Z Venture Capital～October Festival～（English）

Morning at Tokyo Metro Akasaka-mitsuke Station. After passing through the long crowds, I hurried up to the ground. I looked up at the building from the still slightly wet asphalt. The usual "Kioi Tower" loomed in front of me. It was not only because of the rain that the view was somehow different from usual. It certainly felt that way.

October 17, 2022.

Z Venture Capital members from Korea and the U.S. gathered in Tokyo for the "October Festival," which is a social event for Z Venture Capital members. This was the first time to get together since the merger of YJ Capital and LINE Ventures in April last year.
This is a record of "October Festival" / "One team".

Greeting - Lunch
10:00 a.m.
All members gathered in a conference room on the 17th floor of Kioi Tower. Almost all members met for the first time in person and greeted each other with smiles. Smiles naturally abounded. Then Shinichiro gave his greetings and the "October Festival" finally got underway. At first, Kevin and Shogo served as hosts for an ice breaker.

After the first ice breaker...

Lunch in the cafeteria. After lunch, the members are getting closer to each other.

11:30 a.m.
Lunch in the office. Since this was the first break time, Korean and Japanese were occasionally heard, but all conversations during the event were in English. While eating lunch, we talked about everything from work to hobbies. Incidentally, the people in the back of the room were having a lot of fun talking about Korean idol groups.

Bowling!
2:00 PM.
All the members were off to Shibuya for a bowling match! We were divided into 4 groups and were supposed to compete for the best score...but as soon as we got to the arcade, the members couldn't wait to get bowling and started competing with each other in a game.

Luke looking a little soul-less during the game, and Julie looking very serious, with Shinichiro behind her.

Mario Kart has nothing to do with nationality or age.

And finally, the bowling match has begun!

The result...the team winner was Group D, and the best individual prize went to Hyung from Group A! (As expected!)

Explore Tokyo
4:00pm. After bowling, the members split up and left for Ebisu, Harajuku, and Shibuya.
【Ebisu (but almost in Shibuya)】

【Harajuku】

【Shibuya】

Dinner
6:00 PM. The members who have been deepening engagement in various places gather in Daikanyama. It is time for the long-awaited dinner.
Thank you for all that you have done for us. And thoughts for the future. The restaurant was filled with the energy of the members. The melody of words and feelings formed a spiral that connected the members.
It is true that the dinner time might have been two and a half hours. Still, it was enough time for Z Venture Capital to bridge the gap of the past year and a half. Thanks to Taku and Julie for hosting the dinner, and to Asako and NaLi for being the overall organizers.
This was a great day. The time the members spent together could not be beat even if we talked a hundred times online. It was a dream come true, frankly.

Group photo at the end of the dinner

Group Discussion
10:00 a.m. the next day, the 18th.
After a night of rest, we gathered at LINE's office in Yotsuya on this day.
The theme of the second day was "To become the No.1 CVC in Asia.
Each member of the group shared their opinions and deepened the discussion from a leader's point of view.
Discussions continued until 4:00 p.m., with lunch in between. Then, presentations were made.

In the room where the heated discussion took place, a final presentation was made.

In conclusion
The time spent by Z Venture Capital over the two days.
It was an irreplaceable and precious experience for us to become "One Team" aiming to become the No.1 CVC in Asia.
The paths that each member has taken to get to this day are different. Still, living in different countries, such as Japan, Korea, and the U.S., we all have our own unique experiences and experiences to share. Cultures. The Z Venture Capital of today is the result of a mixture of different languages, cultures, generations, and so on.
After two days, I can say this clearly now. That is our strength.
We will face many challenges together as "One Team". We believe that our activities will improve the lives of people in Japan, Korea, the U.S., and around the world.
Z Venture Capital will continue to accelerate!
p.s.
Shinichiro, who thought of our members and supported them more than anyone else at this event. Thank you so much.

Extra shot.
The third party on the second day. Ramen noodles to finish.