KDDI has launched a business to support Japanese companies involved in AI as they expand into the United States, and held a ceremony in San Francisco. It selected 5 companies for the first cohort, which are scheduled to stay in the United States for 1 month and receive advice, while using its local business network to support their acquisition of their first corporate customers.
KDDI has launched a new business to support promising Japanese AI startups as they expand into the United States, and held a ceremony in San Francisco. It expects the initiative to lead to future collaboration and generate profits through the growth of its portfolio companies.
The company said its analysis showed that Japanese companies, despite possessing strong technology, face barriers from local business practices and fundraising, making it difficult to develop unlisted companies with market capitalizations of more than $1 billion. It established the support business with an emphasis on building a track record in the United States.
For the first cohort, it selected 5 companies, which will stay in the United States for 1 month and receive advice from US investment firms. KDDI will use its group-wide network of US business partners to support their acquisition of their first corporate customers. The companies work on such areas as using data from construction sites and reading design drawings.
Chairman Takahashi Makoto (高橋 誠) and President Matsuda Hiroji (松田 浩路) attended the ceremony. Matsuda said startups are the driving force behind progress worldwide and that he wanted to build the future across national borders.