We are excited to invite you to Coolwater’s Japanese Innovation Summit & Demo Day, happening in person in San Francisco on January 22, 2025, from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. PST.
This event, sponsored by JETRO, will spotlight Japanese startup and innovation opportunities, featuring top-tier VCs, emerging managers, and technologists shaping Japan’s startup ecosystem.
Event Highlights:
In-person “meet-and-greet” sessions at Tier 1 VC offices in San Francisco, learning about how the best U.S. VCs invest and work with unicorns and decacorns.
Presentations from leading global VCs with deep experience in Japan, sharing insights on the country’s innovation, investment potential, and recent investments.
A pitch session/demo day featuring Japan’s next-generation VC managers and startup opportunities across deep tech, enterprise, consumer, and crypto.
Discussions on why Japan’s ecosystem, as the world’s 4th largest economy, represents an unparalleled investment opportunity.
A happy hour at a Tier VC office in San Francisco.
Why This Matters:
For the past 1.5 years, Coolwater has partnered with the Japanese government to identify and support top-performing VCs, technologists, and innovation leaders in Japan. This event is the culmination of these efforts, designed to foster collaboration between Japanese and global investors.
Join us for an exclusive Family Office List MasterClass on Jan. 16, 1pm ET, featuring David Teten, a seasoned venture partner and thought leader in investment management. In this insightful session, David will delve into the disruptive forces shaping the investment management industry and identify the innovative startups that are poised to transform the landscape.
Key Topics:
• Why Investment Management is a Bizarre Industry Ripe for Disruption
Who Should Attend: This MasterClass is designed for Family Offices, RIAs, investment advisors, private wealth managers, angel groups, and private deal networks.
As the investment management industry has become institutionalized, an ecosystem of “GP seeder” investors have emerged who anchor-invest in emerging managers sometimes before their first close, in exchange for preferential terms. We’ve also seen the emergence of “GP stakes” investors, who buy stakes in established firms, typically once they are at least a decade old. Over $60 billion has been raised to date to acquire GP stakes of established private equity firms, with recent high-profile examples including Vista, Vistria, Clearlake, Dragoneer, TSG Consumer, Veritas, H.I.G., and L Catterton.
Among the topics we’ll discuss:
How do you attract the interest of GP seeders and stakers for your investment management firm?
How do you mitigate the challenge of negotiating with professional investment negotiators?
Bradford Pilcher, Partner, Bonaccord Capital Partners, has a principal focus on management and development of the BCP business and is a member of Bonaccord’s investment committee. Prior to forming Bonaccord, he was a Director at Guggenheim Partners, where his activities focused on strategic development within alternatives. Previously, Bradford was a Vice President in Swiss Re’s Equity and Fund-Linked Group. He began his career as an Investment Associate at Bridgewater Associates. Bradford earned a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Language and Culture from Columbia University.
Speaker
Grant Darwin
Partner, Proskauer Rose LLP
Grant Darwin is a partner in Proskauer’s Corporate Department and a member of the Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Grant advises private capital sponsors and private and public companies in connection with a variety of domestic and cross-border buyouts, joint ventures, restructurings and other strategic transactions, including growth and emerging company equity financings as counsel to investors and companies. Asset manager clients frequently look to Grant for guidance in critical life cycle events, including GP/asset manager M&A transactions, as well as GP-stakes and GP-led secondary transactions. Beyond his corporate practice, Grant engages in a range of pro bono efforts and volunteer work, including voter registration and election protection initiatives and serving as a mentor for elementary school students in NYC public schools through Read Ahead.
