1. TSUNAMI Networking Event
TSUNAMI New Year Event was held on Friday, 8 February 2008, at the New Yokohama Kokusai Hotel. The event attracted the participation of more than 400 guests.
1) TSUNAMI Business Plan Presentations
Aqua Science Corporation President: Yoichi Isago
Established in January 2003 Capital stock: 149.95 million yen
http://www.aqua-sc.com/top_page_english.html
Aqua Science develops and sells equipment for cleaning semiconductor wafers without the use of chemical agents. Applying
technology that is unique worldwide, this equipment enables cleaning with low environmental burden and cost. The company is
looking for business and alliance partners, and wants to broaden its marketing channels.
M's Science Corporation President & COO: Akihiko Shimauchi
Established in November 2000 Capital stock: 2,059.32 million yen
http://www.m-sci.com/e/index.html
M’s Science is one of the few Japanese-born bio ventures engaged in full-fledged pharmaceutical development. It has a number
of pipelines with the potential to yield blockbuster products (generating sales of over 100 billion yen a year). It is currently
pursuing R&D targeting therapeutic drugs for diseases of the central nervous system and cancer. It is seeking sources of
funds, business partners, human resource referrals, and allies.
Dream Dining Corporation President: Tetsuya Emura
Established in January 2004 Capital stock: 7,340,000 U.S. dollar
http://www.shokudojapanese.com/ http://www.tokyotable.com/
Dream Dining is introducing casual Japanese-style dining in the U.S. market. It has opened a total of three restaurants, the first being Shokudo Japanese in Hawaii, which was followed by two named Tokyo Table in California. The restaurants offer table service that satisfies American as well as Japanese customers. It has begun equipping itself with the kind of corporate setup needed for multi-location development, with a view to going public. It would like to find partners for alliances and fund-raising.
Isman J Corporation President: Toshiyuki Watanabe
Established in July 2002 Capital stock: 341.6 million yen
http://www.ismanj.com/
Isman J manufactures Meramix, a silicon alloy that serves as general-purpose industrial material. Drawing on its original
synthesis technology by sintering process, Meramix is made mainly from silicon from the Sahara Desert and nitrogen in the air. It is aimed at making inroads in application domains where special steel is currently utilized as a general-purpose industrial material (e.g., automotive industry). It is targeting a yearly production of 1 million tons (about 5 percent as much as the special
steel production), and is looking for parties to provide funds.
2) Sector Workshops
Management of technology (MOT) is of vital importance for companies oriented toward R&D. MOT was the theme of three meetings that took up cases in the electronics and bio industries as well as support for public offering of stock, and consisted of presentations, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions. The participants managed to examine a broad spectrum of subjects from the MOT perspective, including issues in each stage of the process from startup to expansion, corporate value as it relates to financing, and going public.
Practice of MOT in Electronics
Lecture by Mr. Tetsuji Osamura, General Manager of Business Development, FeliCa Business Marketing Dep., B2B Solution Business Div., Sony Corp. and President of Sony FeliCa Pocket Marketing
What must be done to turn technology into products? Mr. Osamura made a presentation based on his actual experiences of in-house ventures at Sony. He also commented on the creation of new business through active application of leading-edge technology, using the example of the prospects for such creation harnessing FeliCa. His watchword: FeliCa will change the world, and the world will change with FeliCa!
Biotech Ventures from the Viewpoints of Stock Market
Lecture by Mr. Tomohiko Ikeno, Senior Analyst, Investment Research Center, Ace Securities
Establishment of bio ventures in Japan began in the mid 1990s, and many of them embarked on IPO starting around 2000. Their valuations, however, are quite different from those of bio ventures in the U.S. market. What strategy should bio ventures deploy after IPO? How should investors assess firms whose business is in deficit? The presentation explored these and other questions concerning bio ventures as viewed from the stock market and MOT.
Support of IPO for Technology Ventures
Panel Discussion by the members who are engaged in assisting IPO from various aspects including Mr. Hirotaka Amo, CEO of IPERA, Mr. Kenji Takahashi, Partner of Next Hands-on Partners, Ms. Aya Miyake, Office Manager of Stakeholders’ Strategy Planning & Promotion Office, Stakeholders Unit, Jasdaq Securities Exchange, Inc., Mr. Naoshi Yamaguchi, CPA, Partner, KPMG AZSA & Co. and Mr. Takeshi Yamamoto, Corporate Officer and Deputy General Manager of Underwriting Div., Ace Securities.
