Press Release

March 16, 2021
JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.

JAFCO Group to Launch “&JAFCO Meet up Series”
Serving as a bridge between major and start-up companies
to accelerate open innovation with more impact.

JAFCO Group Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, President: Shinichi Fuki) has announced the launchof the “& JAFCO Meet up Series” seminar. The aim of this seminar is to connect major companies with startup
companies and promote open innovation with more impact by addressing management issues facing people
involved in corporate planning or new business creation, and offering information that could provide a clue totheir next actions.

& JAFCO Meet up Series Outline
In “ JAFCO Meet up Series,” we will offer information on the latest trends required for new business creation, thetrajectory of people embarking on new busines ventures, etc. on a topic basis for corporate personnel looking to takeon new challenge or who are already developing new businesses.
The topic of the first session is “Innovators.” We will invite Mr. Tomoki Akutsu, President of TOUCH TO GO Co.,
Ltd., who is promoting an unmanned convenience store business that he launched while working for JR East Start
UP (CVC). He will talk about his experience in new business creation from various viewpoints, including the time
he launched a new business in a large company, part-time job experience before joining JR East Start UP, businessturning points/ factors to be experienced, and current issues.
For the second session, we will invite Mr. Takumi Yamaguchi, President of PR TIMES Inc., who volunteered tomanage a new press release distribution business of Vector Group, a largest PR company in Japan, and brought thebusiness to IPO.

For more information, please contact
pr@jafco.co.jp, JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.

<Seminar Topics>
Innovators:
We will invite entrepreneurs who belong to companies and embarking on new projects to unravel their driving
force, turning points, and how they continue to challenge themselvesNext Trend Seminar:
To realize the “New Industrial Structure Vision (Society 5.0)” issued by the Ministry of Economy, Trade andIndustry, we will offer easy-to-understand information on cutting-edge technologies (present and future) forpeople in various industries. We will ask companies embarking on new challenges in various fields and delve
deeply into their actual activities, future prospects and real issues.

< Innovators#1 Session Outline>
Date:

March 17, 2021 (Wed.)

Venue:To be held online

18:00-19:00（opens at 17:50）

Admission: Free
Speaker:

Tomoki Akutsu, President of TOUCH TO GO Co., Ltd. and Manager of JR East Start UP Co, Ltd.

Topic：
Speaker introduction and his pre-job experience as a convenience store manager

Business background from demonstration experiment to commercialization

Who will be the president of the new company?

Business outlook after the launch

Q&A

To participate, click on the link below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebCs1y86DvQb7Tsc2IYzpN8TRmNT9po_CMW_xK5VC2SzvtbA/v
iewform
Seminar special site：https://www.jafco-seminar.info/innovators-1※ Please see the seminar special site for the speaker’s profile and rules during seminar.
< Innovators#2 Session Outline>
Date: April 26, 2021 (Mon.)

18:00-19:00（opens at 17:50）

Venue：to be held online
Admission: Free
Speaker: Takumi Yamaguchi, President of PR TIMES Inc.
Details of the Innovators#2 and the Next Trend Seminar sessions will be posted on JAFCO Group’s website(https://www.jafco.co.jp/) as soon as information becomes available.

For more information, please contact
pr@jafco.co.jp, JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.

Background and Purpose of the & JAFCO Meet up SeriesWith the aim of being a partner providing support for people continuing to challenge themselves, JAFCO Groupstarted holding web seminars in 2020 to connect people involved in corporate planning or new business creation
with entrepreneurs. In realizing the “New Industrial Structure Vision (Society 5.0)” issued by the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, open innovation has been actively implemented, and, as we support growth anddevelopment of a number of businesses, difficulty in creating a business with impact has also become apparent.
In order for us to reproduce successful business alliances, it is necessary to understand, from the point of viewof big companies, issues facing corporate employees who seek to take, or have already taken, on new challenge,and propose and realize the best matching solution with a startup company as an option to solve these issues.
Over the years, JAFCO Group has served as a bridge between big businesses and startup companies. Our
expertise in business expansion on both sides and connections with various companies will be used to create
contents for the “&JAFCO Meet up Series,” through which we aim to contribute to solving issues associatedwith “new business creation” and realize business alliances with impact.
Under our vision of shaping a better world with better tomorrow by looking into the future and expanding ourpartnership base for joint projects, we will continue to work closely with entrepreneurs and people who continue
to challenge themselves at the business forefront.

About JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.
Since its founding in 1973, JAFCO Group has always worked with leading entrepreneurs. The totalcommitments of its investment funds in Japan and overseas exceed ¥1 trillion and the cumulative number of
portfolio IPOs to date reached over 1,000. In addition to venture investment, we also carry out buyout
investment and commit to the creation of innovative technologies and services worldwide. As entrepreneurs’closest partner in bringing their visions to life, we provide support in areas of HR, marketing/ sales, and backoffice operations, in addition to providing financing.
Company name:

JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.

President & CEO:

Shinichi Fuki

Location:

24F Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, 1-23-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established:

April 5, 1973

Stock exchange:

TSE First Section

No. of employees:

133 (consolidated; as of December 30, 2020)

For more information, please contact
pr@jafco.co.jp, JAFCO Group Co., Ltd.