Joshua Blaine is Senior Managing Director & Head of GP Stakes at Blackstone Strategic Partners. Mr. Blaine joined Strategic Partners in 2001 and is a member of each of Strategic Partners’ Investment Committees, and its Management and Operating Committees. Mr. Blaine has executed on several billion dollars of secondary and capital solution transactions for both investors and general partners. Prior to joining Strategic Partners, he worked in the Private Fund Group at JPMorgan Chase & Co., where he was part of a small dedicated team responsible for selling almost $2 billion of the firm’s private equity partnership interests through a series of secondary market transactions. He previously worked in the Corporate Finance Department at UBS. Mr. Blaine serves or has served on numerous advisory and charitable boards and is currently a member of the Tulane Business School Council. Mr. Blaine received a B.S.M. cum laude in Finance from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.
Moderator
David Teten, MBA 1998
Partner, Coolwater Capital
David Tetenis a Partner with Coolwater Capital, known as “Y Combinator for emerging VCs”. Coolwater runs an accelerator for emerging VC fund managers and invests as a limited partner, into general partnerships, in fund management companies, and also directly into startups. He is Chair of AltsTech, a community of investors in private companies using technology and analytics to generate alpha, and Founders’ Next Move, a community and set of resources for founders exploring new ideas. He was previously a Managing Partner with HOF Capital; Partner with ff Venture Capital; and Founder of Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of NY.
FinTech Connect welcomes 2000+ world leading FinTech’s, Tier One Financial Institutions, Challengers, Merchants, Scale-Ups and Startups, Investors, Accelerators and Media to Excel London.
Financial institutions, retailers, VCs and private equity firms come for free.
361Firm hosts its 10th New York Investor Conference on Oct. 10, 2024 at the new conference facilities of Polsinelli (600 3rd Ave.). Active Allocators can join as guests (see guidelines)
FOTechHub, a leading family office resource, is holding their 2nd annual virtual Tech & Ops Conference on November 19-20 from 10:30am to 4:00pm ET.
This event, free from sponsored sales agendas on stage, features 25+ expert speakers and family offices sharing insights on technology integration, AI, cybersecurity, and private investment tech. In addition, guests can explore 12+ tech demos and connect with peers in group sessions and speed networking. Attendance is complimentary for family offices and their trusted advisors.
Hunt Club recently became a sponsor of my websites. Hunt Club enables you to recruit vetted talent, faster. We leverage our proprietary referral network of 25k business leaders to source talent proven to perform better and stay longer at companies. Clients include Bain Capital, Tiger Global, WestCap, and FJ Labs.
Darren Herman, an Operating Partner at Bain Capital, recently wrote an in-depth interview with Cammy Keiler of Hunt Club on what they’ve built, how PE/VC firms can use their technology, and how they’re filling in some of the market opportunities which Linkedin has left open for them. Check it out in Darren’s Deep Dive.
The Marriott Marquis, Times Square, New York 10% discount – VIP code: FKR3562VVC Register by Friday October to save a further $100 View website
North America’s must-attend private capital event
SuperReturn North America is the best meeting place for private market leaders from across the world, converging in New York each November for the leading event of the year.
Find out the latest market intelligence on how volatility and uncertainty in the global economy are impacting private capital. What sectors and strategies are proving most resilient? And how are LPs and GPs tackling new challenges and approaching new opportunities?
Who will you meet?
Connect with the leaders in North American private markets. 900+ attendees. 300+ LPs. 450+GPs. 20,000+ meetings.
The numerous distinguished speakers scheduled to present at SuperReturn North America include:
Alex Rodriguez, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at A-Rod Corp
Steven Meier, Chief Investment Officer and Deputy Comptroller for Asset Management, Office of the New York City Comptroller
Allen Waldrop, Deputy CIO – Private Markets, Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
George H. Walker, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Neuberger Berman
Kristie M. Feinberg, Head of Wealth and Asset Management, United States and Europe, Manulife Investment Management
Brian Bernasek, Co-Head of Corporate Private Equity in the Americas, Carlyle
Raelan Lambert, Global Alternatives Leader, Mercer
Anne Valentine Andrews, Global Head of Private Markets, Manulife Investment Management
Jennie Benza, Investment Manager, Private Markets, General Electric Pension
Michael Psaros, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, KPS Capital Partners
“SuperReturn North America is always a highly anticipated event, with a wealth of opportunities to build relationships, connect with LPs and GPs, and converse with influential market leaders,” said Dr. Dorothy Kelso, Global Head of SuperReturn. “We look forward to welcoming our many speakers and thought leaders to discuss the themes shaping today’s market and what lies ahead for private equity.”
