'technology' Category
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FB Messenger Instant Games Infographic
June 23, 2017As I’ve said before, I believe that Facebook Messenger’s Instant Games platform has the potential to disrupt the App Store distribution model of mobile games, at least pertaining to casual games. Playing a snackable, casual game inside a messenger chat feed is far more seamless, in my opinion, then going to the App Store, hunting […]
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Portfolio job openings
June 9, 2017Many of our portfolio companies are seeking talented, adaptable individuals with a hunger to join a startup adventure. (For my views on why I believe everyone should consider working in a startup, read: Free your career). Here are a few open positions among our current investments: CoolGames Ad sales manager (Japan) Experienced Game Developer (Holland) […]
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Stability vs. Security [安定]
June 2, 2017[image credit: Chris Riddell] A conversation last night with my friend Shin Iwata from Atomico inspired me to reflect on the choices facing young people nowadays as they embark on their professional careers. Shin penned a poignant post discussing the difference between stability and security in the professional context in Japan, concepts denoted by the […]
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Mobile messengers and the post-app world
May 17, 2017It’s no secret that I’ve been a believer in the inevitability of a swing back toward centralized architectures in mobile. Although I probably mis-timed my call of the HTML5 inflection point, I remain convinced that it is approaching, and I believe Facebook is leading the way. Facebook has now almost completed its initial worldwide rollout […]
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Nightmare scenario: Ransomware-as-a-Service
May 13, 2017The paralysis of the UK’s National Health Service’s computer resources caused by the WannaCry ransomware this week is perhaps the scariest example of the malicious software at work. (I used to joke about ransomware by telling the anecdote of a friend who was ‘caught with his pants down’ by ransomware while surfing porn sites). However, […]
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Emerging sectors in Japan: interview with FrenchWeb
April 7, 2017France’s tech media site FrenchWeb visited Slush Tokyo last week. Here’s an interview I gave them about Japanese innovation in IoT, AI, Fintech, and Agtech (in French). Also joining were: Benjamin Joffe of HAX, Jean-Dominique François of LaFrenchTech Japan, Vincent Bruneau and Steve Furukubo of Magency, Yan Fan of Code Chrysalis, and a demo with […]
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‘Empathy’ is jumping the shark
March 31, 2017One of the most powerful yet understated human emotions is under threat. Empathy is the capacity for understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. In contrast with its close cousin sympathy, empathy approaches a truer shared experience. It is more credible because the empathizer has […]
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You can’t manage what you can’t measure (or, How to enter the multiverse)
March 15, 2017I just read a sci-fi thriller about parallel universes that may be a candidate for this year’s summer reading list. Part of the plot invokes the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. In the past I’ve reflected on the impact of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle in journalism, but this novel in combination with this excellent interview with Chris […]
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This week’s conferences on Mobile and Gaming trigger a nostalgic trip down memory lane
March 3, 2017[Note: this is the English version of yesterday’s piece I wrote for Japan’s publication, The Bridge. The Japanese version can be found here.] This week we have the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. Both major technology conferences; both happening at the same time. So difficult to choose… […]
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Act Globally, Eat Locally
February 1, 2017By 2050, we’ll need to find a way to feed 9.7 billion people. Current food production methods will not suffice. They’re too inefficient (it takes at least 9 calories of food production to produce 1 calorie of edible meat) and harmful to the environment (see Environmental impacts of farming). Many developed countries will even struggle […]
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A few more predictions for 2017
January 7, 2017I sincerely appreciated all the positive feedback on publishing my past predictions scorecard as well as on this collection of 2017 predictions from an exclusive all-women cast of investors. Thank you. Some readers also prodded me to stake out my own set of tech forecasts for the year ahead. While I contend that the best […]
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My prediction scorecard
December 26, 2016I ruffled a few feathers back in February when I wrote how I think HTML5 games will become trendy again. Nine months later, Facebook launches Instant Games, offering HTML5 games directly inside the chat feed. Perhaps a bit premature to brag, but I’d like to suggest that I really nailed this one. . In contrast, […]