Hearst Fujingahosha Co., Ltd.
-Event Report-“HearstLab” kick-off reception held to provide even soil for Japanese female entrepreneurs to compete in startups
– A project whose mission is to invest in and support women entrepreneurs – ……
Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Nicolas Floquet, hereinafter referred to as Hearst
Fujingahosha) and HearstLab, which invests in female entrepreneurs (Headquarters: New York, USA) The state (Hearst Lab) jointly began full-scale support activities for female entrepreneurs in Japan this spring. To commemorate this, a kick-off reception was held at Roppongi Hills Club on June 5, 2024.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-7b0755780ce16275d689-0.jpg&s3=8128-659-7f30b4a4c5611f3f4e226daf62388398-3841×1751.jpg] Eve Burton, founder of “HearstLab” and senior vice president of Hearst Corporation who promotes women’s empowerment, visits Japan.
■Kickoff with a total of 150 female entrepreneurs, investors, and people who support women’s success
HearstLab is a project started in 2016 by parent company Hearst, which invests in and supports pre-seed to early-stage venture companies led by female entrepreneurs. Our mission is to close the gender gap in venture funding by helping women entrepreneurs build sustainable and scalable businesses. In Japan, the full-scale rollout will begin on this year’s International Women’s Day, and to celebrate the beginning of this new stage, we will welcome Eve Burton, a female executive at Hearst headquarters and the founder of HearstLab, from the United States. “HearstLab Japan Kickoff Reception” was held.
[Video 2: https://prtimes.jp/api/movieim.php?url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHT51-IUyaE] A total of 150 people gathered on the day, including female
entrepreneurs, investors, various organizations and individuals who support women’s success. In his opening remarks, our President and Representative Director Nicolas Floquet expressed his enthusiasm for our activities in Japan.
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-3d8fda2fe955da1be2e7-1.jpg&s3=8128-659-412898260b72177587e349a44e7dc746-2250×1500.jpg] Hearst Fujingahosha Co., Ltd./Hearst Digital Japan Co., Ltd. Representative Director and President Nicolas Floquet
“I think it will be an exciting meeting with many investors and startups in attendance today.HearstLab is a project launched by Eve Burton with a passion to promote the advancement of women.Male In the world of venture businesses, where there are many startups, I am happy to be able to start this project in Japan, which Eve has been promoting with a strong desire to support startups launched by women. We want to create an ecosystem that supports founders.”
■ “Equal and level the playing field” for female entrepreneurs to compete in early startups
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-b5221eb56bc9fef41436-2.jpg&s3=8128-659-733b4e9d826ea2d1c99c512af0046e75-2250×1500.jpg] HearstLab International Japan Country Manager Sumiyo Tsuchikawa Next, Sumiyo Tsuchikawa, HearstLab International Japan Country Manager, who leads HearstLab’s activities in Japan, took the stage. “HearstLab was founded to improve the common challenges facing every single entrepreneur.The first and most important challenge is to improve the environment in which women-led early start-ups can do business. It’s about leveling the playing field.There is a gender disparity in funding for women in the venture industry ecosystem. Our second goal is for women within Hearst to demonstrate leadership and grow through this activity. The Scout Program exists to achieve this goal. These scouts are made up of in-house applicants, and currently more than 170 scouts are active in all markets. We will support the growth of our investees by participating in HearstLab’s marketing activities, selection and evaluation of potential investees, and linking them with Hearst’s diverse businesses.
Third, regarding HearstLab’s track record, to date, we have invested in over 70 companies, with a total valuation of over $2.4 billion. It also confirms that women-led businesses are a good investment. Lastly, the great effect is that it brings an entrepreneurial spirit to everyone at Hearst who is involved in the lab’s activities,” he said, expressing his thoughts and response to this activity.
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-e4e7d967d620e35cd75b-3.jpg&s3=8128-659-4f3a003f2dbdcd4248c0dda6cfc505b9-2250×1500.jpg] Hearst Inc. Senior Vice President Eve Burton and Hearst
Fujingahosha/Hearst Digital Japan Elle & Harper’s Bazaar Group Editorial Director Kanako Sakai
The talk session began with a conversation between Eve Burton (hereinafter referred to as Eve), senior vice president of Hearst Corporation, and Kanako Sakai (hereinafter referred to as Sakai), editor-in-chief of Hearst Fujingahosha/Hearst Digital Japan L & Harper’s Bazaar Group.
