Insights
Celebrating FUSE’s 5th Anniversary!
FUSE recently marked their 5th anniversary with a special event in Hamamatsu, Japan that included a panel session with Prof. Michiko Ashizawa from Keio University’s Business School, Dr. Fumiaki Ikeno, Program Director for Japan Biodesign at Stanford Biodesign, and Hiroaki Kaneko, Deputy Manager at Hamamatsu Iwata Shinkin Bank, who served as moderator. Their panel was on “Moving the Future with Local Power: Challenges to Innovation” which included a discussion on local ecosystems and open innovation. We’re especially excited that Prof. Ashizawa and Mr. Kaneko—who first met as US-ATMC visiting scholars in 2023—reunite for this milestone event!
In a separate panel, FUSE invited Koichiro Nakamura, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Sozo Ventures, Atsushi Taira, Co-Founder and Chairman of The Edgeof, and Hayato Watanabe, Manager at Hamamatsu Iwata Shinkin Bank to moderate. They discussed “Ecosystem for Global Entrepreneurs: Spreading Wings to the World,” touching on how to create the right environment for entrepreneurs to become global leaders and exploring why aren’t “GAFA-like” companies born in Japan.
US-ATMC is honored to play a small part in facilitating these connections, and we’re glad to see our alumni stay connected and continue to collaborate beyond their time at Stanford!
In June 2020 Hamamatsu Iwata Shinkin Bank launched FUSE, an accelerator aimed to help small and medium enterprises, and startups go global. Congratulations to FUSE on their 5th year anniversary!
