Reflecting on 2021 and Goals for 2022 by Kunimitsu 3
2021 was a year of upheaval.
In July, I stepped down from gumi, the company I had managed for 14 years since its founding. Currently, I am focusing on my roles as Representative Director and CEO of Thirdverse and FiNANCiE, as well as gumi Cryptos Capital.
Thirdverse was launched with the vision of 'creating a new virtual world where 1 billion people live.'
Thirdverse Co., Ltd. This new company name embodies the desire to 'create a third place on the Metaverse where people can spend time in their own way, different from their homes, schools, or workplaces.' We aim to create a 'new virtual world where many people live' by not just ending VR games as mere games, but by adding an economic sphere to them.
'The foundation of life is shifting from real to virtual' What is the 'Thirdverse Concept' of living as the person you want to be?
We have also completed a 2 billion yen fundraising from JAFCO, Incubate Fund, KDDI, WiL, Animoca, etc.andhave assembled an excellent team of members,making it a team of 50 in Japan and 30 overseas.
And above all, what is significant is that while Meta's prior approval is required to distribute on the Oculus Store (similar to the official sites of feature phones), we were able to receive approval for three new titles. I believe this is rare even globally.
FiNANCiE was launched with the vision of 'realizing a creator economy that supports the challenges of 1 billion people.'
I think Instagram and Facebook will end soon : FiNANCiE
In January 2021, we entered the sports token market. We have reached the point of issuing tokens for 40 teams, including soccer, basketball, ice hockey, and baseball.
Yuto Nagatomo x Hironao Kunimitsu: Let's talk about tokens 'Providing economic benefits to supporting fans as well'
gumi Cryptos Capitalis a fund specializing in Web3 investmentwith a size of 2.4 billion yen. It was established in San Francisco in February 2018. A feature is that it can invest in both tokens and equity, and so far we have invested in 36 companies, with tokens and equity being about half and half.
The fund is doing extremely well, with 2.6 billion yen already distributed and a current value of 59.8 billion yen. Our portfolio companies such as OpenSea, Celsius, YGG, VEGA, Qredo, 1inch, and Origin have already become unicorns, and are quite promising. In addition to these, there are many promising projects waiting to be listed, such as Agoric, ASTAR, and Spacemesh, so I am really looking forward to it.
Investment is going well, and if you include VR Fund and direct investments from gumi, 13 unicorns have emerged, making it a very good year.
2021 was the year when the Metaverse (XR), which I had been working on since 2015, and Web3 (Crypto), which I had been working on since 2017, were materialized.
Goals for 2022
Thirdverseis finallylaunching two new titles. A new sword-fighting action RPG from the Tokyo studio. A new multiplayer shooter from the LA studio. Both are turning out to be of quite high quality, so I am looking forward to them.
Swords of Gargantua will have new developments regarding Web3. We will announce it soon, so please look forward to it. And since we will be launching a major offensive in the GameFi area, please look forward to that as well.
FiNANCiEhas set three goals.Success of IEO, exploration beyond sports, and the launch of the global versionis what they are.
As we announced the other day,we have started preparations for an IEO with Coincheck, targeting the summer. While doing this, we have realized that there are many issues unique to Japan. For the sake of those who follow, I would like to properly organize and resolve these issues and successfully complete the IEO.
We are thinking of expanding beyond sports intoentertainment and DAOs. There will be a big announcement in January, so please look forward to it.
We will also be conducting a global listing and launching the global version, aiming for the autumn. Please look forward to this as well.
The formation of the second fundis also progressing smoothly, and I think we will be able to officially announce it in January. I will do my best to aim for the top Web3 fund (seed, early stage) globally.
Regarding token issuance and listings, I have accumulated significant knowledge and networks both domestically and internationally, so I will proceed with partnerships with various companies and work hard to ensure Japan is not left behind by the world in Web3.
I believe 2022 will be a crucial year to bring everything we have done so far to fruition. I will give it my all as if my life depends on it! I will also make large-scale overseas fundraising a reality.
Metaverse is Now! Web3 is Now!
As for my personal goals, I want to take my English to the next level. I will increase my presence by doing more overseas speaking engagements and interviews. I will reduce my alcohol intake to increase my focused working hours (I'm finally taking the plunge lol). I will strengthen my hands-on approach and focus more on the product and the organization.
Oh, and I'm going to try anti-aging too~ I 'should' be getting younger, so please look forward to it~ lol
I believe that whether I can evolve myself in 2022 will be a major key to whether we end up with only domestic success or achieve world domination. Please look forward to the 'Kunimitsu 3' update! lol I will break through my limits in a spectacular way! Thank you for your continued support this year too~!