mark bivens
This post is addressed to a niche group of individuals working in venture capital in Japan, though the story may resonate beyond borders. You are talented, smart, and ambitious. The job of venture capital appeals to you: imagining the future, allocating capital to promising startups, enabling...
mark bivens
Today is a truly great day. We are thrilled to welcome Sophie Meralli as Shizen Capital’s newest Partner. Experienced and multi-talented, Sophie is integrally involved in Japan’s startup community through Tokyo Women in VC, as an advisor to Shibuya Startup Support, and as a boardmember of La...
mark bivens
Eighteen months ago, Mayumi Wakebe joined Shizen Capital as the inaugural candidate of our Sprout initiative, a GP-in-Training program for ambitious women in Japan who aspire to become Partner in a VC fund or manage their own. Our rationale in launching the Sprout program was driven by our...
mark bivens
One year ago we announced the Sprout initiative at Shizen Capital. Sprout is a GP-in-Training program for ambitious women in Japan who aspire to manage their own VC fund. The Sprout participant is first employed by Shizen Capital as Investment Director, during which she is exposed to all aspects...
mark bivens
Today marks a milestone for Shizen Capital which warrants a moment of celebration. In May, we introduced the Sprout GP-in-Training program to play our small part in combating the pervasive diversity problem in VC in Japan. We evaluated several impressive candidates over the summer, and last month...
mark bivens
Welcome Mayumi Wakebe into the Shizen capital team ! Just prior to the summer we announced our new Sprout initiative at Shizen Capital. Our hypothesis was that female venture capitalists were far too scarce in Japan, and not for lack of talent. We believe that diversity in venture capital teams...
mark bivens
Lack of diversity in the venture capital business is a problem worldwide. As readers of my blog know from my past tirades, I believe that this pernicious issue negatively impacts VC fund returns, impedes female and other under-represented entrepreneurs, stifles the health of a region’s startup...