First of all, Eve said, “Over 135 years of business activities, Hearst started with the newspaper business, and in keeping with the times, expanded its business to magazines, television broadcasting, and B2B information services, and has demonstrated visionary leadership. What these businesses have in common is that we provide people with accurate information. Whether it’s software or
storytelling, all of our products make the world a better place. At a time when accurate information is difficult to obtain, Hearst has built a trustworthy company.
The way we receive information is fundamentally changing as a result of AI and digital transformation. Hearst is committed to delivering innovative solutions to the world. If you don’t look to the future, you won’t be able to maintain your purpose. “HearstLab, along with many other Hearst initiatives, is a beacon of hope,” he said of Hearst’s commitment to innovation and the vision for HearstLab. ■10 pieces of advice for female entrepreneurs
Finally, when asked what message she would like to give to early start-up female entrepreneurs, Eve shared 10 pieces of advice that she had personally experienced through her work at the lab.
[Image 5: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-60540029d4ed189a6b9e-4.jpg&s3=8128-659-6779e995c3a56e3f852570e724ece0b5-2250×1500.jpg] -10 advice for female entrepreneurs-
Find a good co-founder. You can’t do it alone.
We need better technology.
Solve problems that are familiar to you.
Choose the right investors. Not all venture funding is the same. Avoid being in “always on funding mode” and have time to focus on product development and market expansion
Hire people who can compensate for your weaknesses.
Don’t hire too many people too quickly.
Take care of your cash in the bank.
Understand and respond to customer needs.
Re-evaluate your business and pivot as necessary.
At the venue, many women could be seen nodding their heads and taking notes. ■I feel a bright future for women who are fully engaged in multitasking. After that, there was a conversation between Lindsay Jurist-Rosner, CEO of Wellthy, which is HearstLab’s first investment and provides a technology-based nursing care concierge service, and moderator Eriko Suzuki, and a conversation between entrepreneurs, vocalists, university professors, etc. Ryoko Takei, who is very active, gave a cheer and performed on the piano. During the networking time, “Gokugen” by the luxury sake brand “MINAKI” was served, and attendees enjoyed interacting with each other.
[Image 6: https://prtimes.jp/i/8128/659/resize/d8128-659-6ba019b6c65dcd37779e-5.jpg&s3=8128-659-be6f19021f0119639e3f5338c562dc68-3442×2205.jpg] Finally, Tsuchikawa would like to give his greetings to everyone. “I started my career after the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, and I am from the pioneer generation of career-track workers, so whenever I meet a female entrepreneur who is currently working hard, I am filled with the desire to support her. All the women who are doing housework, raising children, and doing their best in various fields are really shining.However, what stands in the way is the gender gap in Japan. I look forward to working together to shape a bright future for Japan.” Until now, Hearst Fujingahosha has supported Japanese women by disseminating information as a media, but as the next stage, we will promote HearstLab activities that directly support the women who will be responsible for the future of Japanese business. I will continue to do so.
■About HearstLab
HearstLab provides funding and services to innovative early-stage, female-led startups in fintech, data analytics, healthcare, logistics, enterprise technology, media, and more. Our mission is to close the gender gap in VC funding by helping female founders build sustainable and scalable businesses. Leveraging Hearst’s expertise in more than 360 businesses, HearstLab provides privacy and security, software development, legal services, financial analysis, marketing and design support to the women entrepreneurs it invests in. For more information about HearstLab, visit HearstLab.com and LinkedIn.
https://jp.hearstlab.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearstlab
■About Hearst Fujingahosha/Hearst Digital Japan
Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd. is a member of Hearst, a global company headquartered in the United States that operates information, service, and media businesses in 40 countries around the world. Hearst Digital Japan Co., Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hearst Fujingahosha Co., Ltd., which was established in 2016 to expand the digital business.
In addition to Fujingaho, which was first published in 1905, we are focusing on fashion and life through magazines such as ELLE, 25ans, Harper’s BAZAAR, and Esquire. We operate a number of digital media related to style and publish magazines. The e-commerce business, including “ELLE SHOP”, has also grown into a mainstay of earnings. In recent years, we have established “HEARST made,” which provides total support for client companies’ marketing activities, and “HEARST Data Solutions,” which provides data-based brand marketing support. We are developing corporate activities that combine information and data. We have also acquired ISO14001 certification and practice management that takes sustainability into consideration.
https://www.hearst.co.jp
Instagram: @hearstfujingaho
X (old Twitter): @hearstfujingaho
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hearst-fujingaho
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