Soracom’s CEO speaks at MIT REAP Gala
Written by: Soracom Team
Published: February 3, 2017
Mr. Ken Tamagawa, our CEO, recently spoke on entrepreneurship at the Global Innovation Gala Dinner of MIT REAP on 31st January.
What is MIT REAP?
The MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program is designed to achieve economic and social progress by translating research insights into practical frameworks with widespread global application. MIT REAP convenes stakeholders from government, academia, corporate, risk capital and entrepreneurship to develop entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world.
Cohort 3, which entered the program in 2015 and will graduate in 2017, consists of regional teams based in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Thailand, China, Chile, Norway and Wales. In Tokyo, Tokyo University of Science is the “backbone organization” for the Tokyo stakeholder group.
This Tokyo Gala Dinner, which was held at the Roppongi Hills Club 51st floor, welcomed REAP participants from all over the world, including distinguished scholars, investors, corporate executives and government officials.
The evening began with the harmony of shamisen, ukulele and beatboxes by Ninja beats.
Shamisen, ukulele and beatbox!
Entrepreneurship in Japan
Following the performance, Ken Tamagawa spoke on the subject of “Entrepreneurship in Japan,” offering insights about his journey from early career to graduate school to the launch of SORACOM, and about the two years of rapid growth since then.
His story underscored the importance of personal vision for entrepreneurs. He concluded by saying, “I didn’t set out to become an entrepreneur. I liked working in research with a big team and lots of resources. But because I followed my passion in technology I had a strong vision for what the future can look like. And since no one else would build SORACOM, I had to do this. So for you, I think you will benefit to know there is a thing that only you can bring into the world. Not just another app, but a thing only you can see. And once you find it, everything else will become possible.”
Afterward, many of the REAP participants from Europe, Asia and South America were interested in learning more about SORACOM. It was a genuine pleasure to be able to connect with so many people working to create more entrepreneurial opportunities around the world.
We will exhibit at 4YFN in Barcelona, Spain in February and at CeBIT in Hannover, Germany in March and are very excited to show our services around the world including Europe.
We were truly honored to have the opportunity to participate in this distinguished event, and we look forward to the continued success of this ambitious program building networks around the world and making opportunities for academia, business circles, investors and entrepreneurs to join together.
The organizer and Mr. Ken Tamagawa
Finally, we will continue to strive to provide connectivity for various innovative IoT devices from Japan to the global.
