ASICS Gel-Lyte Speed Ubiq sneakers | Will Smith x ASICS Finally Makes Sense | ASICS Ventures Adds Money to the Dreamers Venture Capital Fund
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Source: ASICS Global – The Official Corporate Website for ASICS and Its Affiliates
Earlier this month I wrote a post on the super creepy and absurd Will Smith x ASICS video:
Onitsuka Tiger’s Global Collaboration Film featuring Will Smith is Strange on Every Level
In that post I stated that this seemed like an unlikely collaborative effort, but it makes perfect sense:
Dreamers Fund is a venture capital fund established in 2018 jointly by a company managed by Japanese professional football player Keisuke Honda and an investment company held by actor Will Smith. The fund is comprised of members with a track record of investing in prominent startups and has built a solid network with startups in the US. The fund’s mission is to ‘be a bridge between Japan and America,’ and will not only tap its strong networks in the two countries and advise Japanese companies, but also actively make introductions between companies and offer support.
By investing in Dreamers Fund, ASICS will be able to learn more about innovative trends of products, technologies, and services. Partnering with Dreamers Fund will allow ASICS to discover startups in the US, especially on the West Coast, where many promising startups are concentrated. ASICS aims for further continued growth by investing in such startups and through business partnerships.
The recent transition of power at companies like Nike and StockX to CEOs who previously worked for eBay establish that sports brands are functioning unlike footwear and apparel companies and more like tech companies who happen to sell sportswear. I’ve been monitoring ASICS investments through their funds and while the company isn’t exactly in the spotlight in the U.S. the acquisitions and investments into tech hint that the battle for number 3 is going to become a true race between Under Armour, New Balance and ASICS.
Use the source link at the head to read more.