Caceis Investor Services, Golub Capital, Hammond Kennedy Whitney, and Marshall Wace North America LP are Co-Sponsors of the event. A&O Shearman, AIP Capital, Alter Domus, Arcesium, Ariel Alternatives, Barings LLC, Bully Pulpit International, Cambridge Associates, CEPRES, DLA Piper LLP US, Equity Group Investments, Guernsey Finance, Hudson Sustainable Group, IQ EQ Fund Services, KBRA, Kirkland & Ellis, Lateral Investment Management, London Stock Exchange, McDermott Will & Emery, Morgan Stanley, Morrison & Foerster LLP, MSCI, Quadrille Capital, RCP Advisors, S&P Global UK Ltd. and Schulte Roth and Zabel LLP are serving as Associate Sponsors.
10% discount – VIP code: FKR3566VVC Register by Friday October 18 to save a further $100
View website
Putting LP/VC relations center stage
A day full of networking and insights from leading VCs and LPs.
Create lasting connections with industry peers and get the latest updates on market trends, opportunities and challenges.
Get an update on LP allocations and how LPs and GPs are faring in today’s market. Plus get the latest on exit strategies, venture debt, cross-border funds and developing new GP relationships.
Who will you meet?
200+ attendees. 75+ influential LPs. 100+ industry leading VCs.
Build new partnerships with international LPs from North America venture capital’s most influential and fastest-growing firms.
Our 2023 attendees had the pleasure of networking with BlackRock, Business Development Bank of Canada, Top Tier Capital Partners, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Menlo Venture, StepStone Group and more.
Join the biggest Post Exit Founders Virtual Conference on Nov 6th, co-hosted by the 2,500+ PEF community.
If you’re a founder (both exited or not) or an investor, you can join Zoom or YouTube stream to learn from peers and network. Register for free or buy a ticket: https://inniches.com/pef
Hundreds of founders with 8-9-10-figure exits are joining. Are you?
Speakers and topics:
Shaan Puri (My First Million) Defends and Breaks down his Post-Exit Portfolio (angel in 100+ companies).
What’s after an exit? Zane Lackey became a GP @ a16z after company he cofounded was acquired for $775M in 2020. Jay Radia launched a venture studio and invested in 30+ startups (his 8-figure-ARR company Yieldify was acquired in 2023). Noah Abelson-Gerler (IPO’d in 2016, stepped down as a CEO in 2019) started to coach founders. Jeff Frommer sold his media company for $75M in 2021, started advising companies & now is building a new startup in stealth. Eric Spett is coaching ambitious founders after reaching $30M+ ARR and 200+ employees before his exit.
Gil Shai (2x exited founder, 20+ investments with 2 exits) will speak about Finding Happiness. Anastasia Koroleva (4 exits incl. 9-figure one) & Jason Syversen (exited in 2019, invested in 35+ companies) discussing Paths and Resources for Introspection.
Big Ambitious Next Quests by Jeremy Schwach, Jake Sussman, Benzi Ronen.
Alex Lieberman (sold Morning Brew for $75M to Insider Inc. in 2020), Ariana Pareja, Oliver Low (Tiny), Sandy Gibson, Steve Schlafman (Downshift), & more speakers & topics to be announced soon.
Co-hosted and moderated by: Connor Tomkies (Entrepreneur Cooperative) in room 1 – Messy Middle; Barak Kaufman (2,500+ PEF community) in room 2 – Next Mountain; Shlomo Dalezman in room 3 – Personal Exploration; and Max Pog.
