High-Tech Japan

MONDAY 24 APRIL 2006 (This page is for the historic record only)
"Making money out of high-tech Japan: strategies for Venture Capital and High-Tech Small and Medium Sized Companies"
(last updated 17 April)

This page is maintained for historic reference only

Organised by: Asia-Pacific Technology Network and Electronics Link Japan
Location: Hosted by 3i, 16 Palace Street, London SW1E 5JD
Nearest Tube Stations: St James Park or Victoria
Time: 17.30 - 19.30

Chair: Peter Gardner, Sector Head (Technology), 3i Group

Speakers: Philip White, International Technology Promoter (Electronics), Department of Trade and Industry "Japan - Wired and Unwired"

Matthew Phillips, Head, Mobile Handset Connectivity Business Unit, Cambridge Silicon Radio "How CSR competes in Japan" (working title)

Peter Bacon, Chairman Electronics Link Japan "How British companies are tackling the Japanese Electronics Market: the strategic options"

Background
We believe that the technological importance of Japan is currently being under-estimated. Partly this is a result of Japan's prolonged post-1990 slowdown, but partly it is a result of the way that China has become the magnet for many of those looking at doing business with East Asia. However, Japan remains by far the biggest and richest economy in the region.. Its spending on Science and Technology far outranks that of any its neighbours. In addition, there are signs that its economy is starting to grow again at a respectable rate. We feel it is time to reassess the potential for doing business with Japan.

This seminar is planned as the first of a quarterly series aimed at the Venture Capital community of the UK (and wider Europe). We hope that each seminar will be hosted by a Venture Capital company or an equivalent technology transfer unit from leading universities. In each seminar we will present an authoritative overview of a sector in which Japan has serious strengths, and will then have one or two high-tech SMEs (Small or Medium-Sized Enterprises) explain how they have gone about developing a sustainable business in the face of Japan's competitive strengths.

We believe that this series will both allow investors to re-evaluate the potential of High-Tech Japan, while giving a variety of SMEs the chance to showcase their stories. We believe this will be valuable by helping investors consider the variety of strategies open to companies looking towards Japan.

Peter Gardner and the 3i Group
Peter is the Sector Head with special responsibility for strategy and business development in Technology across the Private Equity and Buy-Out teams in 3i, and Communications in the Venture Capital (early stage) investment team. He is 3i's "futurologist" in communications and technology and as such contributes both to 3i's global investment team as well as the extensive portfolio of technology companies on strategic opportunities and building value. Through his ecosystem of a substantial network of contacts in leading communications corporate and entrepreneurial companies, he creates opportunities for investment, commercial relationships, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.

Since joining 3i in 1997 with many years experience of owning and running companies in the IT and communications sector, he has looked at over 800 business plans and been involved in over 100 investments. He was appointed Sector Head in the Venture Capital team for Communications 2003, and Sector Head for Technology in Private Equity and Buy-Out in 2006. He is regularly seen as a speaker and panellist at telecoms conferences, as well as publishing 3i's "Communicating" newsletter and contributing to external publications, and is known for his forthright views in all of these. He is on the board of a number of 3i companies. Peter's background is as a technologist first with IBM and then teaching computer science before starting his own venture backed IT business, after which he then went on to run two other IT and telecoms businesses before joining 3i. He also found time to obtain an executive MBA from Cranfield, and is both a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.

3i has over 1,300 portfolio companies and a market capitalisation in excess of €7bn. It has 250 market facing professional investors in 28 locations around the world. The technology portfolio numbers some 200 companies, valued at over €1bn.

Cambridge Silicon Radio

From a standing start in 1999, CSR has established a leading position among the world's largest semiconductor companies. They have achieved a remarkable breakthrough to meet the Bluetooth wireless standard proposed in 1998 on a single chip and have moved to become the global market leader, with over 900 Bluetooth consumer products using their chips.

CSR's outstanding innovation performance has been matched by commercial success. They floated on the London Stock Exchange in March 2004 and entered the FTSE 250 just four months later. Since 1999 they have designed over 30 different BlueCore(TM) chips, which are manufactured in Taiwan, and the company is now ranked number one in every Bluetooth market segment. CSR has shipped more than 100 million chips since its foundation, covering 60 per cent of all qualified Bluetooth enabled products, to customers which include industry leaders such as Nokia, Dell, Panasonic, Sharp, Motorola, IBM, Apple, NEC, Toshiba, RIM and Sony using BlueCore(TM) chips in their range of Bluetooth products.

CSR has its headquarters in Cambridge, UK, and offices in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Denmark, Sweden and both Texas and Detroit in the USA.

Matthew Phillips, SVP Mobile Handset Connectivity Strategic Business Unit

Matthew is currently the head of CSR’s Mobile Handset Connectivity business unit. Matthew leads the part of CSR’s business which supplies Mobile Handset manufacturers with world class wireless connectivity products. These include CSR’s market leading Bluetooth connectivity solutions. The Mobile Handset Business unit supplies devices and software to provide full systems solutions to global handset suppliers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Siemens-BenQ.

Matthew was previously the VP Asia for CSR. He joined CSR in October 1999 during the development phase of the world’s first CMOS IC to operate at 2.4GHz. Matthew implemented CSR's market launch in Japan and other Asian countries and helped position CSR as the market leader in Bluetooth ICs.

Matthew was previously Marketing Manager of Consumer Microcircuits Ltd (CML), a UK based company specialising in ICs for wired and wireless communications applications. He has worked on the specifications of ASSP devices in Telephone, ISDN and Embedded modem applications, and has also worked extensively on the marketing of devices for digital two-way radio and wide area wireless data products.

Matthew started his career as a radio networks design engineer for Philips Radio Communications Systems also located in Cambridge.

Electronics Link Japan ( ELJ)

Since 1996, Electronics Link Asia has been working with UK technology companies in the electronics and ICT sector, to help them with their first engagements with Japanese companies, and enabling them to develop their strategy successfully and increase their sales in Japan. Peter Bacon founded the company after 27 years in Philips Electronics, and after the successful DTI work into Japan at that time, and continues a close relationship with the British Embassy in Japan. Our web site is www.link-asia.com

The ultimate success is when our UK client company sets up its own operation in Japan and this has been enabled in several cases, and their business has continued to grow. In spring 2006, thanks to extensions of the business scope of the company and its continued focus on Japan, we are launching Electronics Link Japan Ltd, with Steve Crane as its CEO and Peter Bacon as Chairman, to continue and extend its work with UK technology companies.

Phillip White and Global Watch Service

Phillip White is International Technology Promoter, Japan, IT Electronics and Communications, a DTI Global Watch Service managed by PERA.

DTI Global Watch Service Technology Partnering is characterised by a network of DTI International Technology Promoters (ITPs) - specialists working with UK organisations to facilitate inward technology transfer and broader technology collaboration.

Phillip White is the DTI International Technology Promoter (ITP) with specific responsibility for Japan, widely recognised as one of the world's leading investors in technology development. Phillip's main objective is to access technology-based opportunities in support of the UK IT, electronics and communications industries, though he welcomes enquiries from any UK company seeking a Japanese technology partner.

Phillip graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Electronic Engineering and a postgraduate course in Production Methods and Management. He has more than 25 years' experience in engineering, with over 16 years spent working in Japanese companies in the electronics and automotive industries. He hopes that UK companies will be eager to take advantage of his technical experience, language skills and pragmatic approach to working with Japanese companies.

phillip.white@pera.com
www.globalwatchservice.com/itp