13 days ago
1

Setagaya Park and a Rooftop BBQ

This is a more personal post than what I usually write. Most of my writing is about startups, entrepreneurship, and Japan’s place in the world. But occasionally, I would also like to share a little about the life and experiences behind thos...

20 days ago
4
2

THE REAL PICTURE Vol.2 : Capital Efficiency Among Japan's Startups

Capital raised vs. market capitalization. Figures as of the July 7, 2026, close, based on each company's IPO prospectus (cumulative capital raised, computed from third-party allotments) and market data.

1. The question

Let me admit...

a month ago

THE REAL PICTURE VOL.1 : Growth Capital Behind Japan's Startups

Reading the pre-IPO cap tables of Japan’s top 50 startups by market cap. Figures are based on the July 7, 2026 close and, wherever possible, on primary sources — the major-shareholder tables in each company’s IPO prospectus.

1. The que...

2 months ago
1

We Can No Longer See Silicon Valley’s Back

IVS (Infinity Ventures Summit) traces its roots back to 2004, when it began as NILS (New Industry Leaders Summit). Twenty-plus years on, it has grown into one of Japan's leading startup conferences — a three-day gathering, held every July,...

2 months ago
3
4

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  • Ikuo Hiraishi

    Serial entrepreneur, Angel investor, and Professor based in Tokyo. One went public at TSE, and Yahoo! Japan acquired the other. The portfolio includes a unicorn, Infarm, a16z-backed AnyRoad, and ModuleQ, backed by The London Stock Exchange Group.

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