Moderator: Yutaka Shibata, Investment Manager, TNP On The Road
The panel discussion confirmed the significance of IPO for technology-based ventures and viewed a variety of issues from the perspective of support for it, such as method of corporate valuation based on the background of business models, business plans, evaluation of intellectual assets, and judgment of business continuity as well as information disclosure necessary for receiving such support and post-IPO direction. In this way, it considered what is required when managing of technology-based ventures aspiring to IPO, including the connection with MTO. It was a multifaceted examination of these subjects with the guidance of a moderator who has a wealth of experience in this field and the participation of panelists representing a variety of standpoints.
3) TSUNAMI New Year Reception
The TSUNAMI New Year Reception was held in the main hall of the hotel, after the Business Plan Presentation and the sector workshops. Venture Support Mechanism TSUNAMI was inaugurated in June 2007 as a Specified NPO dedicated to support of venture firms, and this was consequently its first such gathering. The proceedings began with remarks by Mr. Ikemori, Chairman of TSUNAMI (and Honorary Chairman of FANCL Corporation) on our activities and policy to date. After brief messages from distinguished guests in various fields, a keynote speech expressing encouragement for Japan's semiconductor industry was delivered by Mr. Tsugio Makimoto, President of Technovision (and former Senior Managing Director of Hitachi Ltd. and Senior Executive Officer of Sony Corporation). In it, Mr. Makimoto 
traced the evolution of semiconductors and also commented on the management angle in simple terms. The cyclic phenomena of standardization and customization in the semiconductor industry were dubbed the "Makimoto wave" by the British journal Electronics Weekly in 1991. Speeches by Mr. Makimoto, who is also known as "Mister Semiconductor," are highly interesting and enjoyable for the ordinary participants as well as experts. His speech at the gathering came to a rousing climax toward its end with the playing of a song for which he wrote the lyrics, and left an atmosphere of togetherness and cheer.
In addition, Mr. Tadahito Takahashi, President of PALTEK CORP., introduced six firms that have been listed with the assistance of TSUNAMI so far.
A venue of dynamic interchange staged by TSUNAMI as an open platform, the Reception attracted a wide range of participants. The hall was filled with about 320 attendants, and the Reception was a resounding success thanks to their cooperation.
2. TSUNAMI Venture Fair 2008
“Technical Show Yokohama 2008” was held at the Pacifico Yokohama Exhibition Hall from Wednesday to Friday, February 13th - 15th. The specified NPO Venture Support Mechanism TSUNAMI participated in the Show together with the Kanagawa Small and Medium Sized Enterprise Center.
In an expansive space, we introduced technology, goods, and services provided by a total of 45 R&D-oriented venture firms, consisting of TSUNAMI venture members. The TSUNAMI Venture Fair is held each year around this time under the banner of providing a venue for encounter for the purpose of expanding the business of our venture members, and is positioned as an occasion for business meetings by companies eager to utilize the energies and technology of venture firms. We are making referrals to the 45 firms that exhibited in the TSUNAMI booth, and interested parties are urged to contact us.
List of Exhibitors by Sector:
Materials: Eamex, W-Scope and PI R&D
Semiconductor: Aqua Science, ACT-LSI, CIM, Silicon Library, Stratosphere Solutions, Tsukuba Seiko and Euphonic Technologies
Packaging: Quasar Systems and Yokohama Jisso Consortium of Advanced Packaging
Other Electronics: Izumi Giken Kogyo, Inter Robot, NT MicroSystems, Kentech MS, KOBATEL and TAKESHIBA ELECTRIC
Telecom and IT Services: AR’S, ASKA T3, Xcidia, Emile, ONPOO, Kansai Broadband, QB5, Star Solutions, TY-Solutions, KNOWLEDGE AUTOMATION, Planetworks, YUDO, Lecport and repica
Biotechnology: in silico biology, Global Health, NanoBioTech, BIOS, UNEX and Replus
Cleantech: GENKI and Stac
Miscellaneous Services: Kozai Planning and Miyoshiike
Venture Support: KSP, AOBA TECHNICAL CONSULTANTS and Specified NPO YUVEC