EnFi Co., Ltd.
EnFi establishes FoF “EnFi Global Game Fund” with a total of approximately 1.5 billion yen and begins investing in game-specific VC funds
EnFi is pleased to announce that it has established its second fund, the EnFi Global Game Fund, and has begun making new investments. ……
EnFi Global Game Fund is a fund of funds (FoF) that invests in multiple game-specific VC funds to support the growth of the game industry and benefit from active M&A in the game industry. . EnFi is the only game-specific FoF in the world, and in addition to domestic game companies, we have received investment from overseas investors as well, as it has been praised as a unique FoF. We will continue to recruit investors, aiming for a total fund amount of 10 million US dollars (approximately 1.5 billion yen).
Additionally, the EnFi Global Game Fund has already concluded investment agreements with multiple game-specific funds in which major overseas game companies and IT companies also invest.
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[About EnFi]
EnFi has a wealth of overseas experience, and after working at Sony Computer Entertainment (currently Sony Interactive Entertainment) where he was involved in PlayStation development tool incubation and the launch of PSP, he worked as a securities analyst in the financial industry, analyzing the game industry. This is a fund management company launched in 2021 by Michiko Kakiya, who has been investing. He has practical experience in the game industry, including launching a business in Sony’s PlayStation business, and utilizes his hybrid background as a financial professional to create the EnFi Global Innovative Technology Fund (hereinafter referred to as Fund 1) in 2021. Invested in a game-specific fund, pioneering the new concept of “game investment” in Japan.
In addition, EnFi has mentors from former Sony and Nomura Securities, including former Sony Computer Entertainment CTO Shinichi Okamoto, who combine their knowledge of the game industry and investment know-how to form and manage funds.
In the EnFi Global Game Fund, the second fund, Paul Bragiel, chairman of Finland’s Sisu Game Ventures, which invested in the first fund, will also participate as a mentor to strengthen understanding of overseas trends in game investment and build networks. I am. [Features of EnFi Global Game Fund]
EnFi Global Game Fund, the second fund recently established, adopts the investment form of Fund of Funds (FoF), which is a fund that invests in funds, and has increased the number of investment funds compared to the first fund. We invest in specialized VC funds. Through investment, we aim to continue supporting technology evolution and the growth of the game industry, as well as benefit from the active M&A in the game industry, which GAFAM is also focusing on. Additionally, it is common for investors to invest in the same funds as major overseas IT companies and major game companies, giving them the advantage of being able to access the same investment
opportunities as global companies.
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[Reasons for investing specifically in the game industry, which is also attracting attention from GAFAM]
The game industry boasts the largest market size in the entertainment industry, and new fields including the Metaverse and Web3 have historically been born from the game industry.
This trend has been noticeable since the establishment of the EnFi No. 1 Fund in 2021, and overseas, major companies including GAFAM have been conducting M&A of game companies worth hundreds of billions to trillions of yen. You can see that you are being noticed.
In addition to large-scale M&A, gaming companies continue to make gaming-specific VC investments, and multiple gaming-specific funds with unique concepts have been born.
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In the current game industry, there is a shift from specialization on devices such as consoles and mobile devices to the metaverse and cloud, and in the development environment, new technologies such as generative graphic AI are expected to improve the efficiency of game development. Although there are major trends, the approaches vary. Furthermore, it is unknown which method will be successful, and the trends of game startup companies are attracting attention.
[Comment from EnFi Founding Partner Michiko Kakiya]
EnFi supports the entertainment business through investment under the concept of “Entertainment x Financial,” and we continue to make that commitment.
I myself have been involved with many game start-up companies since the early 2000s, and the game technology and business model are at the cutting edge, and I have seen first-hand the explosive growth that can occur when start-up companies successfully deploy that technology. I’ve been doing it.
Start-up companies play a large role in the game industry, and this has become common overseas as “game investment.” On the other hand, when we formed our first fund in 2021, there was almost no concept of “gaming investment” in Japan. Two years have passed, and although I feel that recognition of game investment has increased, the hurdles remain high, partly because the investment market is overseas. Under such circumstances, this game-specific FoF to further expand game investment was a challenge for EnFi, and also a mission that we absolutely wanted to undertake as Japan’s leading foreign game fund investment.
We strongly believe that through the EnFi Global Game Fund, we will not only be able to enjoy the growth of our gaming portfolio companies as an investment return, but also provide a new perspective to the entertainment industry. We look forward to supporting game startups and industries around the world through game-specific VC investments. [Fund overview] ■EnFi Global Game Fund [Management period] 10 years (extension possible) [Operator] EnFi Co., Ltd. [Application period] ~ 2024 (ends as soon as the target total amount is reached) [Investment target] Game-specific type venture capital fund
[About EnFi Co., Ltd.] EnFi Co., Ltd., which organizes, solicits, and manages this fund, supports the entertainment business through investment under the concept of “Entertainment x Financial,” and continues to make that commitment. .
■EnFi Co., Ltd. representative profile
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[Representative Director of EnFi Co., Ltd.: Michiko Kakiya]
A Japanese person from Hong Kong. Graduated from University of California, Berkeley. At Sony Computer Entertainment Co., Ltd. (currently Sony Interactive Entertainment), he was in charge of the Tools & Middleware Program, which was the VC function of PlayStation. Select cutting-edge game technology. After that, for 10 years, he worked as a securities analyst at a foreign securities company and a foreign investment management company, where he engaged in game industry research and individual company performance analysis. After working as an independent VC, he established EnFi Inc. and became its representative. ■Overview of EnFi Co., Ltd. [Representative] Michiko Kakiya, Representative Director [Established] May 20, 2020 [Location] 8-2-7 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo [URL] https://www.enfi.co.jp / [Contact information] corp@enfi.co.jp [Business content] Establishment and operation of funds, support for overseas expansion and business development of companies, support for management strategy formulation and promotion [Inquiries regarding this press release] EnFi Co., Ltd. corp@enfi .co.jp
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