The appointment was part of Gobi Partners’ “Crouching Panda, Hidden Tapir” strategy

Beijing-based venture capital (VC) firm Gobi Partners announced the appointment of Nobuyuki Idei as their Advisor for the Japanese market.

Idei was Chairman and Group CEO of Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony until 2005. He subsequently founded Quantum Leaps Corporation, an executive advisory company that helps technology-driven venture companies to enhance competitiveness through corporate transformation and network building.

He will be working with the firm to identify Japanese startups that have the potential to expand their business to Southeast Asia.

“I established Quantum Leaps Corporation to share my knowledge, experience, and rich network for the benefit of Japan’s younger generations, and to ensure the future of the country’s competitiveness. Today, my mission remains the same: to help Japanese home-grown companies build bridges between themselves and the rest of Asia, which will provide them with the opportunity to grow and develop into the next generation of global companies and leaders,” Idei said in a press statement.

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Gobi Partners stated that his appointment is part of the firm’s “Crouching Panda, Hidden Tapir” strategy, which aims to connect the venture capital ecosystems of Northeast and Southeast Asia.

“The combined ‘Crouching Panda’ economies of China, Japan and Korea are the size of the US economy today, and their companies are global leaders in consumer brands, such as Sony, LG, and Huawei. Gobi believes that by connecting these companies to the ‘Hidden Tapir’, i.e. Southeast Asian economies, an unbeatable and industrious market will be established; in fact, ASEAN as a region has an emerging consumer market that is rapidly growing in size. For example, in 2050, Indonesia alone will be the fourth largest economy in the world,” it explained.

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Image Credit: Gobi Partners

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